After the bipartisan co-chairs of the House Disabilities Caucus condemned a sign that read “Thank You Tea-Tards” at an Organizing for Action shutdown rally in front of the Capitol Tuesday, OFA also condemned the display, according to Buzzfeed.
Condemnations came after reporters tweeted photos of the sign.
OFA rally on the Capitol steps pic.twitter.com/INqPs9Jknu
— Reid J. Epstein (@reidepstein) October 15, 2013
Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI), co-chair of the HDC, said that while people are frustrated with the government, that’s not an excuse to use derogatory language.
“It is a frustrating time in Washington right now, but I find it really unfortunate that this offensive slur was used to characterize anyone,” Langevin said. “As co-chair of the Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus, I am a firm supporter of the campaign to end the ‘R word.’ It is derogatory and counter to the acceptance and inclusion in society of people with developmental disabilities.”
An OFA official belatedly responded to Buzzfeed’s request for comment.
“We neither support nor approve of the inappropriate language used in a sign on the mall today,” the official said. “OFA believes that John Boehner should stand up to the extreme wing in his party, pay their bills and end this now.”
Organizing for Action, the political group formed from President Obama’s campaign, organized multiple rallies through the country Tuesday to pressure the GOP to end the shutdown and avert default. Only about three dozen people attended the rally in Washington, DC, according to Politico.
Update: David Roper, a man who claimed to have brought the sign to the Capitol Tuesday, said in a tweet tweet that he was not affiliated with the protest.
OFA Spokeswoman Katie Hogan told TPM in an email that the man who held the “Thanks Tea-Tards” sign was not affiliated with OFA.
