The Missouri State Fair on Monday imposed a lifetime ban on a rodeo clown whose depiction of President Barack Obama getting charged by a bull was widely criticized by Democratic and Republican officials alike.
The rodeo clown won't be allowed to participate or perform at the fair again. Fair officials say they're also reviewing whether to take any action against the Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association, the contractor responsible for Saturday's event.
The entertainment during the bull riding contest featured a clown wearing a mask of Obama with an upside down broomstick attached to his backside. Spectators were asked if they wanted to see "Obama run down by a bull." Many in the audience responded enthusiastically.
Numerous Missouri officials denounced the act after video and photos were posted online. Some Democratic Missouri lawmakers suggested Monday that there should be financial consequences for the fair.
The fair said in a written statement announcing the clown's ban that he had engaged in an "unconscionable stunt" that was "inappropriate and not in keeping with the Fair's standards." The fair's press release did not identify the clown.
At least one person defended him. David Berry, a Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association member who was at Saturday's event, described the clown as a friend and said there was nothing offensive or unusual about his actions. Berry said the Obama character was meant to look like a dummy and that rodeo clowns have long performed such acts, often imitating sitting presidents.
"The joke is not that it was the president," Berry said. "They drag out this person dressed like a dummy and all of the sudden this dummy just takes off running. That's what's funny."
But other rodeo professionals said the Missouri fair stunt appeared to go too far.
"It's not unheard of for a rodeo clown, depending on how he reads his audience, to play politics a little bit," said Jim Bainbridge, the senior public relations coordinator at the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, based in Colorado Springs, Colo. "But this crossed a line. Clearly, when you're suggesting that the president should be injured, it kind of gets to a level of hostility that is inappropriate."
Perry Beam, an attendee who posted a photo of the event on Facebook, has said it had the feeling of Ku Klux Klan rally. He said that, at one point, another clown ran up to the one wearing the Obama mask and played with the lips on the mask.
The rodeo's announcer — whom some media initially identified as making the comments about Obama — sought Monday to distance himself from the clown's actions.
Announcer Mark Ficken said through an attorney that the clown was wearing a live microphone and had given the announcer no advance notice about the skit. Ficken is president of the Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association and also is superintendent of the Boonville School District.
"He was as surprised as anyone with the appearance of an Obama-masked rodeo clown," said Ficken's attorney, Albert Watkins of St. Louis.
Watkins said Ficken's only comment during the event was to say, "Watch out for that bull Obama!" Watkins said that was meant as a warning for the clown's safety.
Fair Marketing Director Tammie Nichols said the rodeo clown was hired by Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association and that fair officials did not know he was going to mock Obama.
"We've worked with this company for many, many, many years. We have a longstanding history with them and never had any trouble," Nichols said.
The association did not respond to an email request for an interview Monday and had removed the names of its officers from its website. A statement on the site said the association's directors are "dealing with the situation firmly and quickly as this type of behavior will not be tolerated. "
Most of the Missouri State Fair's roughly $4.5 million budget comes from fees charged to attendees and vendors, but it receives about $558,000 from tax revenues, according to the state budget office.
Missouri House Democrats have suggested the Republican-led chamber should form a special committee to investigate the incident and determine whether to continue providing tax dollars to the fair.
State Rep. Steve Webb, chairman of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus, said Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon should cancel the governor's annual ham breakfast scheduled for Thursday at the fairgrounds. But Nixon spokesman Scott Holste said the governor did not plan to cancel the breakfast because of the "deplorable actions that took place during this one event."
据美国媒体8月13日报道，美国一名小丑因在密苏里州博览会上表演时扮成总统奥巴马引来麻烦，今后他将再也不能参加该博览会或在博览会上表演。
10日，在密苏里州博览会上，一场斗牛比赛正在举行。在比赛中的娱乐环节，一名斗牛小丑戴上面具、扮成美国总统奥巴马出现在观众面前，身后还倒挂着一根扫帚柄。然后，当被询问是否想看“奥巴马被公牛冲撞”时，许多观众兴奋不已、高声回应……
有声音通过现场扩音器说道：“我们现在就要把奥巴马踩在脚下。只要牛一出来，奥巴马，你可千万别动。他要逮住你，逮住你，逮住你，逮住你……嘿，我知道我是个小丑。而他（暗指奥巴马）只是到处转悠，表现得像个小丑一样，却不知道他就是（小丑）。”
密苏里州博览会在一份书面声明中写道，这名斗牛小丑的表演“不合时宜、不符合展览会的标准”，所以决定对其实行禁令。不过，声明中没有透露这名斗牛小丑的身份。此外，博览会官员还表示，他们正在考虑是否对雇佣这名斗牛小丑的密苏里州竞技牛仔协会采取行动。该协会宣称，对于此事之前并不知情。
竞技牛仔协会主席马克•菲肯是10日骑牛比赛的讲解员，他在12日通过其代表律师公开表态、把自己与斗牛小丑的不当举动撇清开来。菲肯宣称，当时斗牛小丑带有一个耳麦，但在表演前并没有预先通知他。“当看见头戴奥巴马面具的小丑出场时，菲肯同现场其他人一样吃惊。表演全程，菲肯只说了一句话‘奥巴马，小心那头公牛’，这是他为了斗牛小丑的人身安全而给出的善意提醒，”菲肯的律师表示。
有关此次出格表演的照片和视频被放上网后，许多密苏里州官员对此表示强烈不满和谴责。12日，部分民主党籍密苏里州议员建议，应该成立一个专门委员会调查此事，并裁决是否继续向密苏里州博览会提供财政支持。据悉，今年密苏里州博览会的预算约为450万美元，其中绝大部分来自门票收入，另有大约55.8万美元则是政府拨付。
不过，也有人挺身而出为小丑叫屈。戴维•贝里是密苏里州竞技牛仔协会的成员，他在现场观看了10日的表演。贝里说遭到处罚的斗牛小丑是他的一位朋友，表演里没有任何有意冒犯或者不同寻常之处。“这段表演的重点并不是总统，而是有人扮成一个假人、然后突然间这个假人开始疯跑，这才是笑点所在。”贝里解释称，以前有不少斗牛小丑做过类似的表演，他们经常会模仿时任总统。
然而，还有不少斗牛竞技专业人士认为密苏里展览会上的这段表演太过了。“斗牛小丑根据他对观众的解读，在表演中掺杂一点政治玩笑，这在以前不是没有听说过。”美国职业竞技牛仔协会高级公共关系协调员吉姆•布雷恩布里奇(Jim Brainbridge)说，“但是这次的表演越界了。显然，这么做等同于说总统应当受伤，这就带有一定程度的敌意、变得不合时宜。”
