Mitchell: Michigan GOP no place for a bigot
When Dave Agema ran for Republican National Committeeman, he claimed to be running to give a voice at the table for those activists who weren’t being heard. Agema stated, “We are losing our freedom of speech through various individuals in the liberal media, who are pushing buttons to try to shut people up, talking about important issues that we need to talk about.”
So what important issues did Agema want to bring to the table? Judging by articles he posted on his Facebook page and some of his outrageous, offensive comments, issues he wanted “heard” include questioning whether any Muslim has contributed any value in American society; how homosexuals were allegedly responsible for half the murder rate in in large cities ; and pointing out the alleged inferiority of black people, his latest flap.
One of the most important priorities Agema professes is supporting and defending the 2012 RNC platform. In April 2013, Agema led a vote in the RNC to reaffirm the Platform. Agema seems to be violating the principles of that same platform where on page 16 it states, “We will strongly enforce anti-discrimination statutes and ask all to join us in rejecting the forces of hatred and bigotry and in denouncing all who practice or promote racism, anti-Semitism, ethnic prejudice, or religious intolerance.” (RNC 2012 Platform, Page 16).
The violation of the platform is very clear on his latest flap. Agema promoted an article from the magazine, American Renaissance where among other prejudiced statements, the author stated, “However my experience has also taught me that Blacks are different by almost any measure to all other people. They cannot reason as well. They cannot communicate as well. They cannot control impulses as well. They are a threat to all who cross their path, Black and non-Black alike.”
This is the very definition of racism, the belief that members of a particular race possess inferior abilities to another race. Promoting or redistributing this article is certainly promoting that racism. By Agema’s own actions, he violated the RNC platform and needs to be denounced per the platform.
Whether this post was a thoughtless post or a racist statement, Agema once again failed in ensuring conservative issues are heard, and is not an effective leader for the Michigan GOP.
No other person at the RNC level or elected official gets this much attention, because no other person is this thoughtless. At the very least, the very RNC platform Dave Agema touts, demands he be denounced. But based on his record of carelessness and thoughtlessness, Agema should resign for the good of the Republican party and the conservative causes he claims to hold dearly.
Paul Mitchell,
former finance chairman, Michigan Republican Party