The Multnomah County Republican Party in Oregon was mocked last week for its plans to auction off a rifle in honor of Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr.
And in attempting to explain the raffle in a press release Monday, the Multnomah GOP drew an ill-timed parallel to slavery, according to the Oregonian.
“In our enthusiasm for celebrating Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln and the U.S. Constitution, our Multnomah Republican Party issued a press release that was unfortunately easily misunderstood,” the release read, as quoted by the Oregonian. “The GOP stands for individual liberty, lower taxes, smaller government and individual responsibility. We apologize if people were hurt by the message being marred by insufficient wording and/or cynical misinterpretations by those who disagree with us politically. We will certainly endeavor to communicate more clearly in the future, and learn and grow from this experience.”
Apparently, the Multnomah GOP’s attempt to communicate its dedication to Second Amendment rights without bringing up guns involved calling the government an agent of slavery.
“The great political issue today is whether or not the American people of all creeds and races will live free or live as slaves – slaves to their own overreaching government,” the release read, as quoted by the Oregonian. “50 years ago, Martin Luther King’s great speech was an appeal for freedom for African Americans. Today, those same words he spoke 50 years ago are an appeal for freedom for all Americans.”
