Sheriff Defends Joke, Calls Critics 'Hypocrites'
Sheriff Joseph McDonald calls criticism of his joke "ironic," and adds that the joke has been around since the 1870s.
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Sheriff Joseph McDonald responded to criticism Tuesday about a joke he made at the GOP 8's St. Patrick's Day Breakfast in Scituate, saying not only is the joke more than 150 years old, but he has also heard liberals make the same joke.
"The joke I told was like The Christmas Carol story," McDonald said Tuesday afternoon. “And I want to preface it by saying it's something akin to a joke I've heard liberals tell."
He said people have made death threats on his Facebook page and have called the joke treasonous. He called people who have complained about the joke and demanded that he resign "hypocrites."
The sheriff then proceeded to tell the joke.
I had four presidents, the Jacob Marley character was Reagan, and Reagan tells Obama he will be visited by three ghosts who will tell you how to make this country a better place.
Barack Obama is lying awake in bed in the White House when the ghost of George Washington appears to him.
Obama asks Washington: 'How can I best serve my country?'
George Washington replies: 'Never tell a lie.'
Then the ghost of Thomas Jefferson appears and Obama asks: 'Tell me, Mr. Jefferson, how can I best serve my country?'
Jefferson replies: 'Follow the Constitution.'
Then Lincoln's ghost appears and Obama says: 'Tell me, Mr. Lincoln, how can I best serve my country?'
And Lincoln replies: 'Go to the theater.'
McDonald defended the joke and called complaints about it ironic. "The basic concept of it has been around since the Andrew Johnson administration," he said. "The radical Republicans wanted him to take a much harder line on Reconstruction of the South, and the joke was that Johnson should have gone to the theater instead of Lincoln."
He added that he's had defenders on Blue Mass Group, the liberal blog that reported the gaffe.
The administrator of McDonald's Facebook page has deleted many of the comments that attacked the sheriff, which may be illegal according to a post on Blue Mass Group:
McDonald might be violating the state public record law. The Treasurer’s office says the following about its social media pages (emphasis mine):
Please note, that Records Retention Law of the Commonwealth requires the Mass.Gov portal team to preserve records created or received by a state employee. Pursuant to this retention requirement comments posted or messages received via an official state agency page on a third-party web-site (such as an official agency profile on a social network) will be treated as state governmental records and may be permanently archived.
"The irony of it is, it’s perfectly OK for them [liberals] to make those jokes about President Bush or someone from the other side of the aisle. I can imagine what some of this place comes from not 2013 United States, it’s more like Nazi Germany in 1938."
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Cheryl C. Pimental
4:49 pm on Tuesday, March 19, 2013
I think it's so sad that political correctness has allowed us to quell our normal senses of humor. I am conservative, but vote democrat and republican. We should all be able to laugh at ourselves unless we think we are so perfect that nothing negative is funny if we are being criticized. I see this as just a joke.....nothing more....I am not offended. Death threats over a joke is absurd and extreme.
Fast Eddie
11:46 am on Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Sheriff McDonald’s defense of his comments — and his attacks on anyone who dared speak out against them — ignores the fact that as a public safety official who has taken an oath of office, he is held to a higher standard that some unnamed liberals or political activists of the 1860s. He needs to resign, or be removed to a place where he can put his big foot in his mouth at leisure.
noyes parent
12:40 pm on Wednesday, March 20, 2013
you should really spend some time looking inward that you think it is OK for a law enforcement official to make a statement in his capacity as Sheriff regarding the assassination of a president ......it is beyond inappropriate and unbecoming of the office
Casey Meserve
6:38 pm on Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Hi folks. People are getting a little feisty about this story so I want to remind you of our terms of use. It boils down to this: “Keep it clean,” “Don’t try to trick people,” and “Treat others as you’d like to be treated.”
Victor and Marie Burchfield
8:36 pm on Tuesday, March 19, 2013
I am sorry the sheriff made the comments. I like him, and believe this does him no great good. Any comments made by liberal, conservative, or non politic person about the President of the USA should be one of respect for the office. Sorry sheriff.
Matthew
7:49 pm on Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Disgraceful behavior for someone in his position. He has no excuse.
Mike
7:58 pm on Tuesday, March 19, 2013
As a public law enforcement official, he should have known it would be at a minimum highly inappropriate for him to make a joke about assassinating ANY president. Then to show his ignorance of history, and his utter lack of critical thinking compounded by his inability to be introspective is evidence enough that he shouldn't be in a position of legal authority.
Matthew
8:09 pm on Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Mike,
Perfectly put. Time for him to resign. I will definitely be in touch with Plymouth officials to voice my thought on this. . I'm up the road in Boston, but as a state we cannot accept this behavior. Perhaps in other parts of the country this behavior is tolerated. Not in Massachusetts.
Matthew
8:14 pm on Tuesday, March 19, 2013
And the fact that, as a trusted law enforcement official, his first reaction to blame "liberals" speaks volumes. When you have the public trust and you are in the spot light, you have to always be aware that you're being scrutinized.
