A rodeo stunt in which a clown wore a President Obama mask at the Missouri State Fair is being criticized by both sides of the aisle as disrespectful and inappropriate.
During the stunt, a clown donned the mask and the spectators were asked if they wanted to see “Obama run down by a bull,” notes The Associated Press. Perry Beam, a spectator, told the AP that the crowd responded enthusiastically to the question.
“It was the usual until the very end at bull riding,” Beam said. “As they were bringing the bulls into the chute and prepping them ... they bring out what looks like a dummy. The announcer says 'Here's our Obama dummy, or our dummy of Obama.’”
He continued describing the scene, adding, “They mentioned the president's name, I don't know, 100 times. It was sickening...It was feeling like some kind of Klan rally you'd see on TV.”
USA Today reports that the state’s Republican Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder called it “disrespectful” on Twitter. “We are better than this,” he added.
Gov. Jay Nixon’s spokesman said that Nixon "agrees that the performance was disrespectful and offensive, and does not reflect the values of Missourians or the State Fair.” Senator Claire McCaskill also slammed the event, noting that the fair was funded by tax dollars.
The @MoStateFair celebrates Missouri and our people. I condemn the actions disrespectful to POTUS the other night. We are better than this.
— Peter Kinder (@PeterKinder) August 11, 2013
According to CNN, the Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association, which organized the event, did issue an apology. “The Sport of Rodeo is not meant to be a political platform. We are taking measures by training and educating our contract acts to prevent anything like this from ever happening again,” the statement read. “All Members of the Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association are very proud of our Country and our President.”