Lesson Learned
Let the Texas Tweetgate Now End
If you haven’t heard by now you probably soon will: a University of Texas student had a lapse in judgment yesterday and tweeted to her 480 followers that assassinating President Obama might sound “tempting”—but that no one should do it.
Shortly after news broke that a man accused of firing gun shots at the White House had been arrested, Lauren Pierce, president of UT’s College Republicans, wrote: “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.”
Within seconds, Twitter was ablaze, and within an hour ABC had a post on its political blog The Note with the headline that focused on just that first part of what she said: “Texas College GOP Leader: Obama Assassination ‘Tempting’.” Around the media echo chamber it rang, on the Texas Tribune, the Huffington Post, Houston Chronicle, Gawker, BET, and the International Business Times. Comedy Central actually found it funny.
By no means do I excuse what Pierce said—I agree with her boss, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, whose spokesman told the Tribune, “Rhetoric like this is unacceptable. It does nothing more than distract from the real issues facing our country.”
But let’s remember one thing: behind that Twitter handle is a 20-year-old kid. Yes, she made a mistake. Yes, she should and has been asked to step down as president of the College Republicans. Yes, she should (and has) apologized. Let the media pile-on now end.
Pierce’s subsequent tweets read like someone who knows they messed up: “I apologize for my previous tweet. It was in poor taste and and should never have been written.” … “It’s never funny to joke about such a serious matter. I have learned a very valuable lesson.” … And “Again, I apologize to everyone that was offended.”
A university is meant to be a place where students learn and grow, and one of the best ways to do both is by making mistakes. Remember the 20-year-old version of you? Remember the many dumb things you said that you wish you could have back? Let’s cut this girl some slack.
She has apologized. She will be punished. And hopefully she will learn. The question now is what we want that lesson to be, and how we as adults behave will largely determine what it is.
If we continue to rub her face in the mistake, she might arrive at the wrong conclusion: that the basest forms of political dialogue—like what she wrote in her tweet—are, in fact, OK.
Or we can show her that thoughtful, respectful discussions are far more productive and far better for our society.
Wouldn’t that be a lesson we could all stand to re-learn?
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23 Comments
Perhaps the nation is sick and tired of listening and reading treasonous and hateful commments from members of the Republican Party and their Teabagger comrades always followed by a giggling “My bad! It was a joke!” BS?
Not only should this sick young woman be relieved of her duties within the party, she should be expelled from UT. Call the Dean of Student’s phone number at UT Austin 512-471-1201 and demand her expulsion!
Your kneejerk reaction is ridiculous. Ms. Pierce did not say that she found shooting the POTUS “tempting”. She said that if somebody ELSE does, DON’T do it. This has been blown out of proportion, and people like you are the reason why that is so. Expulsion from UT for saying somebody should not shoot the President? Riiiiiiight.
Here is a litmus test for a reasonable person:
The next time that you are about to pass through a TSA security checkpoint at an airport, would you repeat Ms. Pierce’s statement to the TSA official that inspects your boarding pass and state-issued photo ID? If you chose to do so, then s/he would “blow the remark out of proportion” and, at the very least, you won’t end up traveling that day. When the FBI and Secret Service agents arrived, would you repeat The Statement with an emphasis on the phrase “don’t shoot”?
Alternatively, would you walk into the main building (on UT’s campus) and repeat Ms. Pierce’s statement to the police officer(s) that monitor the metal detectors that are directly in front of the elevators. If you chose to detained after making the statement, would you repeat the statement with emphasis on the phrase “don’t shoot”?
After the law enforcement officials detained you, would you inform any of them that their knee-jerk reactions were ridiculous?
A reasonable person would not choose to follow through with any of the aforementioned courses of action. I doubt that you would either. Yet, it’s easy to play an internet tough guy/gal; that’s especially true when you have the option to hide behind a handle that is obviously not your legal name.
Ms. Pierce should have to leave the university. I’m am a registered Republican, combat veteran – OIF, and an alumnus. I have regularly contributed to both the LHF and Campaign for Texas. UT-Austin will not receive another dime from me, until Lauren Elizabeth Pierce is expelled. She is the female equivalent of Buck Burnette.
Unfortunately, I imagine that she’s from a politically influential family and will therefore not suffer any meaningful consequences.
The “she’s just a kid” schtick is ridiculous. Per the age of majority in Texas, she has already crossed the threshold of adulthood. I hope that the Secret Service has investigated the incident.
What are you the Political Correctness Police? Expelled from an institution of Free Speech. Liberal Cops out in force. It was a tweet! What irks you is that she was a Republican.
Howey, did you have to even have to post “Teabagger?” You lost all creditability just by saying that term, no matter what your political beliefs. Way to keep it classy.
I agree!
It’s a shame some folks jump into a conversation without reading further, but I guess that’s the Republican way…
http://www.politicususa.com/en/olbermann-teabagger
I disagree with Howey that she should be expelled, but that does not excuse Ms. Pierce’s words and she totally deserves everything that comes at her (though one could argue that she has damaged the university and like the UCLA-asians-in-the-library-girl should leave but I don’t think her tweet was *that* bad). Her apologies are clearly from someone who has watched politicians do the same. Also remember, she was in charge of an organization that labeled some professors as ‘dangerous’ and created a blacklist for them so these aren’t exactly the brightest group of students.
You are incorrect. The organization responsible for the Professor Watchlist was the Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT), NOT the UT College Republicans. Two separate organizations.