Tony Frederick
9:37 am on Wednesday, March 20, 2013
I live in the South and this even shocked me ! Obama is doing all he can to help those that don't have! This is the thanks he gets ? A death joke or not it is so wrong! He is the President of the United States ! Damn it give the man his due !
Grant Oberg
10:27 am on Wednesday, March 20, 2013
hahahaha, the nerve. "Those gosh-darned LIE-berals preach tolerance all the time! But you know who else preached tolerance and then frowned on crass assassination jokes? Hitler."
Mary Ann Hergenrother, Ed.D.
12:01 pm on Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Blaming others does not make his racially bias "Joke" less dangerous or demeaning to the people he is supposed to be serving. Still grounds for dismissal.
noyes parent
12:37 pm on Wednesday, March 20, 2013
anyone defending this behavior is simply blinded by a dislike for the president, or simply racism.....this is the definition of conduct unbecoming a law enforcement official, and should be shunned by all!!
Daniel S
5:41 pm on Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Sound like a "Garden Variety" Political St.Pattys day joke to me.
Anne MK
9:58 pm on Wednesday, March 20, 2013
I thought it was pretty funny myself...as for all of you who are calling for Sheriff McDonald to resign because he made a joke ... get a life. Obama has blasted, blamed and even joked about Bush...I'm still waiting on the impeachment proceedings. Clinton (Hilary) and many others have joked - have they lost their jobs, been threatened? Didn't see that in the news - oh maybe due to the fact that our media supports the Democrat side. When and why have we gotten so politically correct? No grounds for dismissal - it is not against the law to tell a joke - even if it's against the president ...
Matthew
12:50 pm on Thursday, March 21, 2013
Anne,
You're just another wing nut. There is a huge difference between telling a joke about the president and implying that he should be assassinated. When did PRESIDENT Obama ever call for Bush to be assassinated. Provide the exact quote or admit you're biased.
To the moderator: yes, I know I'm not being "polite". But some people need to be called out for their idiocy.
Matthew
12:52 pm on Thursday, March 21, 2013
Daniel,
Sounds like he called for the president to be assassinated to me. You're ok with that?
I think the Secret Service needs to make visits to more than just the sheriff.
Daniel S
12:26 pm on Friday, March 22, 2013
No I would not be OK with someone doing that in earnest, Obama is our president and I am a Patriot, Although I do not like him as our president and do not respect him as a man I would never encourage anyone to call for his assasination. I am a Marine Veteran and would obey his orders if I were in the military. With that said, I think it's a little silly how these things are blown out of proportion. If the Sherriff's joke ended with that the president should "take a long walk off a short pier" or "Jump off a Cliff" would people still be claiming that his joke were a call to assasinate the president? I would personally welcome the Secret Service, I remind them that they need to learn some descernment when evaluating if a threat to the president is likely or not or if a threat at all. I would tell them they were wasting their time and that they needed some more training before spending my tax dollars to fly to Massachusetts in order to investigate a tasteless St. Patricks Day joke. As far as the intent of my comment it was sarcasm. It related to last weeks comment by Joe Biden when he minimized slapping a woman in the face with his comment "Your garden variety slap in the face". Sorry to frazzle the folks on this site but a prudent, rational person would realize that this was a joke, a tasteless inappropriate joke that should have been saved for his Republican friends during a summer cookout. Yes he should be called out for it but not crucified.
Aron Levy
11:02 am on Sunday, March 24, 2013
Yes, it was an incredibly tasteless joke, and one he should offered in private.
But since he offered it in public, he needs to deal with the consequences. And if those consequences consist of dismissal, so be it.
As for blaming Bush, Anne were you awake from 2000-2008? Do you remember all of those tax cuts, not to mention TWO WARS THAT WERE NOT PAID FOR?
This entire disaster is George Bush, Jr's fault. Anyone who says otherwise really needs to stop and think about it.
Daniel S
11:36 am on Sunday, March 24, 2013
Aron, I certainly understand and respect your position and I know many on both sides are ready to pounce as soon as there is an opportunity. There are many politicians and public servants that "should be dismisssed" but I think that will and should be determined at the voting booth. If he were a true criminal I would certainly agree on the dismissal argument especiallly in a position of "protector of citizens and enforcer of laws". His joke was certainly not a true call for assasination of our president, his joke was tasteless and speaks volumes to his mindset but none the less is certainly not criminal. If dismissing for inappropriateness were the way we do things I think many pols would be gone by now including our vice president at the very least. I respect your position.
Janice Perry
11:40 am on Sunday, March 24, 2013
So much contreversy because it's obama. Would u all be up in arms if it were someone else? I think it was not in good taste in this day & age but FUNNY!!! Lighten up!!!!
Jack
8:37 am on Monday, March 25, 2013
Bush did it, Bush did it. Na na na na na. 2008 til now has been just wonderful? How's that defecit?
B2S
5:59 pm on Wednesday, April 24, 2013
The deficit's going down - something it never did during W's drunken sailor spending spree. Why isn't he in prison, anyway?