“This Is a Question About Simple Decency,” Says Professor Lawless About Whitehouse

“This Is a Question About Simple Decency,” Says Professor Lawless About Whitehouse

Jennifer Lawless, Chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Virginia, issued harsh words regarding U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s decision to remain associated with exclusive private clubs.

On Wednesday, Whitehouse said that he would not quit the nearly all-white Ida Lewis Yacht Club and that his family would not quit Bailey’s Beach Club -- a club that Whitehouse had believed had no minority members. 

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“It’s ridiculous and it makes no sense because this is not a political question, this is a question about simple decency and the values that we should expect our politicians to uphold, the values that we should expect people who live in our communities to uphold,” said Lawless who had served on the faculty at Brown University and ran as a liberal Democrat for Congress in RI in 2006.

The entire controversy about Whitehouse’s club membership was sparked when last Friday, GoLocal’s News Editor Kate Nagle interviewed Whitehouse if the private club had any minority members and the Senator said, “I think the people who are running the place are still working on that and I’m sorry it hasn't happened yet.” 

On Thursday night Black New Tonight’s host Marc Lamont Hill criticized Whitehouse for his stance on Bailey’s Beach.

Locally, both Black Lives Matter RI PAC and BLM RI have harshly criticized Whitehouse.

 

"Leave the Clubs...Be a Good Person"

“Also this just makes no sense to me on a personal level, because this is not going to be politically risky for him in most in all likelihood. He's not up for reelection until 2024, his voting record is beyond reproach when it comes to issues of race and inclusion and diversity and he walks the walk in terms of his leadership in Washington on these issues -- but this is just a simple case of live what you say, do what you mean" said Lawless who is a regular guest on GoLocal LIVE and has been a harsh critic of the Trump administration and a defender of the Biden agenda.

“And I don't understand. I can't come up with any justification of remaining a member of either of these clubs. And if in 2017, his thought was well I'm going to stay in the club and push them to diversify and push them to encourage people of color to come on board, all right, best-case scenario, he's pushed for four years and it hasn't panned out -- leave the clubs," said Lawless.

In 2017, GoLocal first interviewed Whitehouse about Bailey's beach club and he said then there were no minority members and that his family would not quit the club.

"If he was up for reelection in November of this year I would say that there's a very good chance that this issue would have legs and a progressive Democrat, who otherwise might have a very very difficult time taking on an incumbent, would have a shot. In order for this to still matter in 2024 he's got to do nothing about this for the next three years," said Lawless.

"But again, separate and apart from the politics, I just [say] be a good person and this is not what a good person does," said Lawless.