Bizarre episode steals spotlight at major GOP conference

Another straw poll victory for Rep. Ron Paul. A surprise second place finish in the vote by former Utah Gov. and former U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman. And very well received speeches by Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Rep. Michele Bachmann.

Related: Obama impersonator speaks out against GOP claims of inappropriate jokes

But all were possibly overshadowed by the most bizarre moment of the Republican Leadership Conference 2011, the performance of a President Barack Obama impersonator who was pulled from the stage after delivering some controversial jokes.


The comedian, impersonator Reggie Brown, came onto the stage Saturday to the tune of "Born in the USA," a reference to the theory by some on the far right that Obama was not born in the United States. The release by the state of Hawaii of the president's long-form birth certificate has discredited the so-called "birther" movement in the eyes of most Americans.

Brown made a series of jokes at the president's expense, at one point showing a picture of the main characters from the 1970s television show "Sanford and Son" to illustrate what Obama and the First Lady would look like after leaving office.

After Brown began to make jokes at the expense of some Republicans, including House Speaker John Boehner and some of the GOP presidential hopefuls, he was pulled off stage by RLC organizers, who said the performance had gone too far and was getting inappropriate.

The episode served as a distraction from the GOP's goal of nominating a candidate who can defeat the president in next year's election.

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