Booted Barack Obama impersonator Reggie Brown took to the airwaves today, defending his controversial performance at Saturday’s Republican Leadership Conference after it was cut short.
Initially, Brown received uproarious laughter and applause from the conservative crowd, cracking jokes about the president’s biracial roots. However, it was not until Brown began roasting some of the GOP 2012 contenders that the room got a little awkward. He was soon ushered off the stage.
In an interview with msnbc’s Peter Alexander, Brown said he “is always working for different audiences, whether they’re Republican, Democrat, and anywhere in between.” When asked if he had taken it too far, Brown said he “would never do anything to disrespect the president or make him feel uncomfortable.” He added, Obama has "got a great sense of humor, and I don’t think I crossed any sort of lines. For it to be called a racist joke is beyond me.”
Event organizers expressed their regret over the act.
"The RLC is designed to showcase the top Republican leaders and ideas in the country — to talk about limited government, fiscal responsibility and rebuilding the American economy," said the RLC's Charlie Davies in a statement. "Had I been in the room I would have pulled him sooner. We have zero tolerance for racially insensitive jokes. As soon as I realized what was going on I rushed backstage and had him pulled."
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— By Harry Grabow