From HuffingtonPost.com
Tea Party Protests: 'Ni**er,' 'Fa**ot' Shouted At Members Of Congress
Abusive, derogatory and even racist behavior directed at House Democrats by Tea Party protesters on Saturday left several lawmakers in shock.
Preceding the president's speech to a gathering of House Democrats, thousands of protesters descended around the Capitol to protest the passage of health care reform. The gathering quickly turned into abusive heckling, as members of Congress passing through Longworth House office building were subjected to epithets and even mild physical abuse.
A staffer for Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) told reporters that Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) had been spat on by a protestor. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a hero of the civil rights movement, was called a 'ni--er.' And Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) was called a "faggot," as protestors shouted at him with deliberately lisp-y screams. Frank, approached in the halls after the president's speech, shrugged off the incident.
But Clyburn was downright incredulous, saying he had not witnessed such treatment since he was leading civil rights protests in South Carolina in the 1960s.
"It was absolutely shocking to me," Clyburn said, in response to a question from the Huffington Post. "Last Monday, this past Monday, I stayed home to meet on the campus of Claflin University where fifty years ago as of last Monday... I led the first demonstrations in South Carolina, the sit ins... And quite frankly I heard some things today I have not heard since that day. I heard people saying things that I have not heard since March 15, 1960 when I was marching to try and get off the back of the bus."
"It doesn't make me nervous as all," the congressman said, when asked how the mob-like atmosphere made him feel. "In fact, as I said to one heckler, I am the hardest person in the world to intimidate, so they better go somewhere else."
Asked if he wanted an apology from the group of Republican lawmakers who had addressed the crowd and, in many ways, played on their worst fears of health care legislation, the Democratic Party, and the president, Clyburn replied:
"A lot of us have been saying for a long time that much of this, much of this is not about health care a all. And I think a lot of those people today demonstrated that this is not about health care... it is about trying to extend a basic fundamental right to people who are less powerful."
God bless Jim Clyburn. Sometimes I marvel at the words he chooses.
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9 comments:
OK Tea Party folks. I know some of you are occasional readers of this blog judging from the comments you left in the last Coffee Party-related article I wrote. Can you explain this despicable behavior from Tea Partiers that are cited in this article?
Why should we (the general public) believe that these sentiments are not representative of your movement? Do you condemn such actions? Will official chapters of the Tea Party publicly rebuke people who demonstrate such behavior? A press release to that effect would be a good first effort.
And conservative activists -- I am hearing nothing from you but crickets chirping. Why aren't any of you reprimanding or condemning these actions by the Tea Party folks?
I must admit I feel a bit embarrassed now at some of my past writings for this blog which characterized the Tea Party phenomenon as just another form of civic engagement and tried to meet them at a middle ground. These latest actions aren't the type of civic engagement that I can support.
Liberal Arts Dude --
There's nothing to say, because it didn't happen. It smells like the same-o same-o ginned up racism charges blacks and liberals always use to deflect. Tawna Brawley, Crystal Gayle Magnum, the Columbia prof who was getting fired suddenly finding a noose on her door, the noose at UCSD, the Wal-Mart incident in NJ (juvenile arrested; "race" not important -- ie: he is black) and now this. I was at 9-12 when they bussed in SEIU thugs to stir up trouble. This is NO different.
As a Tea Party activist, I'm not going to apologize for something that didn't happen. Independent Video does NOT support these claims. Provide me documented proof it happened -- More than just someone's unsubstantiated claim.
Still waiting for verifiable proof. Everything I've heard and seen via video supports the rebuttal IT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
I don't have a "be evil" Google Account, so sign me
Joan of Arc
Sorry Joan of Arc. You don't get to make up your own facts. It happened and no less than Fox News is reporting that it happened [http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/21/tea-party-leader-condemns-racial-slurs-hurled-black-lawmakers/].
Here's links from the:
Washington Post [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/20/AR2010032002556.html]
USA Today [http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2010/03/boehner-anti-gay-racial-slurs-reprehensible/1]
Kansas City Star [http://www.kansascity.com/2010/03/21/1827731/gop-tea-party-try-to-distance.html]
Google yielded 400 plus articles in the news about it.
Now what do you have to say about it as a Tea Party supporter? Do you condone such behavior? Or do you support that type of behavior?
Hey there "Liberal Arts Dude" ---
You're referring of course to the SEIU plants with their professionally printed signs, right? Because they were confronted by Tea party activists, just like they were on 9-12 when they were bussed in.
Good strategy, keep it up ... hope the far left media keeps spinning the lies ..it's only helping the Tea Party grow ... people now have been educated on SEIU, Acorn, and Alinksy methods. They know a rat when they see it. The more you try and push this false meme, the more you lose.
There's a reason why "Cooking Alinsky's Goose" is becoming a best seller on Amazon.
Obama told people to "get in their faces". I think the Tea Party listened.
So by the gist of your responses the rank and file of the Tea Party's position on the incident is (a) to deny that it ever happened and (b) if it did it wasn't Tea Party people who were doing it but "SEIU plants."
I was looking for someone to say "this type of behavior is not representative of the Tea Party movement and we distance ourselves from such behavior. If it happened it was done by a few bad apples who are not representative of what the movement is all about." But nope, that's not what I got. Instead I got hostile denials and incoherent ramblings about Saul Alinsky which had nothing to do with the original topic being discussed.
This leads me to conclude that behavior such as the use of racial and homophobic slurs does not bother you, that you don't want to distance yourself or your movement from that type of behavior and that you fully condone such behavior. Is that a correct assessment?
They spit on Rep. Cleaver? Called John Lewis a n---er? Good grief. This isn't surprising though. It's only confirming. It confirms what we already thought about the GOP and the Tea Partiers.
They are racist jackasses. That is the core of their movement. It is also the core of the Republican Party. You can no longer separate the two. This is what I have been trying to get readers to understand for months. The two are inseparable.... not two distinct entities like some try to suggest. The Republican Party has embraced the extremists.
Therefore, the extremists are tied to the symbolic neck of the Republican Party. What the Tea Partiers say, what they write, what they do...and what they stand for can no longer be separated from the larger party... and can no longer be minimized or played down.
Did you really expect a straight answer from these bigots Redante?
They will try to say that these events are simply "isolated incidents". But how many of these incidents have to occur before they are no longer isolated?
Racism & bigotry are in their hearts. There should be no question about that anymore.
Hi AI
I gave them every opportunity to present themselves as rational, mature human beings. They didn't take it. That is all I wanted to show by my line of questioning.
They will try to say that these events are simply "isolated incidents". But how many of these incidents have to occur before they are no longer isolated?
what did I say during the Primary Season?
when incidents are no longer isolated nor incidental...
THEY FORM A PATTERN.
ACCEPT WHAT THE PATTERN TELLS YOU.
tells me what I said in the beginning of this post:
A bunch of no good, lowdown, mofos.
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