Va. GOP denounces member's 'coup' remark

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., May 10 (UPI) -- Greene County, Va., Republicans denounced a comment in their newsletter promoting "armed revolution" if President Barack Obama is re-elected.

The Greene County Republican Committee newsletter for March featured an editorial written by Ponch McPhee calling the November election a challenge to "remove an ideologue unlike anything world history has ever witnessed."

"We shall not have any coarse but armed revolution should we fail with the power of the vote in November," McPhee wrote. "This Republic cannot survive for 4 more years underneath this political socialist ideologue."

GCRC Chairman Gary E. Lowe says McPhee is no longer the editor of the newsletter, WJLA-TV, Washington, reported Thursday.

In a statement posted on the committee's Web site, Lowe said the committee "denounces such language and does not subscribe to that thinking." He said McPhee's editorial had been written "before a change in the Greene County Republican Committee leadership."

Lowe noted the newsletter carried a disclaimer that its content "does not reflect the opinion of the Republican Party whole or in part, all contents offered are individual" and said the editorial comment is protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

"While we believe this election is critical to the direction of the future of this great nation, we do not believe that if the results end up with the re-election of Barack Obama, that will necessitate what the author suggests," Lowe wrote.