April 21, 2009
Exclusive: Is Racism the Tea Party Concern – or an Awakened Electorate?
David Webb
The comedienne, Janeane Garofalo, recently referred to Tea Party-goers as a “bunch of teabagging rednecks," adding "this is about hating a black man in the White House. This is racism straight up."
Such sweeping condemnation is not only fantastic but of course untrue, demonstrating that when it comes to playing the race card, the liberals hold the entire deck; yet in spite of this, they cannot win the political poker tournament. This latest episode of lowbrow analysis of “teabagging” – especially by comedienne Janeane Garofalo and MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann – and outright racist hatred of any American of any ethnicity who ascribes to a different view than liberalism, reassures me of this.
For the record, I am black and one of the two organizers of the NYC Tea Party that drew an NYPD estimated crowd of 12,500. I am also the willing co-founder of the Black Republican Forum, not suffering from Stockholm syndrome, and I’ve never been held captive by the vast right-wing conspiracy. I am also not aware of a “minimum daily requirement” of black people at a rally to legitimize it. A diverse crowd by age, sex, race, ethnicity and various party affiliations – or none – attended the NYC Tea Party on April 15th. The truth is that the Tea Party grassroots protests across America were peaceful, civil in all aspects and, in the case of New York City’s, required no official cleanup after the event.
Rather than focusing on anyone’s race, overtly or covertly, the NYC Tea Party called for fiscal responsibility, cutting taxes to stimulate the economy and eliminating pork from federal legislative bills. This theme echoed across the nation. On Friday, the Congressional Budget Office said this year’s budget deficit is now nearly $1.7 trillion, more than $400 billion larger than it forecast two months ago. Next year’s budget deficit is projected at $1.1 trillion, $430 billion more than its prior forecast. That does not include President Obama’s plans to cut taxes and increase spending, the wrong combination. Tax collections could lag well behind spending and produce huge budget deficits that would force America to borrow a projected $9.3 trillion over the next decade. This is $2.3 trillion more than the President predicted when he unveiled his budget request a month ago. When combined with a multiplicity of costly programs that many independent economic experts say would do little to stimulate the economy, it is doubtful that we as a nation could sustain or pay off this kind of debt in the near future. Logic demands that digging a deeper economic hole is not the answer.
Comedienne Janeane Garofalo, MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann and others who picked up the “teabagging” cry failed, because the truth cannot be hidden. Neither Janeane Garofalo nor Keith Olbermann is a journalist and, to that fact, journalistic ethics do not apply. Their behavior, in fact, is more common in the far left of the Democrat party where, as only one example, they cry loudly in the town square of their strong belief in freedom of speech - unless such speech is required for those not of their ilk. Their voices may be loud, and rancor baseless and rude, but much like the ratings of MSNBC, NBC and CNN, their numbers are dwindling. The internet technologies that helped propel the Democrats to their existing majorities in Washington D.C. are neutral, and they are now working for the people who are using it to send a different message to our political leadership.
So do not be disheartened America. Look for those intersecting points in all coalitions across America and stand together on facts and for sound policies. What is needed most in our country is Citizenship, not Partisanship. America has and will survive tough economic times. Hold yourself and your elected officials accountable.
The first national Tea Party already seems to have had this effect.Yesterday David Axelrod, President Obama’s top advisor, while trying to downplay the importance of the tea parties in terms of expressing citizen outrage at an uncontrolled and uncontrollable government, stated that the tea parties could grow into something “unhealthy.” Exactly whose health he was referring to, other than Obama’s political health, was unclear. Nonetheless, I can say with certainty that the tea parties were about the most healthy thing American citizens have done in a very long time, and one can only wish much more robust wellbeing to such an inspired, truly grassroots, united, non-racist outcry. Axelrod’s unscripted comment reveals that the tea parties’ effect was finally to move the politicians to begin to be afraid of the electorate; nothing – absolutely nothing - will happen until they are quaking in their boots.
It appears that July 4th is the next date scheduled for another Tea Party nationwide event. Let’s see if Garofalo and Olbermann “get it” this time around; it appears that David Axelrod already does.
I was lucky to hear your comments when I turned on the TV this morning. I’m 72, having grown up in Oklahoma where my mother tried so hard to educate me about “those niggers.†As I remember, I think it was probably because at age 5 my mother told me repeatedly that it was too bad “you weren’t born with pretty brown eyes and pretty dark hair†and my friend who would hold her arm alongside mine and brag that her “skin is darker.†As a blue-eyed blond, I noticed the Pin-Up Pictures that men posted in places away from their wives view, and the performers. My mother and my friend were wrong! So I began asking why they had to go to the back of the bus. “Mommy, why are 10 guys standing at the back of the bus? There are 20 seats available!†“Mommy, why are there separate drinking fountains? You told me never to put my mouth on it!†I just never got it. Still don’t.
I think something should be done about the 2010 Census. A person’s stated “race†is something made up by the person making the statement to gain some advantage. My only niece and nephew, who are adopted, are black. But my niece has a white mother! Throw out all the racist and country of origin comments in the Census. They are nothing but reverse discrimination to gain an advantage! Most of us are mixt and don’t really know, and it’s not important! Follow the Law that Moses stated: “Honor thy Father and Mother†which says to me to show respect for everybody. Then, we’ll all get along and we’ll all have equal opportunity.
“47% of the people won’t pay income taxes this year.†“The country cannot continue on the path it’s on without more revenue.†I think everyone should pay taxes, certainly not hidden taxes like corporate taxes and the VAT, which have to be passed on in the costs of goods and services. It should be a flat tax or consumption tax like a sales tax, on the end product where it is transparent as the Politicians recently promised.
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posted by: Iona
Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 11:24 AM
