When does clowning around cross the line? That’s the question currently being debated after a rodeo clown at a Missouri State Fair donned an Obama mask this weekend and asked the crowd if it wanted to see the President “run down by a bull.” According to those in attendance, audience members clapped and cheered every time Obama’s name was mentioned in such a manner. Clown in Obama Mask Riles Up Missouri Crowd Soon after the show, those behind the State Fair issued an apology on Facebook for such an “inappropriate and disrespectful” stunt, while Republican Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder condemned the act via Twitter, writing: “We are better than this.” Governor Jay Nixon and Senator Claire McCaskill also expressed disdain for the performance. “The young Missourians who witnessed this stunt learned exactly the wrong lesson about political discourse – that somehow it’s ever acceptable to, in a public event, disrespect, taunt, and joke about harming the President of our great nation,” said McCaskill in a statement. Some conservatives, however, are defending the stunt as an example of free speech and also pointing to the many George W. Bush Halloween masks that were worn years ago as proof that this sort of pranking happens all the time, across both aisles. Where do you stand on the issue? A rodeo clown dressing as President Obama is… Disgraceful, show some respect! Totally fine, ever heard of free speech?!? View Poll »
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Rodeo Clown in Missouri Dons Obama Mask: Disgraceful or Deserved?
