Michigan Councilman Paul Smith has been asked by his colleagues to resign from office after he was seen depicting signs of President Barack Obama‘s head on a spike.
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A video from 2009 shows Smith holding graphic signs condemning Obama and Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm. An additional video from 2011, taken before his election to council, shows him doing the same to Nancy Pelosi, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.
On one sign, Smith said of Obama:
“He changed America into Uganda. He goes on to say, “We’ve let a Communist in the White House. He’s not just a Socialist, he’s an out-and-out Communist. He’s taken over the auto industry, he’s taken over the banks.”
On Wednesday, the Sterling Heights’ City Council voted 6-1 for Smith’s resignation, according to the Detroit News. Smith himself was the only vote in his favor.
Mayor Pro Tem Michael Taylor told the paper:
“It’s obvious we’re dealing with someone who is completely irrational.”
In a WDIV-TV report, Smith defended the signs and criticized Obama:
“Hitler was a terrible guy but at least he wasn’t a traitor to Germany,” he said, “Obama is a traitor to America.”
On Tuesday, Sterling Heights issued a statement condemning Smith’s actions. In the statement, Sterling Heights refers to Smith’s viewpoints as violent and intolerant. They also stressed to the people of Sterling Heights that those are the viewpoints of only Smith himself, and that they should not be acknowledged.
