Jeb Bush staffer resigns after past comments unearthed from East Stroudsburg University
Politicians are known for having foot-in-mouth syndrome, and social media has only proven to exacerbate their chances to say something offensive. That was evident with the former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s newly appointed chief technology officer, Ethan Czahor.
Politicians are known for having foot-in-mouth syndrome, and social media has only proven to exacerbate their chances to say something offensive. That was evident with the former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's newly appointed chief technology officer, Ethan Czahor.
After TIME magazine reported Monday that Czahor had been selected as Jeb Bush's new CTO, Buzzfeed dug up some of Czahor's deleted tweets in which he called women "sluts" and made some questionable comments about drunk driving and gay men. The tweets were made between 2009 to 2011. The Hipster.com co-founder tweeted Monday showing no signs of resigning from his newly appointed position.
A Bush spokesperson later told Buzzfeed, "Ethan is a great talent in the tech world and we are very excited to have him on board the Right to Rise PAC."
However, Huffington Post reported Tuesday afternoon that in addition to his inflammatory tweets, Czahor also made racist statements during his time as a host on a radio program called "The Ethan Show" at East Stroudsburg University in 2008. In a blog post linked to the show's website, Czahor praised civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. for not having "his pants sagged to his ankles," and not "speaking like a rapper." He also said that black parents needed to "get their [expletive] together."
Huffington Post accessed Czahor's blog post via Wayback Machine, a service from the Internet Archive, as the show's website no longer exists.
First, Czahor addressed those pesky, white liberals:
READER ALERT: PLEASE AVOID THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS IF — you're a white liberal who feels guilty for being white; your stomach gets queasy when discussing racial differences; or, finally, for fear of being called a "racist" you awkwardly use the term "African-American" when speaking with (or near) black people. (No, really, I understand: I'm offended when people call me "white" instead of the more-racially-sensitive "Scottish-English-Polish-German-American".)
Then he exalted King, not for his contributions to the civil rights movement, but for his clothing and pattern of speaking:
First of all, Martin Luther King, Jr. was a well-dressed, extremely well-spoken man; he didn't have his pants sagged to his ankles, and he wasn't delivering his speech in "jibberish" or "slang" (ie. he wasn't speaking like a rapper). He understood that looking respectable and speaking clearly and concisely isn't a trait of white men — it's a trait of intelligent men. He also understood that, while slavery was a terrible practice and certainly a blemish on America's resumé, America is still the greatest country in the world. He doesn't dwell on the negative past; instead, he urges all (not just black) Americans to look forward. In other words, he doesn't drone on about every little problem a black person has faced in their life; and then suggested solutions such as: blacks need more money (ie. welfare programs) or more racial-based preferences (ie. quotas) in the workplace.
Czahor even referenced Bill Cosby's controversial views on the black family:
You see? He urges unity, and implies that because blacks are equal, they will succeed just as well as whites. I believe that to be the truth, as should anyone who is opposed to affirmative-action programs. I don't believe in the "black community" (a hot topic in Presidential elections): just as I don't believe in the "white community". I don't believe in "black leaders": just as I would certainly not be comfortable with a white person claiming to speak for "all white people". I believe black parents need to get their sh@# together, as the majority of newborn black babies belong to single-parent households. (Don't listen to me — listen to Bill Cosby.)
Following that report, Czahor resigned as CTO of Jeb Bush's Right to Rise PAC.
He tweeted Tuesday evening:
The Right to Rise PAC issued a statement Tuesday evening saying they'd accepted Czahor's resignation. "While Ethan has apologized for regrettable and insensitive comments, they do not reflect the views of Governor Bush or his organization and it is appropriate for him to step aside. We wish him the best," the statement said.