Editorial: Tea Party Would Love To See Black People 'Hanging On A Tree' & Homos In Prison...Or Worse

Andre Carson

WASHINGTON DC -- I nearly had to rush out to Best Buy and purchase a new laptop after I spewed coffee everywhere when I read Congressman Andre Carson's remarks to a gathering of folks at the Congressional Black Caucus job fair in Miami, Florida recently.

The Indiana Democrat told the attendees in a speech he gave that the Tea Party is actively taking steps to keep down the black community and other vulnerable populations.

"This is the effort that we're seeing of Jim Crow," Carson said. "Some of these folks in Congress right now would love to see us as second-class citizens."

"Some of them in Congress right now of this Tea Party movement would love to see you and me ... hanging on a tree."

Now, and this makes perfect sense to me, the Congressman's statements were highlighted and first published by Glenn Beck on his "The Blaze" internet media site. Given how Mr. Beck has taken it upon himself to twist, inflame, and well quite frankly demonise some folks over the past few years on radio and television, I am not terribly shocked that Beck and his staffers decided to showcase the Congressman's remarks as- and I am fairly certain of this, strictly for the shock value to rattle the cages of his core constituency/audience as well as to decry the Congressman's statements as being inflammatory anti-american rhetoric or an attempt by Representative Carson to further exacerbate tensions between race and classes in the United States.

Here's the thing though, the Congressman is absolutely correct.

When a Huffington Post reporter contacted his office, Carson's spokesman Jason Tomcsi said:

"The Tea Party is protecting its millionaire and oil company friends while gutting critical services that they know protect the livelihood of African-Americans, as well as Latinos and other disadvantaged minorities." 

He then went on to point out that the GOP efforts to cut funding for child nutrition, job creation and training, housing assistance and Head Start, a national program that promotes school readiness, are examples of ways that the Tea Party agenda hurts vulnerable minority populations.

"A child without basic nutrition, secure housing, and quality education has no real chance at a meaningful and productive life," Tomcsi said. "So, yes, the Congressman used strong language because the Tea Party agenda jeopardizes our most vulnerable and leaves them without the ability to improve their economic standing."

William Mackenzie Thomson - Hanging Men

Look- I've said this in private to friends and now I'll state it publicly, the extremely hateful rhetoric leveled against President Barack Obama by the Tea party types who claim its all about the economy, job loss and "Obamacare" are tossing out red herrings. They're pissed that a Black man is sitting in the Oval Office instead of serving coffee to a white occupant of that office.

Of course, just for speculation's sake, imagine if the current Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton had been elected president instead of the junior Senator from Illinois. You can just imagine the hubris that would have created not to mention the flame wars in the comments sections of internet sites everywhere. The GOP has a huge hardon for her and her husband, former president Bill Clinton, and there would have been no end to the obstructionist waste of taxpayer's resources and money that the elected GOP blowhards like Senator Mitch McConnell as well as the House Tea Party types would have spent to block any efforts by a Clinton presidency to make life better for those Americans who have damn near next to nothing to start with.

Lest we forget, then there is the LGBTQ community. Yesterday, LGBTQNation ran Right Wing Watch's Brian Tashman's piece on Bryan Fischer who wants to criminalise homosexuality. Well, specifically, recriminalise being Gay, Lesbian, Bi, or Transgendered.

I could cite numerous other similar examples by Tony Perkins and his sidekick henchman Peter Spriggs at the ludicrously named "Family Research Council," which, when considering Perkins' political background and actions as a Louisiana State Representative speaking before several known white supremacist organisations kinda illustrates Congressman Carson's remarks as valid.

It is this Tea Party mentality that the FRC and their corporate christian allies display towards the LGBTQ community as well as towards women's reproductive rights that leaves me thinking that the Black folk aren't the only ones that lot would like to see hanging in trees.

I could continue on with examples from the National Organisation for Marriage, or Fischer's own American Family Association, however, doing so would be superfluous and unnecessary.

There is a dangerous political atmosphere in the United States today as the culture wars have now become a rallying point for a vocal but wealthy minority in the far right that allows ancient prejudices and hatreds to become acceptable.

The GOP and their allies may deny it- well in Fischer's case he doesn't disguise his hate, but they cannot continue to be disingenuous about their intent. In fact, look no further than the current crop of GOP presidential aspirants in particular Texas Governor Rick Perry folks. 

We need to pay heed to the Congressman's remarks.