According to ABC news, yesterday Lauren E. Pierce, president of the University of Texas at Austin College Republicans posted an alarming message to her Twitter feed that read, "Y’all as tempting as it may be, don’t shoot Obama. We need him to go down in history as the WORST president we’ve EVER had! #2012."
She was responding to news of the man arrested for allegedly shooting at the White House with a semiautomatic weapon.
The message kicked off a firestorm of controversy, and yet when Pierce spoke to reporters she played it off as a "joke", claiming that the whole situation was "stupid." According to the ABC report, the gravity of the young woman's situation seemed to elude her, as she was reportedly giggling while talking to reporters.
Cassie Wright, vice-president of the group, appeared to take the matter no more seriously than Pierce. “Insofar as she’s a representative [of the College Republicans], maybe it shouldn’t be said, but she’s made a positive statement in a way," Wright said. She added, "I don’t really see anything wrong with it. It’s just a personal comment, not representative of any group. Just freedom of speech, you know?”
According to the Daily Texan, the UT College Republicans have asked Pierce to resign from her post. Public relations director Tom Chapman told the Texan that a temporary president will step in until the organization's elections are held at the end of the semester.
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