Reader Stuart Gang replies to a New York Times article on comments by State Sen. Kevin Parker. Gang’s comments are first, followed by the article.
It’s one thing for State Senator Parker to claim that the Republicans in the New York State Senate are white supremacists. After all, Mr. Parker was gracious enough to add “This doesn’t mean that every single person in the Republican conference of the State Senate is, you know, a racist.”
The leader of the Republicans called Sen. Parker’s remarks “Disturbing, disruptive, disgraceful.” I find that ironic given the fact that he was talking about New York State government, where almost nothing seems to be too disturbing, disruptive or disgraceful.
The leader of the Democrats, a Mr. Sampson, said that any controversy over Sen. Parker’s bigoted remarks were just a distraction from what’s really important.
The New York Times covered the matter, but doesn’t reveal the ”money” quote until three paragraphs from the end, “There’s only one kind of racism that’s functional in the world, and that’s white supremacy.” In other words according to Parker, it’s more than just a matter of whether a certain group of legislators in a certain body are white supremacists – they may be, they may not be – it’s the idea that only whites can be racists.
ALBANY — Since he became a state senator in 2003, Kevin S. Parker has been charged with punching a traffic enforcement agent and scuffling with a photographer for The New York Post.
A former staff member has accused him of shoving her and breaking her glasses. And the senator drew a firestorm of criticism last year after he described Gov. David A. Paterson in not-so-delicate terms as a drug-abusing adulterer.
Mr. Parker, a Brooklyn Democrat, found himself again at the center of a fracas on Wednesday, after declaring that Republican lawmakers were white supremacists.
What at first appeared to be an impolitic outburst by a lawmaker known for his volatile temperament was quickly becoming a political liability for Senate Democrats at a time when they can ill afford another controversy involving one of their members.
Democrats enjoy a threadbare one-seat majority in the Senate and will face several tough challenges from Republicans in November.
Seizing on Mr. Parker’s remarks, Senate Republicans called for him to be censured. Dean G. Skelos, the Senate minority leader, said Wednesday that Mr. Parker was unfit for office and threatened that Republicans would move to discipline him if John L. Sampson, the Senate Democratic leader, did not.
“I am calling on Senator Sampson and every member of his conference to repudiate Senator Parker’s comments,” Mr. Skelos said, adding that Mr. Parker’s comments were “disturbing, disgraceful, disruptive and reprehensible.”
But the Democratic leader declined to condemn Mr. Parker or distance himself from the senator’s comments. In a statement, Mr. Sampson said the fuss over Mr. Parker was a distraction from the severe economic problems facing the state.
“Enough with the finger-pointing, name calling and heated rhetoric,” Mr. Sampson said. “New Yorkers want results. I need members in both parties to step back and focus on what’s important: balancing the budget, creating jobs and providing property tax relief.”
Republicans also drew parallels to a scandal involving a Democrat accused of violent behavior: Hiram Monserrate, the Queens Democrat who was expelled by the Senate this year after he was convicted of misdemeanor assault charges for dragging his companion down a hallway during an argument.
At the time Mr. Monserrate was charged, Democrats were slow to repudiate him or his alleged behavior.
Of the 32 Senate Democrats, 8, including Mr. Sampson, voted against Mr. Monserrate’s expulsion — a point Republicans have made when criticizing Senate Democratic leadership.
“We saw this reaction with Senator Monserrate, where Senator Sampson actually voted not to expel him despite the overwhelming sense on both sides of the aisle that he needed to leave the Senate,” said John McArdle, a spokesman for Senate Republicans. “So we are not surprised.”
Mr. Parker’s comments on Wednesday followed his eruption on Tuesday morning during a confirmation hearing for a member of the state power authority. Mr. Parker angrily objected to a remark by Senator John A. DeFrancisco, a Republican from the Syracuse area, who said black people were not the only ones to suffer discrimination. The nominee for the power authority was black, as is Mr. Parker.
“John, you are totally out of order,” Mr. Parker shouted. “How dare you?”
The senator who was chairman of the hearing, Senator Carl Kruger of Brooklyn, threatened to have Mr. Parker removed, to which Mr. Parker angrily shot back: “O.K., then get somebody to remove me. Bring people up.”
Mr. Parker, who is expected to face trial this year on a felony assault charge stemming from an altercation with a photographer for The Post, went on the radio station WWRL on Wednesday morning to explain his outburst. During that interview, he compared Republicans to white supremacists. “There’s only one kind of racism that’s functional in the world, and that’s white supremacy,” he said. “And that’s what John DeFrancisco and a lot of the Republicans are.”
In a separate interview with The New York Times in his Albany office on Wednesday, Mr. Parker was unapologetic. He repeated comments from his radio interview, claiming that he did indeed believe that many Republicans were white supremacists.
“I stand by that,” he said. “The reality is that racism is a power dynamic and it’s done by groups. This doesn’t mean that every single person in the Republican conference of the State Senate is, you know, a racist. I think there are some that are.”
During the interview, Mr. Parker appeared calm and unperturbed by the backlash over his remarks. But just before he invited a reporter in, he could be overheard shouting about the episode, claiming that his enemies were using it to embarrass him. When a member of his staff called the senator to let him know a reporter was waiting just outside his door, he quickly stopped shouting.
