Ann Coulter's tweet refers to President Obama using the R-word

Posted at: 10/24/2012 6:25 PM | Updated at: 10/24/2012 9:08 PM
By: Amanda Ciavarri | WHEC.com

She called the president the R word. Ann Coulter, a conservative political commentator, sent the tweet out after the presidential debate Monday night and it has caused uproar.

News10NBC have seen people outraged by the tweet respond not only on our own Facebook page, but also on national level.

Some people are outraged and on the other side of it, some people say it is just a word and people should let it go.

Ann Coulter sent it out Monday night about 20 minutes after the presidential debate ended. Some are making it an issue of politics. Others say no matter who you are, when you’re saying it or who you are talking about, the R-word is wrong.

Robin Mitchell, Senior Director of Program with the Special Olympics, said, “You can imagine the hurt that it would cause someone.”

Conservative political commentator Ann Coulter has been under fire after sending this tweet late Monday calling the president the R-word. Those who support the national movement to get people to stop using the r-word like, Robin Mitchell with the Special Olympics, say this isn’t acceptable.

Mitchell said, “It is derogatory towards one specific group of people. We believe our athletes this community deserves better.”

One special Olympian, John Franklin Stephens, wrote a powerful open letter to Coulter expressing his disappointment in her tweet.

Stephens wrote, "I'm a 30 year old man with Down Syndrome who has struggled with the public's perception that an intellectual disability means that I am dumb and shallow.  I am not either of those things."

He goes on to explain how he tried to figure out why Coulter would say such a word describing anyone."

Stephens wrote, “After I saw your tweet, I realized you just wanted to belittle the President by linking him to people like me. You assumed that people would understand and accept that being linked to someone like me is an insult. “

Mitchell says something good is coming from all this.

Mitchell said, “The first this is the outpouring that has occurred after the tweet really shows that things are changing and people are starting to understand the R-word isn't acceptable.”

And as Stephens wrote he believes everyone should take something away from this saying.

Stephens said, "Well, Ms. Coulter, you, and society, need to learn that being compared to people like me should be considered a badge of honor. No one overcomes more than we do and still loves life so much."

News10NBC has not seen any reports that Coulter has since apologized for the tweet.

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