Anyone in Ventura County who questions the Redistricting Commission’s proposed plan is a racist and a Ku Klux Klan member, according to a top Ventura County Democratic Party official.

Responding to citizen testimony at the commission’s public forum Wednesday night in Oxnard, Democratic Party Vice Chairman David Atkins let loose a racially tinged tirade on his Twitter account, alienating approximately half the population of the county:

It’s so clear that most of these old white people from East Ventura are terribly afraid of brown people in Oxnard/LA. #CAredistricting

Amazing. You’d think that people, especially party officials, would have more discretion on Twitter in the post- Weinergate era. Not Atkins, who then used an arguable racial epithet against Caucasians:

Elton #Gallegly really has his people in force tonight to save his lily-white district. Sorry Folks! #CAredistricting

But it’s Republicans who are racist, Atkins said, adding:

So tired of #GOP using racial codewords “culture” “lifestyle” “political interest”. Just put your white hoods on already. #CAredistricting

Does “lily-white” county as a racial codeword?

Atkins continued to let the vitriol fly, posting that he was with the hearing with “a bunch of white-flight racists from Simi.”

Citizens respectfully voicing their opinions to the Redistricting Commission are not racists, Mr. Atkins–people who use racial epithets in hate-filled rants, on the other hand, are.

The irony gets better; writing about the forum on Calitics, Atkins stated, “the pros and cons of the  process were painfully evident–as was the (lack of) character of what passes for the Republican party in much of Southern California.”

In psychology they call that projection–the only lack of character that was exhibited at the forum came from a fuming leader of the Democratic Party.

By comparing Republicans to a hate group that lynches minorities, by using racist language, and by smearing half the county with vitriol, Atkins’ actions crossed the line of civility in a major way. Why he is allowed to serve as a Democratic official is a mystery, and a stain on his party.

Who knows, maybe the rest of the county party leadership agrees with him. I’d be interested to hear their reaction to his tirade.

Originally posted at VC Star’s Ingemusings