Howie Lind, a candidate for Congress in the 10th district, has issued the following statement, urging Bob FitzSimmonds to remain on the Republican party’s State Central Committee in his role as treasurer:
The GOP has become the “Party of Panic.”
LIND CALLS ON FITZSIMMONDS NOT TO RESIGN
McLEAN – Republican Congressional candidate Howie Lind today urged RPV Treasurer Bob FitzSimmonds to reject calls from “panicky” Republicans and remain on the job.
“I am thoroughly disgusted with the way people are almost gleefully piling on Bob after he apologized for using a poor choice of words in a Facebook post that he took down,” Lind said.
“And I am even more disgusted with the chorus of Republican elected officials who are calling on FitzSimmonds to resign, said Lind. “The Republican Party has become the party of panic and the panic seen here is typical of why Republicans lose and Democrats win.”
“Bob has issued his apology and anyone who knows him knows he meant no ill will by his comments,” Lind added. “The people who should apologize are those who in haste and panic called for his resignation over a minor slip of the keyboard.”
Lind added that “we all make mistakes. None of us are perfect. The only perfect person died on the cross 2,000 years ago. Let those who are without sin cast the first stone. The rest owe Bob an apology.”
I couldn’t agree more. Our Republican leadership has badly handled this. What was a minor mistake, one that was quickly fixed and apologized for, has become an issue so large that even the Washington Post has reported the story. It’s ridiculous and makes our party look ridiculous. These establishment Republicans in Richmond need to stop this faux outrage on behalf of women when no women feel outraged. The GOP leadership created a problem where none existed. Even more infuriating is the party leaders KNOW that Bob FitzSimmonds would never knowingly use vulgarly. We can only speculate as to their motivations for their and why they want to destroy the reputation of a fine, principled, moral, conservative. Black Velvet Bruce Li has also weighed in on the subject here. I applaud Howie Lind for issuing this plea for Bob FitzSimmonds not to resign his position as Treasurer of the Republican Party of Virginia.
Howie Lind is one of several candidates competing for the GOP nomination to replace Frank Wolf in Congress after Wolf announced last month he would not be seeking reelection. The nomination will be decided at a party canvass, also known as a Firehouse Primary, on Saturday, April 26th.