Republican Legislator Bob Thorpe Concerned About Black Issues (and Not in a Good Way)

The legislature’s not in session at the moment, but that apparently doesn’t mean the nutty legislators go back to normal during this off-season.

Take Republican Representative Bob Thorpe, who seems very concerned about issues involving black people in this country — and not in a good way.

On Twitter, Thorpe posts a lot about stuff in his rural, northern-Arizona district, including a lot of agriculture-related news and commentary.

But, every once in a while, he’ll chime in with a national issue, like, his outrage that black teenagers — “blacks” — beat up a white teenager in Florida.

Then there’s a comment about a controversy-causing rodeo clown in an Obama mask — which Thorpe called “crowd pleasing” — and this gem:

Maybe Holder’s just trying to get his fellow blacks out of prison. There’s a rational thought.

Does anyone have an issue with this? Oh, yep, looks like just about everyone:

And from Democrat Representative Martin Quezada:

Apparently, white people don’t spend as much time around criminals.

House Minority Leader Chad Campbell got in on this, too:

Local black activist Reverend Jarrett Maupin tweeted at us, saying it appears Thorpe “has a problem with blacks, leading blacks, and his facts on blacks.”

“Representative Thorpe has tried to erase his racist tracks on Twitter, but the damage is already done,” Maupin says in a statement. “He should apologize for his misguided and offensive remarks. Acting like nothing happened is insult to injury and further evidence that he feels white-privilege enables him to do or say anything to or about black people and not be held accountable,.”

Maupin also pointed out the time Republican Representative Andy Tobin called a black man “very ghetto” on Twitter.

UPDATE 2:41 p.m.: Thorpe’s Twitter account is now locked.

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Follow Matthew Hendley on Twitter at @MatthewHendley.