The Tea Parties and Racism

In an effort to spread their own views about Tea Partiers, the Washington Post has created a story out of threadbare material (their own poll) about how the tea party "movement is struggling to overcome accusations of racism":

According to the new Washington Post-ABC News poll, most Americans see the movement as driven by distrust of government, opposition to the policies of Obama and the Democratic Party, and broad concerns about the economy. But nearly three in ten see racial prejudice as an underlying factor in tea party politics.

Of course "underlying" could mean anything. And those three in ten who see racial prejudice as a factor? Might those be the same people who hate capitalism and love socialism and big government?

Supporters and opponents agree that the tea party movement draws strength from its opposition to Obama's policies, but they disagree profoundly on the question of race, according to the poll: more than 60 percent of tea party opponents say racism has a lot to do with the movement, while just 7 percent of tea party supporters hold that opinion.

What a waste of time! Are we really expected to believe it's news that those who dislike the tea partiers think the worst about them? Don't we already know that from liberals' incessant use of the "teabagger" slur?

Only seven percent (and who knows how the question was phrased) who might have some agreement with the tea party movement think there are tinges of racism in their ranks? That's not hard to imagine either, considering the picture that media outlets like the Post seem intent on painting. Sadly there are still just enough gullible consumers of the so-called mainstream media out there to buy into it.

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Tea Party Groups Battling Perceptions of Racism
As several states with active "tea party" groups prepare to hold important primary elections this month, the movement is struggling to overcome accusations of racism that are tinting perceptions of this loose network of conservatives.