By Margaret Foster, Clintondale, New York
I recently read an article about a 2015 Facebook post by Peter Oberacker. The Facebook post honored Mr. Oberacker’s Nazi grandfather. Mr. Oberacker is the Republican candidate for Congress for NY 19. The campaign defended Mr. Oberacker’s post by saying “the post was intended strictly as a personal reflection on family history”. Personal reflection, posted on Facebook??
The article also reported on Mr. Oberacker’s involvement with Bobby Walker of the Young Republicans. Mr. Walker was slated to be Mr. Oberacker’s campaign manager. Bobby Walker was vice chair of the NYS Young Republicans when a group chat containing racist and antisemitic remarks was made public. The offer to manage Mr. Oberacker’s campaign was withdrawn in October 2025.
Should honoring any Nazi military figure on Veterans Day be considered acceptable? Should advisors chatting racist and antisemitic remarks be forgotten? Might a candidate for the United States House of Representatives make decisions that are more supportive of democracy?