Tell Speaker John Boehner: Remove House Majority Whip Steve Scalise
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Tell Speaker John Boehner: Remove House Majority Whip Steve Scalise
Disgraceful: Republican House Majority Whip Steve Scalise has been caught pandering to racists.
Scalise gave a speech at a conference for a white supremacist group founded by Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke in 2002.
Many members of the GOP elite have issued statements of support for Scalise claiming this was a one time mistake. However, Scalise has a track record of opposing issues and policies meant to inspire inclusion and racial progress.
Scalise is now the #3 Republican leader in the House. Why hasn’t Speaker Boehner taken action to strip him of this position? Perhaps it’s because David Duke issued him a warning that if Republicans rebuke Scalise “then a lot of them better be looking over their shoulders,” essentially threatening to name other politicians with whom he has met. If Republicans want us to believe they are genuinely invested in improving relations with the Black community they must take immediate action to show that racism will not be tolerated or legitimized.
Join us in urging Speaker Boehner immediately strip Scalise of his leadership role.
This is the letter we'll send to House Speaker John Boehner on your behalf. Feel free to leave a personal comment in the space provided.
Dear Speaker Boehner,
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise's participation in a 2002 conference for a white supremacist group run by notorious racist and hatemonger David Duke is completely unacceptable.
Records show that Scalise voted twice against making MLK day a state holiday in Louisiana, as recently as 2004. A track record like this sends the message that Scalise has little concern for Black folks and their issues and his presence erodes recent efforts by the GOP to convince the Black community that the party is willing to embrace our issues.
In addition, a recently-unearthed article in the newspaper Roll Call which features Scalise bragging that he and Duke share similar conservative views calls into question Scalise's claims that he was unaware of what the group was about and that his attendance was a mistake.
I urge you to take this as an opportunity to demonstrate to the Black community that you take our concerns seriously and are willing to do the work necessary to build relationships with our community. With the new Republican-controlled Congress convening soon, I hope that you immediately strip Scalise of his leadership position and put an end to this controversy that threatens to divert attention from the pressing issues we desperately need addressed.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]