Ever notice how politicians, school boards, corporations (except Anheuser-Busch), media outlets, and others issue apologies after something they did, wrote, or said sparks a backlash they should’ve seen coming? Of course, you have, and chances are you’ve been on the giving or receiving end of such.

Anyway, as we previously reported, an Iowa newspaper published an incredibly racist political cartoon last Wednesday featuring 2024 Republican presidential candidate and Indian American Vivek Ramaswamy and depicting Republicans as ignorant racists. (I know; you’re shocked and amazed.)

Ramaswamy posted the disgusting cartoon to Twitter with a bottom-line yet classy reaction.

It’s sad that this is how the MSM views Republicans. I’ve met with grassroots conservatives across America & never *once* experienced the kind of bigotry that I regularly see from the Left. Iowa’s @qctimes absolutely has the right to print this, but it’s still shameful.

Not only shameful; it was clearly intentional.

It’s sad that this is how the MSM views Republicans. I’ve met with grassroots conservatives across America & never *once* experienced the kind of bigotry that I regularly see from the Left. Iowa’s ⁦@qctimes⁩ absolutely has the right to print this, but it’s still shameful. pic.twitter.com/5QNwGSJgJb

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) June 22, 2023

Welp, sure enough, Quad-City Times executive editor Tom Martin wrote on the paper’s website on Friday that the “inexcusable” cartoon was intended to “criticize racist ideas and epithets” but instead featured a phrase that “is racist and insensitive to members of our Indian American community.”

Yeah, I call BS. As Ramasamy himself pointed out, the racist cartoon depicted not Ramaswamy but Republicans as “racist and insensitive,” which the 37-year-old multimillionaire entrepreneur correctly identified. Furthermore, if the racist cartoon was indeed “inexcusable,” why was it published in the first place? (We’ll get there.}

Here’s part of Martin’s predictable disingenuous “apology.”

Racist and hateful ideas, words or images have no place in our publications, much less our society. It’s why we apologize today for letting such an image slip through our editorial process and into our opinion page Wednesday in the form of a political cartoon.

Ah, the old “slipped through the cracks” excuse. Again, BS.

Martin courageously [sarc] threw the cartoonist under the bus as if that guy was responsible for the Quad-City Times publishing his disgusting cartoon.

We apologize to Republican primary presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, the Indian American community and our readers for publishing the offensive material in the Quad-City Times and Dispatch-Argus.

We seek to share diverse ideas on our opinion pages – editorials, cartoons and commentary that provoke thought and constructive ideas. Dividing and disparaging with any racist images or rhetoric does not fit that mission or our ideals as a local news company.

The oversight that allowed it to run is inexcusable, and we can and will do better.

“Oversight.” Right. And the silly “Mommy, I’m sorry! I promise to do better if you don’t take away my allowance!” attempt.

“Doing better,” Mr. Martin, is refusing to create a toxic, conservative-loathing atmosphere at your newspaper that suggested to whoever pulled the trigger to publish that vile cartoon that he or she was good to go, based on past experiences. So please stop with the “slipped through” and “do better” crap.

The Bottom Line

Quad-City Times executive editor Tom Martin’s ridiculous and insincere apology was just as bad — if not worse, in its dishonesty — as the decision to publish the racially-charged cartoon in the first place.

Show of hands— how many readers believe Mr. Martin would’ve taken down the racist cartoon, much less apologized for publishing it, if the left-“leaning” rag hadn’t received a single complaint from a conservative American? Yup, Exactly what I thought.