Topline

A Texas Democratic county leader who called Sen. Scott (R-S.C.) an “oreo” after his rebuttal to President Biden’s joint address to Congress last week resigned from his position on Tuesday amid backlash. 

Key Facts

Gary O’Connor, the chair of the Lamar County Democratic Party, announced his resignation in a Tuesday statement apologizing for the racial slur written in a since-deleted Facebook post criticizing Scott’s response to Biden. 

The Democratic leader said he was deeply sorry for his “inappropriate and hurtful use of a racist term,” which refers to a Black person who is perceived as acting white. 

O’Connor faced mounting calls for his resignation over the post, including from U.S. Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas), who labeled the comment “abhorrent, insulting and unforgivable.” 

Crucial Quote 

“I had hoped Scott might show some common sense, but it seems clear that he is little more than oreo with no real principles,” O’Connor wrote in the controversial Facebook post. 

Key Background 

Scott, who is the only Black GOP senator, spurred a reaction from progressives on Twitter after he stated “America is not a racist country” in his response to Biden’s speech last Wednesday. In the speech’s aftermath, the slur ‘Uncle Tim’ trended on Twitter for hours before it was blocked by the social media site, an occurrence the South Carolina senator described the next day as “disappointing.” “Their America and my America are not the same if they think that discriminating is the fastest way to end discrimination,” Scott told Fox News in an interview about the Twitter trend. 

Chief Critic 

Texas Republican Party Chairman Allen West condemned O’Connor’s comments in a video posted to Twitter in which he said he would be sending a “gift” of Oreo cookies to the former party chair and Lamar County Democrats. “I’m sick and tired of the true party of racism,” West said.