State Sen. Guy Reschenthaler, the guy who's running against Rick Saccone in the GOP primary for Pennsylvania's revamped 14th Congressional District, has some problems of his own that might even leave the hapless Saccone smirking. It turns out that Reschenthaler penned a glowing foreword to a hate-filled 2012 book by Carl Higbie, a former Navy SEAL who was forced to resign from the agency that administers AmeriCorps earlier this year for being a racist, sexist, homophobic jackass. The contents of Higbie's book are, of course, very similar to the remarks he made on radio that led to him quitting his Trump-appointed job:
Media Matters reviewed Higbie's book and found vitriolic attacks against: Hurricane Katrina survivors ("human parasites"), black people ("I certainly don't agree with slavery, but I do think that you should play the hand you are dealt, and good physical genetics are definitely dealt to many blacks"), Puerto Ricans ("If you are so proud of your old country, then go back"), LGBTQ people ("widespread acceptance is wrong"), "overweight people" ("lazy and careless"), Muslims ("it is also my right to be suspicious" of someone wearing a turban), and undocumented immigrants (those who attempt to cross the border should be shot "dead").
And what did Reschenthaler have to say about this tome?
When Carl told me his plan to draft a book, I was ecstatic. After reading his work, I am impressed by his no-nonsense, commonsense approach that has the power to persuade and captivate. At times, I found myself getting frustrated by the examples of political correctness and poor decision-making he brought to light.
That's really funny, because when confronted with the work and his own comments about it by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Reschenthaler decided he hadn't read Higbie's book after all!
"Let me be clear. I don't stand behind the statements that were said in that book," Mr. Reschenthaler said in an interview with the Post-Gazette. "I don't stand behind those remarks and those comments."
When asked if he had read the book before writing the foreword, Mr. Reschenthaler replied, "No."
Reschenthaler claims he only wrote the foreword "as a placeholder" for his "friend" Higbie. In more simple terms, he either lied when he said he read the book or had no problem with what it said when he did read it and is lying now to cover his ass. But no matter what, Reschenthaler was certainly familiar with Higbie's political views because, around the same time, the two co-hosted a talk radio show. We'll see if it makes any difference in a Republican primary, though.
