Yet another example of Bush's sterling public record in Texas!
texasweekly.com
tdh.state.tx.us
house.gov
Blurb in today's Boston Globe:
TEXAS OFFICIAL QUITS IN RACIAL INCIDENT
AUSTIN, Texas--The Texas health commissioner resigned yesterday after being accused of making racially insensitive comments to a black former employee. William "Reyn" Acher III, 46, whose appoinment had been approved by Governor George W. Bush in 1997, had taken heavy criticism during the past year from minority groups over comments he made about Hispanics and blacks. Bush had supported Archer through his previous controversies but pulled back last week, calling Archer's altest comments "inappropriate." Dr. Demetria Montgomery, who was a top-level administrator in the department before she was fired last month, had secretly tape-recorded a February meeting with Archer, who is white. On the tape, Archer can be heard making references to "lynching" and suggesting Montgomery used her brain to advance her career and "that's what white people do." (AP)
New York Times: Archer's Remarks "Proved Embarrassing" to Bush:
"Dr. William R. (Reyn) Archer III is the health commissioner for the state of
Texas. He got into trouble a few weeks ago when, in an interview with The Times,
he made some untoward remarks about Hispanics and teen pregnancy. The
remarks proved embarrassing to Gov. George W. Bush, who has been running
from one photo-op to another, posing relentlessly with black and brown children
and teenagers, trying to show that he and his party are not the mortal enemies of
ethnic minorities.... So George W. does what he can to put a friendlier face on the
G.O.P., and then he picks up The Times and sees that his man, Reyn Archer, is
blaming the sky-high teen pregnancy rate in Texas on the fact that Hispanics lack
the cultural belief 'that getting pregnant is a bad thing.' Uh-oh. Said Dr. Archer: 'If I
were to go to a Hispanic community and say, "Well, we need to get you into
family planning," they say, "No, I want to be pregnant" -- it doesn't work very well.'
Latinos in Texas were not happy about that and neither was George W. So before
you could say 'Let me take my Texas-sized foot out of my mouth,' Reyn Archer
was apologizing. Which might have been fine except for the fact that Dr. Archer, a
gynecologist, has said so much crazy stuff in the past. In the early 1990's, Dr.
Archer was a deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, where he served as the Bush administration's point person on
the so-called gag rule, the regulation that barred doctors at federally financed
family planning clinics from discussing abortion with women. Dr. Archer told a
Congressional hearing that a woman could not even be told that a nearby hospital
offered abortions. He was asked if that information could be provided if the
woman's life was at stake. Dr. Archer replied, 'No, sir.' On another occasion, Dr.
Archer was asked about the type of family-planning counseling he gave to the
women he saw in his private practice. He said, 'I would talk to them, and if they
did not bend to my will, I would tell them to go elsewhere.' Dr. Archer is not only a
staunch foe of abortion, he has objected in the past to birth control measures as
well, most notably the pill. He is reported to have said, at a Health and Human
Services dinner in 1991, that 'when it became possible for women to buy
contraceptives on their own, men lost their manhood.' Dr. Archer's appointment as
Texas health commissioner was loudly applauded by right-wing groups in Texas.
He has said he likes to look at health and other problems with an anthropologist's
eye, examining the customs, behavioral issues and cultural values that might be
contributing factors. The Houston Chronicle recently reported that at an education
conference in 1998, Dr. Archer said, 'We need to figure out why it is when blacks
were more segregated, and had less opportunity, that they did better on cultural
measures than they do in that sense today.' The newspaper said Dr. Archer
expressed the view that blacks 'don't buy' such cultural and legal institutions as
marriage, and that a value system that places loyalty above honesty might
explain why a mostly black jury acquitted O. J. Simpson. I could be wrong, but
this may not be the best way for the Republican Party to reach out for black
votes. Dr. Archer has said that he's made some mistakes, that some of his
comments were awkward, and he's sorry if he has offended anyone. A
spokesman told me on Friday it was never Dr. Archer's intent to criticize or
disparage anyone, and that he felt 'really bad' about the way his remarks were
perceived. The doctor's regret was intensified, he said, 'by the closeness that he
felt to Hispanics and to African-Americans.'" [Herbert, New York Times, 5/1/00]
Dallas Morning News: Congressional Hispanic Caucus Calls for Archer
Resignation:
"With outraged Texans leading the charge, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
last week joined calls for the resignation of Texas health commissioner William
'Reyn' Archer. Dr. Archer has been under fire since he was quoted in The New
York Times earlier this month as saying that Hispanics lacked the belief 'that
getting pregnant is a bad thing.' He also said he did not believe health insurance
was 'the most important thing' and expressed doubts that having coverage made a
difference. 'To suggest that Hispanics are more lax or more accepting of teenage
pregnancy ignores reality, reflects a lack of knowledge of our community and
does nothing to improve the situation,' said Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, D-San
Antonio.... The health commissioner has no plans to resign. 'He regrets the
erroneous impression that was left by his remarks,' said spokesman Doug
McBride. 'He looks forward to working with all Texans to improve the health of all
Texans.' Gov. George W. Bush, who approved Dr. Archer's appointment in 1997,
has accepted his apology and decried what he called attempts to politicize the
issue. Still, Dr. Archer's apology isn't enough for Mr. Rodriguez and fellow San
Antonio Democrat Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, who hold key leadership positions with
the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. 'We need solutions, not stereotypes,' said
Mr. Rodriguez, chairman of the caucus' health task force, who has spoken with
Dr. Archer since the flap began. Mr. Gonzalez, chairman of the caucus' civil-rights
task force, said Dr. Archer's comments are 'beyond being offensive.' 'They bring
up a larger question of... competency,' he said. Eighteen Hispanic lawmakers,
including five Texas Democrats, signed the caucus letter demanding Dr. Archer's
resignation. The Texans were Reps. Ruben Hinojosa of Mercedes, Solomon Ortiz
of Corpus Christi, Silvestre Reyes of El Paso, Mr. Gonzalez and Mr. Rodriguez....
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, has also called on Dr. Archer to resign.
But she said her bigger concern is Mr. Bush's judgment. 'There has been a
steady stream of statements by those Governor Bush appoints to head state
agencies that are unconscionable, if not racist,' she said. 'It gives me grave
concerns about what kind of people Mr. Bush would appoint if he were elected
president.' Dr. Archer, son of retiring Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill
Archer, R-Houston, was not directly appointed by Mr. Bush. The governor
confirmed the Texas Board of Health's selection of the obstetrician-gynecologist
from Houston." [Camia, Dallas Morning News, 4/30/00] |
