The lieutenant governor of Missouri used Twitter to denounce the actions of a rodeo clown wearing a mask resembling President Obama at the Missouri State Fair on Saturday.
Peter Kinder, the popular third-term lieutenant governor, issued the following tweets Sunday evening:
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
I love the @MoStateFair and will attend this week. I implore @GovJayNixon to hold the people responsible for the other night accountable.— Peter Kinder (@PeterKinder) August 11, 2013
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Kinder was the only Republican to win a 2012 state election in Missouri; he carried 108 of the state's 114 counties, according to his biography page. This is a picture of the rodeo clown that drew Kinder's anger:
Rodeo Clown Dresses As President Obama at Mo. State Fair http://t.co/EhFeWSUPKC #MoStateFair pic.twitter.com/0bZ1aDDvsN— KMOX St. Louis News (@kmoxnews) August 11, 2013
"Hey, I know I'm a clown. He just run around acting like one -- doesn't know he is one," says a voice over the public address system after the emcee introduces the Obama rodeo clown, as captured on video footage of the event.
The Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association issued an apology for the incident, saying it does not "condone nor approve of this sort of activity."
"The MRCA Board of Directors is dealing with the situation firmly and quickly as this type of behavior will not be tolerated," the apology reads. "The Sport of Rodeo is not meant to be a political platform."
Other Missouri officials, such as Sen. Claire McCaskill, a democrat, also condemned the incident.
In his second tweet, Kinder urges Gov. Jay Nixon to take action and hold the responsible party accountable. Nixon has not yet replied to our inquiry into the matter.
UPDATE 4:45 p.m. ET: The Missouri State Fair Commission released a statement calling the incident "inappropriate" and an "unconscionable stunt." The commission announced its unanimous decision to "permanently ban this rodeo clown from ever participating or performing at the Missouri State Fair again."
Image: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
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