This is what is wrong with politics today. Why all the vitriol and the hate for the President? You may agree or disagree but the vindictiveness is just not necessary and does no one any good. He is the President of the United States, if you don’t like it don’t vote for him but is it really necessary to wish him dead?
Sasha,
You are totally correct! I love this country because we can debate politics, but it seems like you can’t do that anymore. Political disagreement turns to vindictiveness and hatred with each other and that is just unacceptable. It is truly sad.
I am waiting for the official comment from the University. I would think that the comments made by Ms. Pierce have hurt the University in recruitment and donations. Ms. Pierce’s statements were not just mean-spirited, they could also be considered criminal in nature. To those who want to say first amendment right to free speech, the first admendment makes an exception to the murder of a sitting President. The history of the state should have taught Ms. Pierce that.
Why would UT comment on the matter? Ms. Pierce did not call for the assassination of the President, anybody who’s read the tweet can see that.
I don’t condone anyone saying anything remotely close to assassinating our president because they are our leader but lets be real here, people said the same things about Bush and no one seemed to care on the scale that they do now. Regardless, her words make me as a UT Republican look foolish. I’m not a member of this club for reasons like this.
Also Howey calm down up there son. She should be expelled..? Really? That is absolutely ridiculous.
She is just a 20 year old. I remember being that age and thankfully every idiotic thought I had wasn’t posted for the whole world to see. Cut her slack. What if it was your child? Would you be so willing to throw the book at her? I think not..
Anyone who thinks that she somehow discredited the school or should be expelled is a complete IDIOT. I voted for Obama but enough with all this hatred towards anyone who doesn’t agree with us politically.
UT Alumni 1995
A.T.: The term “Teabagger” was created by and used by members of the Tea Party long before I typed it here.
Jenny: Stop the Bush comparisons, ok? Trust me…the number of people hopefully for the assasination of Obama are far greater than those extremists who wished the same thing for Bush. All it takes is a glance through some comments on sites like Drudge, CNS “News”, Fox’s deplorable Fox Nation, and elsewhere to recognize the mass hysteria and hate that has become the extreme right wing of this country.
Jen: Really? “What if it was your child?”? If she was my child, she would have enjoyed the maturity and common sense at the age of 20 to think a little before tweeting such nonsense. Which is, btw, is against the law. It has nothing to do with discrediting your alma mater. It has a lot to do with an immature, stupid (yes, stupid) young woman who wished death upon the President of the United States.
I understand she’s been relieved of her duties with the Young Republicans. Good.
While her actions were wrong and I do believe she should be removed from her office I don’t think she should be expelled, Sadly this is the price of free speech, people say stupid things and no one is innocent, not even our current president. I actually do not agree with President Obama and his views but I was taught by my dad that even if you do not like the man you do have to respect the office he holds. As a student of UT I do not feel she has disgraced the school, she has only succeeded in disgracing herself. You may not like what other people have to say but that doesn’t make them stupid or idiots and for people who act like they have never made a mistake or said something inappropriate: your lying and that makes you no better than the girl in question.
@Michele, I am also a student at UT and I have been following this whole incident closely. I can tell you for a fact that people are looking at UT in a negative light because of Ms.Pierce’s comments. Whether that is justified or not is not the point, the point is that people are judging UT based solely from her actions. So I do think she has disgraced the school and I do think she should be expelled from the school. Granted my organization is not as politically charged as her by any means, I still have enough sense to make sure that what I say is representative of my character and morals, and the morals of the school when I am being identified with my organization. She knew better, that calls for her being seriously reprimanded because she hasn’t learned from other tactics. (see her “I’ll slay 100 drag rats if I’m elected” comment”
I think that Lauren should have consequences for her actions and words, and be expelled from the University. A petition to the University for her expulsion would be appropriate.
Your kneejerk reaction is ridiculous. Ms. Pierce did not say that she found shooting the POTUS “tempting”. She said that if somebody ELSE does, DON’T do it. This has been blown out of proportion, and people like you are the reason why that is so. Expulsion from UT for saying somebody should not shoot the President? Riiiiiiight.
Keep trying to convince everyone you’re just another innocent Republican victim, Lauren. Send us a postcard from the slammer, ok?
Well, being an alumni of the 40 Acres, I don’t believe that she should be expelled from the University. I do believe that at the very least, she should be taken down as president of the Young Republicans or what ever they’re called (we had numerous names way back when, some publishable in Alcalde, some not). Whether she should be expelled from the organization is something for them and possibly the state GOP to decide. It does put them, the University and the State of Texas in disrepute. No mean feat for a 20 year old. Then again, we didn’t have twitter, the internet or Facebook when I was at Yew Tee. Not that we couldn’t get into a lot of trouble.
But, we remembered when JFK was shot, we remembered the Tower shootings, we remembered Vietnam. Death was not something to laugh about. Later we heard of the attempt on President Ford and the shooting of President Reagan. Neither was a laughing matter no matter what your political stripe.
That the Teabaggers and by association the Young Republicans think this is funny, not only shows a lack of historical knowledge of political assassination in the US (none of which were hilarious), but pretty much a lack of a moral compass.
I and other alumni expected better. Whatever honors UT has earned, this event can’t take away. As one manager I worked with once noted, ‘You went to the University of Texas, THAT’S a good school’. It still is, and will be.
The twitter feed only shamed the poster.
Hook ‘Em.