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OBSTRUCTIONIST!

While attending the health care rally in Washington, D.C., on March 21, 2010, Springboro, Ohio Tea Party founder Sonny Thomas posted a racial slur on the Springboro Tea Party Twitter webpage he managed. Directed specifically at the Hispanic community, it stated "Illegals everywhere today! So many spics makes me feel like a speck. Grrr. Wheres my gun!?" On April 14, 2010, according to CNN anchor Rick Sanchez, when CNN contacted Thomas to ask for an explanation, Thomas initially said he was making a reference to a Bee Gee's song. Thomas posted the following on the Springboro Tea Party website, "I take full responsibility for the action and it was not my intention to be insensitive. While it is never appropriate to make such a facetious comment, I hope that we can put this issue behind us for the greater good." The posting triggered cancellations by several local and statewide political candidates and leaders scheduled to speak at a Springboro Tea Party rally on April 17. An Ohio Republican state Sen. Shannon Jones boycotted the rally and stated, "I don't think it says anything about the movement per se". A Dayton Tea Party official, Rob Scott, claimed that the posts were "classless" and did not represent the national Tea Party movement as a whole.

Response

According to The Washington Post three weeks after the incidents, video and audio proof of racial slurs against Lewis and Carson had yet to emerge, and conservative commentator and blogger Andrew Breitbart insisted the charges were made up. "If so, they're good actors," Andrew Alexander, ombudsman for the Post, said, explaining that reporters described Carson as "trembling", "agitated", "angry" and "emotional" as he recounted what had just happened. Carson implored the reporters to step back outside to witness and document the taunts, but Capitol police prevented them. Andrew Breitbart offered to make a $100,000 donation to the United Negro College Fund for any audio/video footage of the N-word being hurled at Congressman John Lewis or if Lewis could pass a lie-detector test. "It didn't happen," said Breitbart, who wasn't there. Breitbart asserted that the racial slurs were only alleged as a way for the left, abetted by the "progressive" media, to "marginalize" Tea Party supporters. To support his assertions, Breitbart had posted a mislabeled 48-second video of the Congressional Black Caucus members on the day in question, but later analysis revealed that the video was not of Lewis and Carson walking to the Capitol, when the slurs were reportedly heard, but instead showed the lawmakers leaving the Capitol — at least one hour after the reported incident. When asked about using the video from the wrong moment on his website, Breitbart stood by his claim that the lawmakers were lying. "I'm not saying the video was conclusive proof," he said.

In response to Breitbart's allegations, AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka said he had witnessed the events in question, stating, "I watched them spit at people, I watched them call John Lewis the n-word. I witnessed it." Fox News' Bill O'Reilly discussed the issue on four of his shows, beginning on March 22. O'Reilly stated, "Just because it's not on tape doesn't mean it's fabricated."

Economist and prominent black conservative Thomas Sowell told The Washington Post, "This is a serious charge — and one deserving of some serious evidence ... But, despite all the media recording devices on the scene, not to mention recording devices among the crowd gathered there, nobody can come up with a single recorded sound to back up that incendiary charge. Worse yet, some people have claimed that even doubting the charge suggests that you are a racist."

The National Tea Party Federation sent a letter to the Congressional Black Caucus denouncing racism and requesting that the CBC supply any evidence of the alleged events at the protest on March 20, 2010.

House Republican leaders criticized the use of slurs against the Democratic congressmen by the protesters, but said they were isolated incidents that should not overshadow the healthcare debate. House Minority Leader John Boehner called the incidents "reprehensible", and House Minority Whip Eric Cantor said, "Nobody condones that at all. There were 30,000 people here in Washington yesterday. And, yes, there were some very awful things said." As demonstrators gathered the following day outside the Capitol to rally against the bill again, one held a sign saying, "All tea partiers: If you hear a racial slur, step away, point, boo and take a picture of the rat bastard."

Mark Williams anti-Islam comments

Tea Party Express leader Mark Williams referred to Allah as a "Monkey God". Williams' comments elicited strong rebukes from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York state senators and Muslim leaders. In a subsequent blog posting, Williams wrote, "I owe an apology to millions of Hindus who worship Lord Hanuman, an actual Monkey God. Hanuman is worshiped as a symbol of perseverance, strength, and devotion ... Those are hardly the traits of whatever the Hell (literally) it is that terrorists worship." When questioned by The Washington Post about his comments about Islam, Williams has claimed the controversy has "been fantastic for the movement".

Williams came under further criticism in mid-July when he posted a fictional letter named "Colored People" on his blog. Williams claimed the letter was a "satirical" response to a resolution passed by the NAACP calling on Tea Party leaders to "'repudiate the racist element and activities' from within the movement". In response, the National Tea Party Federation "demanded that the Tea Party Express — a separate group — oust Williams from its ranks. When it did not, the Federation expelled both Williams and his conservative outfit."

Other controversies

On March 22, 2010, a Lynchburg, Virginia, Tea Party activist, attempting to post the home address of Representative Tom Perriello on his blog, incorrectly posted the address of Perriello's brother, who also lives in Virginia, and encouraged readers to "drop by" to express their anger against Representative Perriello's vote in favor of the healthcare bill. The following day, a severed gas line was discovered in Perriello's brother's yard that connected to a propane grill on the home's screened-in porch. Local police and FBI investigators determined that it was intentionally cut as a deliberate act of vandalism. Perriello's brother also received a threatening letter. The website issued a response saying the Tea Party member's action of posting the address "was not requested, sanctioned or endorsed" by the group.

