Allegheny Co. GOP Chairman Roddey Regrets Inappropriate Joke
PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio 1020 KDKA) -- Sometimes, politics and jokes don't go well together and can be inappropriate and hurtful.
That's what happened to Allegheny County GOP Chairman Jim Roddey, and he is apologizing for those remarks.
While emceeing an event earlier this week, he talked about watching a man who was having trouble finding a parking spot, and Roddey pointed to a handicap spot that was open.
When the man said he wasn't handicapped, Roddey responded: "Oh, I'm so sorry, I saw the Obama sticker [on your bumper] and thought you were mentally retarded."
KDKA AM's Larry Richert and John Shumway talked to Roddey Thursday morning about his comments and why he is very sorry and regretful for what he said. He also talked about bad mouthing in politics and why he thinks it's all gone too negative.
"My comment was really pretty stupid," said Roddey. "I didn't engage my brain or think about what I was saying and it was inappropriate and it was insensitive and I apologize. I have a long record of support to the disabilities community, particularly those with mental disabilities, and it's disappointing to me and embarrassing to have lost all of that goodwill built out over the years in a remark that was politically motivated but really should never have been made."
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazettte reported that some are calling for Roddey to step down.
"This is not a political issue. This is a community, social issue," said Roddey about those calls. "I've made a mistake and I apologize and I'm going to rededicate myself to doing everything I can to help the mentally disabled community, but I don't really consider it a political issue."
Click the link below to listen to the full interview:
