The mistake she made was APOLOGIZING!
She is a democrat and Obama supporter- that would have gotten her a pass.
If she just announced “I am not going to apologize for things done and said in a different era- I am a democrat and supported Obama so if you want to claim I am a racist then go to heck”
Afraid not. She's Southern, speaks with a pronounced drawl, is overweight, dowdy, and has been targeted by the bluenosed Northern liberal elites for some time now because she's a stereotype they despise. They were just waiting for an opening like this to destroy her.