Chester County Democrats must work with GOP

On Nov. 22, a graphic that read: “Bigotry loses every time” was posted by The Chester County Democrats on their Facebook page. This came a few weeks after they posted a press release from the West Chester NAACP decrying an ad placed by the Republican Committee of Chester County in the Daily Local News. The NAACP charged that the ad was “appalling, disrespectful, and unacceptable.” Referencing the ad, the Chester County Democrats claimed the RCCC had used “cruel and untruthful attacks.” Comments on these Facebook posts accused the RCCC of racism, bigotry, and hatred.

Accusations of racism and bigotry should not be made lightly. I decided to examine the ad for myself and see what had these people in an uproar.

The ad features a photo of a black child with the words “Stop This Insanity” in large font. Below the photo are statements that I presume to be the insanity to which the creators of the ad were referring. Let’s examine each statement.

“Silencing us is unconstitutional.” The free speech of all Americans, including those with whom we vehemently disagree, is protected by the First Amendment. There is nothing racist or bigoted about this statement.

“Critical Race Theory is divisive.” Examining society through the lens of race and dividing people into oppressed and oppressor groups is by its very nature, divisive. Leading CRT proponent Ibram X. Kendi wrote: “The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination. The only remedy to present discrimination is future discrimination.” Whether or not one agrees with Dr. Kendi’s solution for discrimination, it is difficult to understand how anyone could claim his words are anything but divisive.

“Parents decide what’s best for our kids not school boards.” Research actually supports this statement. A child’s educational success depends more on parental involvement than the decisions made by a handful of elected school board members whom they have never met.

“Exercising our First Amendment is not domestic terrorism.” This statement is likely referring to the National School Board Association (NSBA) asking the White House for federal law enforcement to use “domestic terrorism” laws to go after parents who confront school board members during meetings. This was seen as an act of intimidation by many across the country. Even the NSBA understood their error, expressed their “regret” and acknowledged “there was no justification for some of the language included in the letter.”

“Sexually explicit books and magazines don’t belong in school libraries.” Do any sane, moral people disagree with this statement?

Since when are values like “free speech” and “parental rights” racist? My question for the Chester County Democrats remains: what about this ad ignited your charge of bigotry? If the statements themselves are not racist (and they are not), then what is the “racist depiction” in the ad? I am forced to conclude that the accusation of bigotry had less to do with the words on the ad and more to do with the photo of the child. Does the Chester County Democratic Committee actually believe that Republicans cannot have a black child in their ad? I certainly hope that is not the case as that would itself be racist.

The suppression of legitimate political expression through false accusations of racism and bigotry, while at times successful, is shameful and damages our society. It is unfortunate, yet not surprising, that the Chester County Democrats would prefer to name-call and accuse the other side of bigotry rather than engage in a vigorous debate on the issues. For a party that prides itself on diversity and open-mindedness, the Chester County Democrats seem to value neither rational nor civilized discussions with the other side.