Jau Jacobs, the Chairman of the New York State Democratic Party, who, when asked why the party and senior party members refused to endorse India Walton for Mayor of Buffalo, compared her to Klansman David Duke.
I understand that the state Democrats are experiencing major butt hurt over the loss of four-term incumbent mayor Byron Brown in the primary.
Given Brown's tight relationships with the worst elements of the New York State Democratic Party Establishment (There is no New York State Democratic Party establishment), including disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo, there are people who would choose to endorse Brown's write-in campaign.
That is no excuse to compare a Black woman candidate who has been fighting against racism and for social justice her entire career to David Duke, even if there will be a lot of missed opportunities for graft as a result:
The chair of the New York State Democratic Party apologized Monday after comparing Buffalo mayoral nominee India Walton, a Black woman, to former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.
The party chair, Jay Jacobs, made the comparison in an interview with Spectrum News. He doubled down in a defiant statement issued through the state party before eventually issuing an apology amid criticism from other Democrats, including some calls to resign.
Walton, a self-identified socialist, won the Democratic nomination for Buffalo mayor in June, in a victory over four-term incumbent Byron Brown. Brown has since launched a write-in campaign, and several top New York Democrats, including Jacobs and Gov. Kathy Hochul, have so far declined to endorse a candidate in the race.
In the interview with Spectrum News, Jacobs was asked what type of precedent it sets if he and other leading Democrats refrain from endorsing Walton, the winner of the primary. Jacobs responded that it is not necessary for state party chairs to endorse the primary winner, citing the white supremacist Duke as an example.
“Let’s take a scenario, very different, where David Duke — you remember him, the grand wizard of the KKK — he moves to New York, he becomes a Democrat, he runs for mayor in the city of Rochester, which is a low primary turnout, and he wins the Democratic line,” Jacobs said.
He continued: “I have to endorse David Duke? I don’t think so. Now, of course, India Walton is not in the same category. But it just leads you to that question: Is it a must? It’s not a must.”
Jacobs’s remarks prompted a wave of criticism from Democratic elected officials.
………
As criticism mounted, the New York State Democratic Party sent a tweet Monday afternoon in which Jacobs defended his remarks and blamed those who found them offensive.
As criticism mounted, the New York State Democratic Party sent a tweet Monday afternoon in which Jacobs defended his remarks and blamed those who found them offensive.
“This is what’s wrong with public discourse today — people want to find something to be unhappy about, so they twist statements, or ignore statements, to make their argument,” Jacobs said in the statement tweeted by the state party. “That doesn’t make them true. Read the full comments.”
The lesson here is clear, for corrupt right-wing members of the Democratic Party establishment (There is no Democratic Party establishment), unity is exclusively a one way street.
Progressives need to learn the lesson that Jeremy Corbyn did not: The right wing of your party views the opposing party as the opposition, and you as the enemy.
0 comments :
Post a Comment