Remember when Tea Partiers denied over and over that their group contained an inordinate number of racists? And then still denied it, even after a gazillion photos of racist Tea Party rally signs were revealed by the press? Well, that “issue” — as if there was much doubt left about that crowd’s feelings — is back with a vengeance. This time, it’s in Orange County, Calif., where our new friend Marilyn Davenport, a Tea Party activist and member of the Orange County GOP’s central committee, is in trouble.

Last week, Davenport sent out a racist e-mail to friends (one of whom was offended enough to forward it to the press), showing Pres. Obama’s face Photo-shopped onto the body of a baby chimpanzee. The caption for the picture reads, "Now you know why no birth certificate."

Scott Baugh, the chairman of the Orange County GOP, is calling for Davenport’s resignation and wants to launch an ethics investigation. The former head of the California GOP, Michael Schroeder, also called for her resignation, pointing out that Davenport has shown her racism before while defending the actions of two of her far-right cohorts. First, when Obama was inaugurated, Davenport came to the defense of Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose, who sent out an e-mail portraying a watermelon patch on the White House lawn.

Later, Davenport defended Newport, Calif., councilman Richard Nichols when he resisted installing grassy areas at a beach because "with grass we usually get Mexicans coming in there early in the morning and they claim it as theirs, and it becomes their personal, private grounds all day." Davenport said this morning that she has no intention of resigning. Stay tuned.