Arizona senate candidate apologizes for racist joke
Democratic Senate candidate Mark Kelly apologized on Thursday for an offensive comment he made two years ago while joking about the physiological changes his twin brother experienced after spending a year in space.
Kelly, a retired NASA astronaut, made the remarks during an appearance before the Boy Scouts of America, Northern New Jersey Council.
During a question-and-answer portion, Kelly was asked if he thought there would be a time in which Mars was colonized. Kelly said his brother Scott, also an astronaut, went aboard the space station for a year and that his DNA was altered from either radiation or zero-gravity.
“I think the word hasn’t gotten out how bad it is for him,” Kelly said. “You know, it’s gotten so bad, that we recently had to release him back into the wild,” he continued to a laughing crowd.
“He’s like halfway between an orangutan and a Howler Monkey. We’ve even changed his name to Rodrigo. He lives in the woods. He lives in Eagle Rock Reservation,” a reference to a New Jersey forest reserve and recreational park.
Kelly apologized for his remarks Thursday after The Arizona Republic asked about them.
| by Anonymous | reply 13 | September 11, 2020 1:06 AM
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Am I missing something? Where is the racism?
| by Anonymous | reply 1 | September 10, 2020 8:40 PM
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What an idiot. He thought this was funny.
| by Anonymous | reply 3 | September 10, 2020 9:02 PM
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I don't see what the issue is. He was asked by the paper in an interview, he apologized thoughtfully on his own. It was stupid, but he has learned. And it's not as bad as what his opponent has said.
| by Anonymous | reply 4 | September 10, 2020 9:03 PM
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I don't see this as racist at all. Jesus, people have lost their damn minds.
| by Anonymous | reply 5 | September 10, 2020 9:04 PM
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Thanks you OP for always posting the bad things that the bad democrats do and say whereas the patriot republicans never say the bad things. You are to be congratulated for always showing us that it is the bad democrats who are the bad peoples, and we should not vote for these peoples who are not friends with our wonderful presidents Trump and Putin.
| by Anonymous | reply 6 | September 10, 2020 9:07 PM
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'He’s like halfway between an orangutan and a Howler Monkey. We’ve even changed his name to Rodrigo.'
Christ the stupidity on DL is getting worse.
| by Anonymous | reply 7 | September 10, 2020 9:08 PM
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He's married to Gabby Giffords, the former Arizona congresswoman who was shot in the head and almost died a few years ago. Six others were killed.
| by Anonymous | reply 8 | September 10, 2020 9:47 PM
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Oooops. Big misstep. Moron.
Shoulda gone for the Latino in the primary.
| by Anonymous | reply 10 | September 10, 2020 11:13 PM
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Take away his pension. Strip him of any and all military status. Publicly vilify him. Erase his name from any public school textbooks. Any kind of blatant racist language is not to be tolerated.
| by Anonymous | reply 11 | September 10, 2020 11:20 PM
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It was a stupid comment.
But you know what's really offensive?
The positions and official statements made by his opponent, Martha McSally
| by Anonymous | reply 12 | September 11, 2020 12:58 AM
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Would it have been okay if he had said Bob instead of Rodrigo?
| by Anonymous | reply 13 | September 11, 2020 1:06 AM
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