A Michigan Republican official is rejecting calls to resign from his position after using a racial slur to describe black Americans. Leelanau County Road Commissioner Tom Eckerle has received no small amount of criticism when he used the N-word during a meeting last Monday.

In a conversation about the Black Lives Matter movement, he said, “Well, this whole thing is because of them n—–s in Detroit,” Eckerle said, according to the Leelanau Enterprise. He continued, justifying his language by saying: “Black Lives Matter has everything to do with taking the country away from us.”

Eckerle responded to calls for his resignation by doubling down on his use of the slur. He stated that he has no regrets about using the word and will keep doing so. In an appearance on Interlochen Public Radio, he said, “No, I don’t regret calling it a n—–,” Eckerle said. “A n—– is a n—– is a n—–. That’s not a person whatsoever.”

He reasoned that using the slur is the same as saying he was German or “Polack,” and claimed that he does not believe that using the word constitutes racism. Bob Joyce, the commission’s chairman, told the Detroit News that he, along with three other commissioners, were sending Eckerle a letter asking him to resign. “We do not tolerate that,” Joyce explained. “That’s not who we are.”

State Rep. Jack O’ Malley, who represents Leelanau County, echoed calls for Eckerle to step down. On Facebook, he wrote a post stating that his comments were “beyond stupid.”  He continued, “In today’s emotional and highly charged climate, to say what he said is ignorant and has no place, especially as an elected official.”

Obviously, behavior such as this only allows the left to smear conservatives as racist. Eckerle’s asinine comments are typically the type that the corporate media will use to smear all right-leaning Americans as bigots. In this way, they convince their audience to believe that fringe figures like the commissioner are actually part of the mainstream on the right.

In Texas, Democrats used this type of strategy when several officials working with the state Republican Party spread a vacuous rumor about George Floyd’s death being a deep state hoax intended to incite racial violence. But in these situations, they never seem to focus much on the fact that other Republicans rally to condemn this type of behavior. Sure, they might acknowledge that such-and-such person took issue with the remarks, but they typically get only a brief mention.

So far, this story has not gained much attention, but it is yet another reminder that there are folks on the right who fulfill the left’s stereotypes about the conservative movement. To pretend the left from making their lies stick, it’s crucial that other GOP leaders differentiate themselves from those who are doing more damage to the movement than good.

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