Just shut up
You've got to give Chris Buttars this — he's got a unique approach to crisis management.
The West Jordan state senator, already reeling from charges of racism, continues to garner nationwide attention by failing to show up for a meeting with Utah NAACP leaders yesterday. They insisted the meeting be public, but Buttars smelled a "cheap shot."
"We wanted the media to be here to see that we, the NAACP Salt Lake Branch, we're not a lynch mob as we were so-called," Jeanetta Williams told the DNews, referring to Buttars' reference to critics as a "hate lynch mob."
The senator's "lynch mob" explanation to the Tribune just dug the hole deeper. "Lynch mob is a Western term. You wouldn't find one person in 10,000 in Utah that thinks that's a racist term. That's not a racial term in my opinion. How do I know what words I'm supposed to use in front of those people?"
Not the best word choice, Chris.
"At first I thought maybe it could be a generational thing," said Williams, "but I know folks who are much older than he is who don't talk that way and don't refer to 'those people,' and 'lynch mob,' and 'babies that are black are ugly.' "
The Ogden Standard-Examiner opined today that Buttar's "black baby" statement on the Senate floor is "obviously racist" and urged Senate leaders to force his resignation.
The West Jordan state senator, already reeling from charges of racism, continues to garner nationwide attention by failing to show up for a meeting with Utah NAACP leaders yesterday. They insisted the meeting be public, but Buttars smelled a "cheap shot."
"We wanted the media to be here to see that we, the NAACP Salt Lake Branch, we're not a lynch mob as we were so-called," Jeanetta Williams told the DNews, referring to Buttars' reference to critics as a "hate lynch mob."
The senator's "lynch mob" explanation to the Tribune just dug the hole deeper. "Lynch mob is a Western term. You wouldn't find one person in 10,000 in Utah that thinks that's a racist term. That's not a racial term in my opinion. How do I know what words I'm supposed to use in front of those people?"
Not the best word choice, Chris.
"At first I thought maybe it could be a generational thing," said Williams, "but I know folks who are much older than he is who don't talk that way and don't refer to 'those people,' and 'lynch mob,' and 'babies that are black are ugly.' "
The Ogden Standard-Examiner opined today that Buttar's "black baby" statement on the Senate floor is "obviously racist" and urged Senate leaders to force his resignation.
The time for being polite has passed. The leaders have an opportunity and a responsibility to display actual leadership -- to send the message that such obviously racist comments will not be tolerated anywhere in Utah government. Buttars may be their friend, but he's a canker on the legislative body. In this case, their colleague deserves nothing but the old heave-ho.
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