Racial attacks on Michelle Obama

Before and after Barack Obama's election as the 44th President of the United States, his wife Michelle Obama has been the target of jokes, some of them politically charged, and containing racially and sexually insensitive overtones. Such jokes, which have sometimes taken the form of doctored photos or Facebook and Twitter postings, are highly controversial, and in at least one case, a celebrity received death threats for making them.
The New Yorker cover controversy
In mid-2008, The New Yorker magazine caused controversy by featuring a cover that included a painting of Michelle Obama with an afro wig and carrying a gun, similar to a caricature of a 1960s-era black radical. A spokesman for the magazine insisted that the cover image was intended to parody right-wing depictions of the Obamas; however, the controversy over the magazine cover continued. A blogger for the Huffington Post wrote: "Anyone who's tried to portray Michelle as angry or a secret revolutionary out to get Whitey, anyone who has questioned their patriotism — well, here's your image."
Comments by radio and TV personalities
Television host caused controversy in 2008 by joking that he didn't want to "go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this is how the woman really feels." He also suggested that Obama might believe that "America is a bad country".
During the 2008 campaign, FOX News commentator Juan Williams compared Michelle Obama to "Stokely Carmichael-in-a-designer-dress".
Radio host James Edwards posted an item on his blog titled "Does she hate Whitey? Michelle Obama, that is. I'm pretty sure she does. Just like her husband. Just like about 95% of blacks."
Scott Baio
In January 2010, actor Scott Baio, who appeared in Happy Days, posted a photo of Michelle Obama on Twitter with the caption "Wow-he wakes up to this every morning". Following the incident, other Twitter users accused Baio of being racist. One user, claiming to be a Republican, told Baio that he was going to "find your house" and "finish you", referred to Baio as a "grand wizard" and said that he and his family should be "put down". As a result of the death threats, Baio contacted the FBI. Baio insisted that the photo was not altered, and said "Stop bashing my charity just because I post an unflattering pic of a woman. Grow up people, have some humour." The offending user's profile was deleted, and Baio subsequently stated that he was not racist, pointing to his collaboration with Victoria Rowell as proof.
Comments by politicians and political activists
In mid-2009, Rusty DePass, a leader of the Columbia, South Carolina Republican Party, apologized for making a comment on Facebook that likened Michelle Obama's ancestors to a gorilla that had escaped from Riverbanks Zoo. DePass referred to his own remarks as "offensive", "flippant", and "indefensible".
Casco, Maine Selectman Barbara York caused a controversy in 2010 by forwarding an e-mail with a side-by-side picture of a gorilla and Michelle Obama; this led to residents of the town calling for York's resignation. The e-mail also claimed that Sarah Palin was descended from Adam and Eve, while Obama was descended from monkeys; some critics compared this message to that of the Christian Identity movement. The Casco Board of Selectmen considered censuring York as a result of the e-mail.
Google Images controversy
In late 2009, Google Images ran into controversy after it was discovered that the number-one search result for the phrase "Michelle Obama" was a doctored photo of the First Lady with monkey-like facial features. This photo, which had appeared on a blog called "Hot Girls", which is hosted by the Google-owned blog service, Blogger, was described by some as racist. Google initially refused to remove the picture from its search listings on freedom of speech grounds, but it did run an ad next to the picture explaining its policy on how search engine results work, similar to its response to the Jew Watch controversy. However, Hot Girls' owner subsequently removed the image in response to the controversy.
Internet caricatures of Michelle Obama
Besides the doctored photo that caused the Google Images controversy, unusual pictures of Michelle Obama abound on the Internet and include paintings of the first lady wearing a pancake on her head, singing in the nude with a pink dolphin or tied up and threatened by the Ku Klux Klan.
Walt Baker
In March 2010, Walt Baker, the CEO of Tennessee's Hospitality Association, apologized as a result of a controversy that stemmed from his forwarding an e-mail comparing Michelle Obama to Cheeta the Chimpanzee. As a result of the controversy, the president of Nashville's Convention and Visitors Bureau severed all ties with Baker and his group; Baker was subsequently fired. In addition, several potential tourists called the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development and said that they had decided not to visit the state as a result of the e-mail.
Criticism
Former Republican presidential candidate and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has denounced anti-Michelle Obama blog postings as "vile and hateful", blaming "the political climate today" for the problem.

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