AUGUSTA, Maine - Republican state Sen. Michael Willette of Presque Isle apologized to colleagues today for a string of Facebook posts referencing President Obama that were publicized by a progressive political activist.
Willette said his postings that linked the president to radical Islamic terrorist groups such as ISIS, or that suggested the president should return to his home in Africa, were unworthy of a Maine legislator. But Willette's statement of regret wasn't enough for some critics who are now demanding his resignation.
Tensions between Democrats and Republicans in the Maine Senate had been simmering for about 24 hours after Willette's Facebook postings were publicized by political blogger Mike Tipping in the Bangor Daily News.
Willette's messages included the suggestion that all American Muslims be air dropped back to where they came from, that President Barack Obama was soft on Islamic terror groups such as ISIS, and that the president was actually a citizen of Kenya.
Critics described the posts as a diatribe of bigotry and hate. Willette addressed the matter shortly after the Senate convened.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the Maine Senate," Willette said, "over the past two days, there has been significant publicity about posts I have made - on social media, particularly Facebook. I would like to stand in front of you today and apologize for these remarks and those posts."
The memes that Willette posted struck upon familiar themes to fans of conservative talk show hosts. Was Obama really an American citizen? Can Americans trust Muslims? One post suggested that slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. would be ashamed of President Obama, whose policies had set back race relations 50 years.
Willette insists that he is neither a racist nor a bigot. "I am neither, no, I'm as far from being a racist as you can get," Willette said. "When I served in the military, I had a vast array of friends. So no, any connotation to racism in those posts, if that's what it was construed to be, that is not the intent."
As for being an "Islamaphobe," or claiming that the Obama administration is peppered with Islamic activists, Willette says his posts were born out of a sense of frustration over the terrorist attacks, such as the Boston Marathon bombing, that have shaken the nation.
"In any of the instances where I referred to that, it was what we're all experiencing now across the country and across the world with the Islamic extremism - I have many friends who are Muslim, so..." Willette said.
"What we have seen from Sen. Willette's Facebook account is really a steady stream of very hateful, racist bigoted remarks," said Democratic State Chairman Phil Bartlett. Bartlett says Willette's apology falls short, and that he should resign from office.
"Given how frequently he's made these discriminatory comments, that he's really not fit to serve," Bartlett says. "And he's supposed to be representing all of his constituents and these comments really call into question his ability to do that."
At the Portland chapter of the NAACP, President Rachel Talbot Ross stopped short of saying Willette should resign, but says the Maine Senate has to do more than produce what some of her constituents perceive as a face-saving apology.
"We believe that the Senate President and leadership need to take a closer look to make sure that there has not been a violation of ethics rules and also to ask him to step down from his role as chair in the State and Local Government Committee -- immediately," Talbot Ross says. "We've also asked for a meeting with Senate leadership in order to discuss any other possible next steps."
"Sen. Willette's apology is sincere, he regrets the postings and he's gone out and done what he needed to do," said Jason Savage, the executive director of the Maine Republican Party.
Savage says that, while the party condemns the tone and substance of Willette's Facebook postings, there have also been numerous instances of Democrats taking the wrong turn in cyberspace and warned critics not to throw stones from their glass houses. Senate President Michael Thibodeau says Willette's apology should end the matter.
"I think it's time for the institution to turn the page, let's not make politics out of this," Thibodeau says. "You know, I was elected by the people back home to come here and worry about a budget, and we're going to worry about tax reform, we're going to work on welfare reform and lowering energy costs. Let's not spend all our time trying to make political points out of an unfortunate situation - he's apologized."
Democratic Senate leaders say they believe Willette's apology was sincere, but Senate Minority Leader Justin Alfond says he believes the Senate may need to address the issue as an institution through a public statement, to undo some of the harm he fears Willette's postings have created. "Right now I think there are a lot of questions marks across the state and across this country about our state," Alfond says.
Alfond and NAACP president Rachel Talbot Ross say they hope to discuss the issue further with Senate President Thibodeau.