In early July 2010, the North Iowa Tea Party (NITP) posted a billboard comparing Obama to Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin and received sharp criticism, including some from other Tea Party activists. NITP co-founder Bob Johnson acknowledged the anti-socialist message may have gotten lost amid the fascist and communist images. Following a request from the NITP, the billboard was removed on July 14.

Use of term "teabagger"

The term "teabagger" emerged after a protester displayed a placard using the words "tea bag" as a verb. The label has prompted additional puns by commentators, the protesters themselves, and comedians based on the sexual meaning of the term. It is routinely used as a derogatory term to refer to conservative protestors.

The term has also entered into the political debate; supposed or actual supporters of the tea-party movement have been referred to as "tea-baggers" by politicians such as Senators John F. Kerry and Chuck Schumer as well as by President Obama.

See also

• Coffee Party USA

Notes

1. Police Still Searching for Area Tea Party Founder; Dayton Daily News; April 14, 2010
2. Edwards, David (April 14, 2010). "CNN anchor rips 'bigot' Ohio Tea Party Leader". The Raw Story.
3. Racial slur by Tea Party leader hits home Dayton Daily News; April 12, 2010.
4. Springboro Tea Party Tries to Weather Controversy; Dayton Daily News; April 12, 2010
5. Cite error: The named reference WPost Omb was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
6. Breitbart Offers 10K for Proof that N-word was Hurled at John Lewis Atlanta Journal-Constitution; March 26, 2010
7. ^ Cite error: The named reference UKGuardian1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
8. Breitbart, Andrew (April 2, 2010). "Barack Obama's Helter-Skelter, Insane Clown Posse, Alinsky Plans to 'Deconstruct' America". Big Journalism.
9. Breitbart offers $10k reward for proof that n-word was hurled at John Lewis "Political Insider" by Jim Galloway, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, March 26, 2010
10. John Fund "Rude for Reid" Wall Street Journal, March 29, 2010
11. Hoft, Jim (April 13, 2010). "Anything To Slander the Tea Partiers: AP Invents Phantom White Man Who 'Heard' Slur". Big Journalism.
12. AFL-CIO chief claims he witnessed disputed racial insult at Obamacare rally Washington Examiner, April 8, 2010,
13. Cite error: The named reference washingtonpost.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
14. "Letter to the Congressional Black Caucus from Tea Party Federation: Please Provide Evidence of Cannon N-Word Incident". Big Government. April 24, 2010. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
15. House Republicans denounce racial slurs hurled at Democrats CNN Politics — Political Ticker; March 21, 2010
16. Goldsmith, Samuel (May 20, 2010). "Tea Party Express leader Mark Williams says 'sorry' — to Hindus — for slamming Muslim's 'monkey god'". Daily News. New York. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
17. "Mark Williams, the monkey god and the 'controversy' game". The Washington Post. May 20, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
18. Tea Party federation expels group over racial writing MSNBC; July 18, 2010.
19. Tea Party Tension Flares as 'Federation' Gives Firebrand Activist the Boot
20. "FBI investigating cut gas line at Perriello's brother's home", The Washington Post, March 24, 2010
21. "Accusations Fly Between Parties Over Threats and Vandalism", The New York Times, March 25, 2010.
22. McNeill, Brian (March 24, 2010), "Severed gas line found at home of Perriello brother", The Daily Progress (Charlottesville, VA)
23. "Tom Perriello gas line 'intentionally cut'" Politico, March 25, 2010.
24. "Iowa billboard linking Obama, Hitler removed". msnbc.com. Associated Press. July 14, 2010. Retrieved June 7, 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |separator= ignored (help)
25. "Iowa Tea Party Billboard Compares Obama To Hitler, Lenin", The Huffington Post, July 13, 2010
26. "Tea Party billboard compares Obama to Hitler", Capitol Hill Blue, July 14, 2010
27. "Scenes from the New American Tea Party" Washington Independent, February 27, 2009; Retrieved April 24, 2010.
28. Alex Koppelman Your guide to teabagging Salon.com; April 14, 2009
29. "Cable Anchors, Guests Use Tea Parties as Platform for Frat House Humor". FOX News. April 7, 2010. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
30. Jillian Rayfield (January 18, 2010). "Kerry: 'Tea Baggers' Are 'Revved Up' About MA Senate Race". Tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
31. Evan McMorris-Santoro (January 13, 2010). "Schumer Takes The Gloves Off: Scott Brown 'Is A Far-Right Tea-Bagger'". Tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
32. "President Obama: GOP Opposition to Stimulus 'Helped to Create the Tea-Baggers'". Blogs.abcnews.com. May 4, 2010. Retrieved August 1, 2011.

References

• Rasmussen, Scott; Schoen, Doug (2010). Mad As Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System. Harper. ISBN 978-0061995231.

Further reading

• Avlon, John (2010). Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America. Beast Books. ISBN 978-0984295111. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Lepore, Jill (2010). The Whites of Their Eyes: The Tea Party's Revolution and the Battle over American History. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-1-4008-3696-3.
• O'Hara, John M. (2010). A New American Tea Party: The Counterrevolution Against Bailouts, Handouts, Reckless Spending, and More Taxes. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0470567982. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Pierce, Charles (2010). Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free. Anchor. ISBN 978-0767926157.
• Taibbi, Matt (2010). The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics, and Religion. Spiegel & Grau. ISBN 978-0385520348.
• Zernike, Kate (2010). Boiling Mad: Inside Tea Party America. Times Books. ISBN 978-0805093483.

External links

• Collected news and coverage at Fox News
• Collected news and coverage at The New York Times
• Collected news and coverage at The Guardian
• Tea Party Movement at History News Network at George Mason University

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