The left-leaning Politico website has taken a potshot at white southern Christians in an insulting new cartoon depicting believers as stupid and still yearning for the secession of the south.

In the vignette, an overweight white Christian in a cowboy hat, sporting a shirt made of the Confederate flag, thanks God for sending “angels” to save his family from Hurricane Harvey. A member of the rescue team corrects the man, telling him, “Er, actually Coast Guard… sent by the government.”

Politico chose to run the cartoon by Matt Wuerker just as countless southerners, many of whom are devout Christians, are trying to salvage their homes and lives from the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey, which has caused unprecedented damage including more than two dozen deaths and 30,000 displaced persons.

Politico yanked a Tweet of the offensive vignette after a number of people complained of the site’s blatant anti-Christian bigotry.

Talk about poor taste and poor timing. People have died and you politicize it? Typical. — Frankie Vega (@FrankieVega32) August 30, 2017

I’m sure that the coastguard would tell you that they were instruments in the hand of God. You are not the coastguard or the victims anyway. — Lawrence A (@Zeus24th) August 30, 2017

In one cartoon you insult red-Texas, blue-Houston, blue-Harris County, Christians & white/black/brown/rich/poor suffering from flood #WOW — Terrie (@Texas56) August 30, 2017

Myopic close minded bigotry. — Kantean nightmare (@theapathygap) August 30, 2017

That’s right. You do you, and stay insufferably smug and keep on hating. It’s working out swell for team blue and journalism in general. — Rae (@MacGhil) August 30, 2017

In real life, TX and LA rednecks display grit and resourcefulness as they rescue their urbanite cousins. — Mark Sterpos (@seronatous) August 30, 2017

Follow Thomas D. Williams on Twitter Follow @tdwilliamsrome