State GOP cracks down on its own

The chairman of the state Repbulican Party on Thursday instructed two organizations to clean up their web pages which contained racially insensitive material regarding Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.
Ron Nehring said he has instructed the Sacramento County Central Committee and a Republican women's club in San Bernardino County to change their web pages and halt emails of material considered unacceptable.
"We have a responsibility to wage a campaign that is focused on the real issues and qualifications of the candidates," Nehring said. "Any material that invokes issues related to race is absolutely unacceptable, tarnishes our party, diminishes the hard work of the tens of thousands of volunteers who are working hard every day for our candidates, and must be condemned.
"This material I've seen inspires nothing but divisiveness and hostility and has absolutely no place in this election, or any public discourse.
"This is an important election, but that is not an excuse for bad judgment or actions that impugn the integrity of our party. As Republicans, and as Americans, we have a responsibility to set a higher standard.
"I have asked both the leaders of these groups to take immediate and swift corrective action on these issues, and indicated that the California Republican Party vigorously opposes any material of his kind. We will continue to denounce similar behavior in any similar instances."