Virgina Beach GOP Chairman Resigns After Sending Email Comparing Black Welfare Recipients To Dogs

by Brea Tremblay | 3:56 pm, October 21st, 2010

» 23 comments

Talking Points Memo is reporting that on March 15th 2010 that Virgina Beach GOP Chairman David Bartholomew sent an email with the subject line “my dog.” The email went public on Tuesday and Bartholomew resigned his post on Wednesday. The contents of the email were as follows:

MY DOG
I went down this morning to sign up my Dog for welfare.
At first the lady said, “Dogs are not eligible to draw welfare”.
So I explained to her that my Dog is black, unemployed, lazy, can’t speak English and has no frigging clue who his Daddy is.
So she looked in her policy book to see what it takes to qualify…
My Dog gets his first check Friday.
Is this a great country or what?

Politicians from both sides of the aisle are weighing in on the controversy. Representative Glenn Nye, a Democrat who represents Virgina Beach, denounced the email, saying, “This type of racist behavior has no place in politics.” Nye’s Republican opponent Scott Rigell agreed, calling the email “reprehensible” and in stark contrast to the core values of the Republican Party, the party of Lincoln, and my personal belief in a colorblind society.”

Bartholomew does have one defender: Second District GOP chair Gary Byler, who told the Virginian-Pilot that Bartholomew is not a racist and forwarded the email without reading the contents when “he was first getting familiar with the Internet.”

If that’s true, it appears that Virginia should use some of that hotly contested stimulus money for desperately needed computer literacy classes.

A News Channel 3 WTKR video about the incident is below:

David Bartholomew, Glenn Nye, Scott Rigel, Virgina Beach

CosmosDan

First Juan Williams now this. Those dam liberals can’t stand the truth.
cockistan

what truth?
CosmosDan

cockistan said:
what truth?

the um.,….truth…….um……free speech, that’s what I meant. those dam liberals don’t want anyone who disagrees with them to have free speech.
CosmosDan

I heard Carl Paladino called for his resignation. Good call Carl.
teabagging rulz

Why did this guy quit? I thought this was America and as O’Reilly pointed out – everything is too PC. As his fellow Republican buddy tells us, this guy didnt know how to use email. He didn’t know he had to read things. Maybe he didn’t know where the delete button is on a computer. Come on! You liberals are poopy.

This has to stop. Vote Tea Party in November! Tea party – Proof for evolution.
http://mk-cultra.org fnordlord

R is for Racist
The Real Royal Knig

Tada! Republican idiot clearly identified as Republican in the title of the article. Thanks Mediaite for continuing to justify the claims of your comments sections as to the bias on this site.

Nice that you also made a point of identifying the politician denouncing the remarks as a Democrat. Oh, those enlightened (D)’s.
The Real Royal Knig

The Real Royal Knig said:
Tada! Republican idiot clearly identified as Republican in the title of the article. Thanks Mediaite for continuing to justify the claims of your comments sections as to the bias on this site. Nice that you also made a point of identifying the politician denouncing the remarks as a Democrat. Oh, those enlightened (D)’s.

To clarify, I’m fine with you pointing out this idiot’s actions. I’m fine with you identifying his Republicanism. But time and time again it has been pointed out that if the politician is a Democrat, that tidbit is either buried deep in the article (rather than right in the title as for Republicans) or left out entirely. Like the (D) with the golf club yesterday . . .
The_Reasonable_Lib

Big surprise; racism is very much alive and well among conservatives. I never knew that, i thought that the liberals who help minorities by “keeping them dependent on government” were the racists.
realitycheck

Are the Headline & article writers paid by the letters R & GOP? And are there payroll deductions for the use of the letter D?
goodolgil

So where were all of you free speech crusaders calling out the injustice of Helen Thomas being fired for speech? Or Octavia Nasr? Or Rick Sanchez?

Oh that’s right. You only care about “free speech’ when the person agrees with you.
The_Reasonable_Lib

realitycheck said:
Are the Headline & article writers paid by the letters R & GOP? And are there payroll deductions for the use of the letter D?

Address the article or please go away.
Call_Me_Ishmael

“Bartholomew is not a racist and forwarded the email without reading the contents when “he was first getting familiar with the Internet.””

Ah, nostalgia. I remember the old days in the early 90s when I was “first getting familiar with the Internet” and found myself accidentally sending out racist emails because I didn’t understand Pine and Outlook Express. And all that pron that ended up on my 30Mb hard drive because I unintentionally clicked the wrong link in Netscape — repeatedly.
Some_Dude

Ah, my hometown. Glad to see our Republican representatives haven’t changed.

P.S.: welcome to the South
Some_Dude

Call_Me_Ishmael said:
“Bartholomew is not a racist and forwarded the email without reading the contents when “he was first getting familiar with the Internet.””

Ah, nostalgia. I remember the old days in the early 90s when I was “first getting familiar with the Internet” and found myself accidentally sending out racist emails because I didn’t understand Pine and Outlook Express. And all that pron that ended up on my 30Mb hard drive because I unintentionally clicked the wrong link in Netscape — repeatedly.

Wow Pine, that brings me back to college.
alamo2

Hey, where are the usual right wing characters, who pop up on every one of these? Not on this topic, huh?
timcajun

I agree the scum of the earth, race hating, scare grandma “tea party” has every right to say what they want because of free speech! No matter how many lies they spread along the way! Just don’t ask the brain trust O’Donnell where to find anything about free speech! Keep the hate alive! Hate, hate,hate!
C.Moore

The_Reasonable_Lib said:
Big surprise; racism is very much alive and well among conservatives. I never knew that, i thought that the liberals who help minorities by “keeping them dependent on government” were the racists.

What are you talking about? The race card is dead, remember? Racism doesn’t exist anymore, remember? ;)
Call_Me_Ishmael

alamo2 said:
Hey, where are the usual right wing characters, who pop up on every one of these? Not on this topic, huh?

Where are the multi-account holding war thumbers? There should be at least one post with 65 thumbs down by now.
DEFENDER-90

@alamo2—-Because there is no defending Bartholomew,have at him

THIS IS WHAT YOU CALL A TARGET RICH ENVIRONMENT.
BON APPETIT.
VRWC Destruction Machine

goodolgil said:
So where were all of you free speech crusaders calling out the injustice of Helen Thomas being fired for speech? Or Octavia Nasr? Or Rick Sanchez?

Oh that’s right. You only care about “free speech’ when the person agrees with you.

Find me a Right Winger who agrees with Bartholomew.
VRWC Destruction Machine

goodolgil said:
So where were all of you free speech crusaders calling out the injustice of Helen Thomas being fired for speech? Or Octavia Nasr? Or Rick Sanchez?

Oh that’s right. You only care about “free speech’ when the person agrees with you.

So you are in favor Hezbollah and suicide bombers like Nasr. You must love the smell of IEDS in the morning.
timcajun

goodolgil says:

So where were all of you free speech crusaders calling out the injustice of Helen Thomas being fired for speech? Or Octavia Nasr? Or Rick Sanchez?

Oh that’s right. You only care about “free speech’ when the person agrees with you.

Or unless you work for Fox!