A woman sitting next to North Idaho College Athletic Director Al Williams asked a question of Coeur d'Alene school Trustee Brent Regan during the Kootenai County Reagan Republicans lunch meeting today. She wondered if he would have made the insensitive, anti-Obama joke if her mixed-race daughter had been in the audience. Regan replied, paraphrasing, probably not.
At the Kootenai County Reagan Republicans noon luncheon today, Coeur d’Alene School Board Trustee Brent Regan addressed his controversial anecdote about President Obama – a remark some have denounced as racist – by using a little levity and taking a swipe at Vice President Joe Biden. “It’s been said that wisdom is that thing you get immediately after needing it desperately. … I had one of those moments. I was in a heated debate and I had little Joe Biden pop up on my shoulder – ‘Hey, say this!’ – and the little guy with a halo on the other shoulder, he was having a coffee break or something.” He added, “I did it, I’m sorry for it and I’m living with the results.” At the end of the meeting Regan addressed the issue again in response to a question from the audience: “We’re all human. I’m human. I make mistakes. The good news is, I’ve made a lot of mistakes and I’ve learned from every one of them. … I messed up, and I freely admit it, and I’m sorry to the people that were hurt by that.”
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.
Regan addressed his controversial anecdote about President Obama – a remark some have denounced as racist – by using a little levity and taking a swipe at Vice President Joe Biden. “It’s been said that wisdom is that thing you get immediately after needing it desperately. … I had one of those moments. I was in a heated debate and I had little Joe Biden pop up on my shoulder – ‘Hey, say this!’ – and the little guy with a halo on the other shoulder, he was having a coffee break or something.” He added, “I did it, I’m sorry for it and I’m living with the results.” At the end of the meeting Regan addressed the issue again in response to a question from the audience: “We’re all human. I’m human. I make mistakes. The good news is, I’ve made a lot of mistakes and I’ve learned from every one of them. … I messed up, and I freely admit it, and I’m sorry to the people that were hurt by that.”
