RPV Chair Whitbeck Says McDaniel Owes GOP Apology for Calling Members Racists
Tuesday afternoon Northern Virginia Republican Kyle McDaniel tendered a public letter of resignation to the Republican Party of Virginia explaining why he was resigning from the governing State Central Committee and the party.
A follow-up statement from John Whitbeck, chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, offered a sharp response:
“He knows full well that the Republican Party of Virginia, and I as chairman, have worked tirelessly to expand the Party into new communities. We wish Mr. McDaniel the best in his future endeavors but he owes every member of his party an apology for repeating the Democrat talking points that Republicans are a bunch of racists.”
The push-back in Whitbeck’s statement speaks loudly to the headwinds that McDaniel and others are facing when they do not walk lock-step with the current GOP leadership, a mindset that continues even after the huge Virginia defeats in November, the December defeat in Alabama, and Tuesday’s defeat in Wisconsin.
Whitbeck and others appear to have missed the tone and deep humanitarian concerns that McDaniel expressed in his resignation letter. His involvement on State Central, he stated, was due to the hope that he would be able to help turn back the growing populist tide, writing, “I can no longer tacitly endorse or defend the prevailing views held by a majority of members of the Republican Party. When I ran for this position 2 years ago, I did so out of the desire to guide the party back to the principles of compassionate conservatism, and to fight against the then-emerging winds of nativism and populism.”
He continued, “Events over the last year have, in my judgment, proven that a significant majority of self-identified Republicans do not believe in anything even remotely close to compassionate conservatism, and are happy to embrace nativism, with clear racial and religious overtones. I have, on more occasions than I care to recall, been forced to ‘bite my tongue’ when in conversation with other party leaders about the issues of the day. I cannot in good faith continue to do that.”
In his resignation letter, he cited several incidences of racism within the party and indicated that the straw that broke the camel’s back was the President’s derogratory “s**thole” assessment of certain countries and their people that occurred during an Oval Office meeting last week:
“The President’s unnecessary and appalling comments regarding the Haitian people, and the defense of those comments by party leaders, are the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
McDaniel further explained that the reason that particularly nasty comment hit home was due to his humanitarian work in Haiti:
“I have been to Haiti’s slums, twice, and worked along side those who have to call it home; my wife and I are considering adopting a Haitian child. There is no rationalization of the President’s comments that makes them anything other than what they are: a claim that Haitians do not deserve a chance to be American.
“To keep holding my position would be a betrayal of my morals and values, and I cannot do that.”
A 28-year-old Republican with those values should be embraced by the party. Instead, he is excoriated for his decision to leave which can only lead to the continued exodus of Republicans like Kyle McDaniel.
Cover photo by Lynn R. Mitchell
