One lump of racism, or two, with your tea?
There has been much discussion since the inception of the so-called "Tea Party" movement of the fact that it is overwhelmingly white and, to the view of its critics, racist in its messaging...
From The Nation:
There has been much discussion since the inception of the so-called “Tea Party” movement of the fact that it is overwhelmingly white and, to the view of its critics, racist in its messaging.
In articles and radio and television interviews, I have tended to argue against simplistic characterizations of those who attend tea party events and advance its populist message. Indeed, when I attended several of last year’s Tea Party rallies — including a big one on the grounds of the state Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin, where Republican rising-star Paul Ryan spoke — I found common ground with many present on issues like blocking bank bailouts, auditing the Federal Reserve, and defending civil liberties.
But those of us who want to respect this movement as a legitimate expression of libertarian and conservative sentiment weren’t given much encouragement by the tea partisans who showed up in Washington over the weekend to oppose the anticipated passage on Sunday of landmark health care reform legislation.
The ugliest incident came Saturday afternoon.
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