Oh. My.  According to the NC Insider, the spokesman for the NC Democratic Party has some seriously disgusting and misogynistic tweets.  Yes, I have the screenshots.

First, the screenshots:

One of my favorites from Mr. Howard’s Twitter account:

And one that wasn’t included in the first big image and shows stunning self-awareness:

Now, the snippet from the NC Insider’s newsletter sent to me via a reader:

Howard Tweets

Old tweets posted by the N.C. Democratic Party’s lead spokesman have raised some concerns about his views toward women. Communications Director Robert Howard, who was hired by the NCDP in June 2017, said he sent the tweets when he was trying to be a comedian. The tweets from 2011, 2012, and 2013 were posted in the years after he graduated from college while he worked for a Washington, D.C., public relations firm. The tweets include derogatory language about women, jokes about popular culture and fat-shaming. Howard has apologized for the comments.

In one tweet, sent Sept. 14, 2011, Howard wrote: “Oh yeah, and that whole Sarah Palin gettin’ porked by 18 yr old Glen Rice. Can he give her that good D again and bang the crazy out of her?” He was referring to a story alleging Palin had a one-night stand with the NBA star. “That good D” is a colloquialism for good performance in a sexual act. “Hey, girls with six-packs and biceps, no thanks,” one tweet sent in May 2012 read.

Another tweet from Dec. 7, 2011 reads: “I feel like Drake & I would be friends, we have the same interests: Rap & bitches, rappin’ bitches, bitches, & rappin’, rappin’ & bitches.” Drake is a popular rapper, whose music includes lyrics similar to the tweet. Other tweets included language about women’s breasts and a phrase for how to describe pubic hair. One of them expressed excitement that actress Reese Witherspoon was hit by a car on the same day that nude photos appeared of two other female celebrities. “Greatest day ever?” Howard tweeted. He also described the TV weight-loss contest “The Biggest Loser” as “funny … bc of all the fat ppl.”

“I made these comments when I was young and dumb and trying — unsuccessfully — to be a comedian. That doesn’t excuse them, and I’m deeply embarrassed and apologetic. They do not in any way reflect my current views,” Howard said in an email to the Insider. NCDP Executive Director Kimberly Reynolds, in a statement to the Insider, said Howard has apologized for the tweets to her and NCDP Chairman Wayne Goodwin and that they had accepted his apology. “The insensitive tweets that recently surfaced predate Robert’s time with the NCDP,” Reynolds said. “I was disappointed to read them but knowing Robert as I do, I know they do not genuinely reflect who he is today,” her statement said.

Catherine Whiteford, a Republican candidate for House District 34, said it was “upsetting and confusing” that the tweets weren’t found during a basic screening process. “While I’m sure everyone has said something that they didn’t mean, it’s upsetting and confusing that the NCDP wouldn’t even do a basic screening process to find this, or potentially worse, they did and didn’t care,” Whiteford said. “The language in these tweets is offensive and inappropriate. In the wake of the #MeToo movement, I would think that the NCDP would take even more care to have the people who represent them be someone that women wouldn’t be ashamed of.” (Lauren Horsch, THE INSIDER, 10/04/18)

The NC Democrat party seems disinclined to do much besides a half-hearted ‘tsk tsk’ slap Howard on the wrist.

Update: NC GOP weighs in.

“These comments from the N.C. Democrat Party spokesman are utterly inappropriate and offensive,” stated Nix. “I’m glad he apologized. However, what is ironic is that NCDP Executive Director Kimberly Reynolds stated that Howard’s tweets from a few years ago are not reflective of who he is today, but her party is claiming the exact opposite of Judge Kavanaugh and his high school yearbook from more than three decades ago. Their hypocrisy is stunning.”