Ohio GOP lawmakers slammed by major Columbus newspaper for ‘steady stream of cluelessness’ on race

On Saturday, the editorial board for The Columbus Dispatch published a scathing indictment of the the state's Republican lawmakers, blasting them for a "steady stream of cluelessness" on racial sensitivity.

"The latest embarrassment comes courtesy of Sen. Steve Huffman of Tipp City, who suggested, by way of asking a question, that “the colored population do not wash their hands as well as other groups," wrote the board. "Huffman has no excuse for being so naïve; professionally, he is an emergency room physician. Absent a strong moral compass, his medical training should have taught him that people in poverty struggle to achieve good health that others take for granted, making them more susceptible to illness and death from COVID-19."

But Huffman, wrote the board, is only the tip of the iceberg. Also singled out are Rep. Andrew Brenner and his wife, who compared the Jewish former state public health director Amy Acton to Hitler, and Rep. Nino Vitale, who — in addition to also spreading anti-Semitic conspiracy theories about Acton — said that his Italian heritage makes him "darker" than most of his Black colleagues.

"House Speaker Larry Householder of Glenford doesn’t appear to have any more appreciation of racial sensitivity than Vitale, telling the Dayton Daily News, 'I really can’t tell you how that comment is taken,'" wrote the board. "Well, we can. The Dispatch agrees with Rep. Stephanie Howse, president of the OLBC and a Cleveland Democrat, that Vitale’s and Huffman’s comments are consistent with systemic racism and must not be tolerated."

"If other legislators have similar trouble demonstrating appropriate empathy and understanding or modeling good health practices, we encourage Ohio voters to reward them appropriately with early retirements," concluded the board.

You can read more here.