#Oreo #Scott #Democrat #Texas #Biden #Harris
A Texas county's Democratic Party has sparked outrage by refusing the resignation of the chairman who called Republican Tim Scott an 'Oreo'.
Gary O’Connor, the Lamar County Democratic Party chairman, said he was 'deeply sorry' for using the 'racist term' and announced his plans to step down.
But his colleagues then issued their own statement to MyParisTexas.com saying: 'Our local Democrats have taken the last few days to reflect upon this incident.
'After much discussion — especially among our local [b]lack Democrats — we chose not to accept Mr. O’Connor’s resignation'.
'Mr. O’Connor has written a public letter of apology to Sen. Tim Scott, and Lamar County Democrats join him in this apology,' the statement added.
The party said O'Connor had been with the organization for seven years and his 'life of service, collaboration, and activism for racial justice is well known throughout this community.
'His recent remark is incompatible with his core values,' they insisted.
O'Connor wrote the Facebook post in response to Scott’s rebuttal to President Joe Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress last 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 senator from South Carolina said that the United States ‘is 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.’
‘Oreo’ is a reference to the famous sandwich cookie made by Nabisco. It consists of two dark-colored wafers separated by a white, creme filling.
In a racial context, ‘Oreo’ refers to a black person who is perceived as 'acting white.'
House Rep. Pat Fallon, a Republican from Texas, put out a statement last week demanding that O’Connor resign.
'Gary O’Connor's comment against Senator Tim Scott is abhorrent, insulting, and unforgivable,' Fallon said.
'Both he and the entire Lamar County Democratic Party should be ashamed of this racist behavior.
He has yet to comment on the decision to let O'Connor keep his position.
'This kind of behavior is not tolerable in Texas, the United States, or any political party,' he added.
Scott’s rebuttal speech and the response to his remarks from Democratic-leaning Twitter users have sparked controversy, particularly after the term ‘Uncle Tim’ was trending for about 12 hours.
The three-term South Carolinian angered Democrats and their supporters when he denied that America was a racist country.
Biden reacted to Scott's remarks by saying that while he doesn't think the American people are racist, African Americans have been left 'so far behind the eight ball in terms of education and health, in terms of opportunity.'
Vice President Kamala Harris also agreed with Scott, saying that while America is not a 'racist country,' the nation needed to 'speak the truth' about its history.
Another prominent black politician from South Carolina, Democratic House Majority Whip James Clyburn, told The Washington Post on Friday that he agreed with Scott's assessment that the US is not a racist country.
'I agree with him on that,' said Clyburn, the third most powerful Democrat in the House whose endorsement of Biden during the party primaries last year is thought to have helped turn the tide in favor of the former vice president.
'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.
