Governor Greg Abbott calls for resignation of top Texas Democrat who 'called Tim Scott an Oreo' in deleted Facebook post
A TOP Democrat politician in Texas has been accused of racism after he referred to Senator Tim Scott as an “Oreo”.
Gary O’Connor, who is the chair of the Democratic Party in Lamar County, which is about 115 miles northeast of Dallas, is now being called upon to resign.
O’Connor wrote a controversial post on Facebook in response to Scott’s speech after President Joe Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday.
Scott, the only black Republican in the United States Senate, was chosen by the GOP to give a response to the president’s address.
The South Carolina senator said the United States was "not a racist country".
O’Connor wrote on Facebook: "I had hoped that Scott might show some common sense, but it seems clear he is little more than an Oreo with no real principles."
The label "Oreo" is a racial slur used to describe a black person who acts white.
The post has since been deleted.
O’Connor has not yet responded to requests for a comment.
House Rep. Pat Fallon, a Republican from Texas, put out a statement demanding that O’Connor resign. Fallon’s home district includes Lamar County.
He said: "Gary O’Connor's comment against Senator Tim Scott is abhorrent, insulting, and unforgivable.
"Both he and the entire Lamar County Democratic Party should be ashamed of this racist behavior.
"O'Connor must apologize and step down immediately.
"Additionally, I call on both the Democratic Party of Texas and the NAACP to condemn these words, and the state party should take swift action to censure him."
Gary O’Connor's comment against Senator Tim Scott is abhorrent, insulting, and unforgivable
Biden reacted to Scott's remarks by saying African Americans have been left "so far behind the eight ball in terms of education and health, in terms of opportunity".
Democratic House Majority Whip James Clyburn, told The Washington Post that he agreed with Scott's assessment that the US is not a racist country.
He said: "I agree with him on that.
“I don’t think a racist country would have elected Barack Obama as president, or Kamala Harris as vice president.
"That’s not the issue, that’s a red herring. The issue is they allow the jurisdictions in this country that have institutionalized the history and legacy of race.”
"That’s what is happening.'"
In an interview with Fox News today Clyburn defended his comments in support of Scott.
He told the network that America is "not about being perfect, but when you see a fault repair it".
He said: "We got a fault today in our law enforcement. Let’s repair it. There’s a fault today with 47 states now coming out with these voter suppression laws."
Clyburn is urging Congress to pass legislation that would reform policing in America as well as secure voting rights.
Scott has accused the left of "hypocrisy" following their attacks on his Wednesday night rebuttal of Biden's speech to Congress.
He was mocked on Twitter as "Uncle Tim", a play on the "Uncle Tom". a racial slur used to describe black people who were too deferential to whites.
Twitter took 12 hours to remove the term from its trending list.
Source: Read Full Article