Bay Area Houston

It’s got to be bad when the top republican in the state calls for the resignation of 2 Republican county chairs. Greg Abbott did just that and they have told him to buzz off. The Chair of the Texas Republican Party has also asked all 5 chairs to resign.

Bexar County GOP Chairwoman Cynthia Brehm, Harris County GOP Chairman-Elect Keith Nielsen, Harrison County GOP Chair Lee Lester, Nueces County GOP Chairman Jim Kaelin, and Comal County GOP Chairwoman Sue Gafford Piner posted racist meme and/or conspiracy theories to their Facebook pages.  Abbott has called for the resignation of Brehm and Kaelin. Here is the status of each:

Harris County GOP Chairman-Elect Keith Nielsen. Resigned before taking office. Removed from his position as Pasadena Planning Commissioner.

Nueces County GOP Chairman Jim Kaelin. Has refused to step down even after Abbott asked him to.

Bexar County GOP Chairwoman Cynthia Brehm. Has refused to step down even after Abbott asked her to.

Comal County GOP Chairwoman Sue Gafford Piner. Has refused to step down but has bravely stepped away from Facebook.

Harrison County GOP Chair Lee Lester. Has refused to step down.

No Place but Texas. Literally.

A precinct chair in Galveston County, Kevin Holland II, just couldn’t let a peaceful march against racism go without an ill advised statement or following it up with another one, and then explaining in a “fun” way. While people of all colors, young and old, male and female, gathered in the hot sun to call for changes to protect people of color as well as our police men and women, this guy had to have a laugh.

Kevin joined another elected official, the Chair elect of the Harris County Republican Party, Keith Nielsen, who posted a racist meme to his Facebook page. Keith has since resigned and he was removed as Chair of the Pasadena Planning Committee. Showing off your racism almost always leads to bad things happening to you. Americans do not like racists, white supremacists,  or nazis. 

Americans and the military fight to support our rights to peacefully protest. They also fight to support the rights of people who want to make racist memes or statements, but that does not guarantee a place at the table. In fact it might guarantee an escort through the door.

Joking about racism isn’t funny. Ask Keith.

UPDATE: The precinct chair’s Facebook posts have been removed. He should now resign his position and take some time to reflect on the moment.

It’s sad that we have to remind the members of the Republican Party that racism is bad. Very bad. In fact it has never been anything but bad. Some of the Chairs of the Republican Party are learning the hard way, case in point the newly elected chair of the Harris County Republican Party, Keith Nielsen.

Keith posted a racist meme (which has been removed) on Facebook quoting Martin Luther King. The meme also had a pic of a banana next to the Black civil rights leader’s quote. It wasn’t a fruit salad, or a medley of fresh tropical fruits and he wasn’t in the middle of a well balanced meal when he created the meme. It was a banana. It was racist. We know it. He knows it. The Pasadena City Council knows it and took action.

Keith is, or was, the Chair of the Pasadena Planning Commission. City Council Member Cody Ray Wheeler called on the Mayor to remove him. From his letter to the Mayor:

I am writing to demand the removal of Keith Nielsen from the Pasadena, Texas Planning Commission following his racist social media post.  

In a city with a dark history of racial oppression, the former home of the Ku Klux Klan, it is our duty as leaders to remove racism in every form, stem and root. In the midst of national outrage over the murders of people of color, Keith Nielsen’s recent actions have done nothing but fan the flames and cause more harm to the people of our community. I urge you to Immediately strip Keith Nelsen from his position so we can move on from this disgrace and begin the healing process. Every day Keith Nielsen remains, is an endorsement of his racist views and cast a dark shadow over our city and your leadership. 

It is incumbent on all of us, that no position of power be held by a person with racist views.

Leave it to Congressman Dan Crenshaw to call for the resignation of the newly elected Chair of the Republican Party while turning a blind eye to the racist at the top of the party. From The Texas Tribune:

U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a Houston Republican, said in a statement to the Tribune that “Nielsen has no place in our party. Not now. Not ever” — and called his post “a sad reminder that such blatant ignorance and bigotry still exists.”

Someone ought to tell Crenshaw to look to the White House for racism in his party. It’s coming from the top, Dan. It’s coming from the White House, Dan. It’s coming from your f***ing party. Man up and call for the resignation of the leader of the Republican Party not just the lowly Chair of the county party.

County Chair, Keith Nielsen, posted a clearly racist meme with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King and a banana. In his defense he stated:

“It is unfortunate that the sentiment of the quote and my admiration for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has been overshadowed by people’s misinterpretation of an image.”

There is no other reason for putting a banana in a meme of a Black civil rights leader. None. At all. Zero. Zip. Nada. He should resign. Immediately. And take his flag pin and cross with him.

The old saying “Not every republican is a racist, but every racist is a republican.” isn’t true anymore.

The Bexar County Chair of the Republican Party Cynthia Brehm posted on Facebook a conspiracy theory that the killing of George Floyd was a setup to make Trump look bad. (As if he needs any help) This isn’t her first racist rodeo and the Governor has asked for her resignation. Lucky for her she was elected by republicans in Bexar County. They haven’t called for anything except for pizza delivery.

She wasn’t alone. Nieces County Republican Party Chair, Jim Kaelin, shared the same post and Sue Piner, chair of the Comal County GOP also posted a racist meme. From The Texas Tribune:

Even later Thursday, Democrats also criticized a fourth post from a GOP chair on Facebook. Sue Piner, chair of the Comal County GOP, shared a post on Sunday that included an image of liberal billionaire George Soros and text that said, “I pay white cops to murder black people. And then I pay black people to riot because race wars keep the sheep in line.”

And then there is the newly elected Harris County Republican Party Chair,  Keith Nielsen. He deserves a post all for himself.

Every republican is a racist.