Race Continues to Dog Tea Party Representatives and Events
And some folks still wonder why the Tea Party movement has a .
In recent weeks, white separatists wrapped themselves in a Tea Party cloak and staged a rally in Orange County, Calif. An Ohio Tea Party group sued a city school district after officials canceled the appearance of a virulently anti-Muslim evangelist the group sponsored. And then, last week, a black Tea Party Nation commentator unleashed an acerbic verbal attack on 鈥渂lack race pimps鈥� that would have made David Duke blush with pride.
Lloyd Marcus, who clearly relishes his role as a black Tea Party figure who can disparage black centrists and liberals in terminology all but the crudest of white extremists would take care to avoid publicly, launched a fresh offensive last Wednesday. His latest target: the black organization , for its campaign to pressure two regulars on Donald Trump鈥檚 television show, 鈥淐elebrity Apprentice鈥� 鈥� Star Jones and Lil Jon 鈥� to repudiate the prospective presidential candidate for what the group describes as 鈥渞ace-baiting鈥� comments Trump has made regarding Barack Obama. (Full disclosure: The co-founder of ColorOfChange.org, , is a member of the Southern Poverty Law Center鈥檚 board.)
In response to ColorOfChange.org, Marcus 鈥� a conservative who calls himself 鈥渁 proud, unhyphenated American鈥� 鈥� let loose with both rhetorical barrels. 鈥淏lack 鈥榬ace pimps鈥� continue to despicably, without reservation, drive a wedge into the heart of national race relations,鈥� he wrote in a commentary carried by the conservative website Renew America. 鈥淲henever these black race pimps, including the Obama administration, find themselves on the losing end of an argument, they turn it into a racial issue branding the opposition racist.鈥�
He went on: 鈥淚n response to the uppity white boy [Trump], who dared question their king, a few black celebrities and black bullies disguised as 鈥榗ivil rights鈥� groups are calling Donald Trump a racist targeting him for destruction. So, are all of the other Americans curious about why Obama was not presenting his birth certificate racist as well? Will somebody please tell these black racist bullies to 鈥榮top it and get a life鈥�?鈥� [Second disclosure: Mark Potok, the white editor of this blog, was one of those who that Trump was a racist.]
Even that might have barely passed the smell test, but then Marcus resorted to mocking black people who 鈥渟ound smart.鈥�
鈥淚 watched a black intellectual on TV shilling for Obama,鈥� Marcus writes, not bothering to name the program or the individual. 鈥淗e used a plethora of big words to cover the simple school yard truth that he was a black bully racist, committed to Obama no matter what. Sounding extremely intelligent, the black racist was spouting lies and illogical stupid conclusions. But man, did he sound 鈥榮mart.鈥欌��
Ironically, while accusing the left of using Obama鈥檚 blackness as a kind of shield against criticism, Marcus uses his own blackness as cover for his notion that any defense of Obama is prima facie proof of black or leftist racism. 鈥淭he Left exploits Obama鈥檚 black skin color as their 鈥榃eapon of Mass Intimidation鈥�; a coat of armor insulating him from all opposition and reasonable critique,鈥� Marcus wrote in March.
Even as Marcus argues that the Tea Party movement deserves the racial high ground, a racist organization staged a rally that sought to appropriate the tea party name. The (A3P), a fledgling white-nationalist political party, on April 16 staged what was billed as a Tax Day Tea Party rally in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., featuring speeches by its own white-separatist founder and one of America鈥檚 leading Holocaust deniers.
A3P on its website took credit for arranging the rally, although it was done under the name of a newly formed astroturf group called the California Grassroots Alliance. The alliance has a web page at the site of TeaParty.org, once one of the more influential Tea Party coalitions, but which itself has been mired in allegations of racism against its founder, Dale Robertson. (Robertson Obama for spending a Memorial Day with 鈥渉is homies in the Chicago hood 鈥� shooting hoops, smoking cigarettes鈥�). Beyond that connection, it鈥檚 not clear if the Alliance has any authentic Tea Party ties. What it certainly lacks is clout: The rally drew a pathetic turnout 鈥� the local Orange County Register said 40 people attended, although a video of the event suggests even that might be a generous count.
There wasn鈥檛 anyone on the bill that day who 诲颈诲苍鈥檛 have white supremacist pedigrees.
The marquee speaker was A3P founder , who has advocated the wholesale forced deportation of non-whites, including American Indians, who lived on the continent for thousands of years before white Europeans arrived. At the rally, Johnson reaffirmed his support for a separate 鈥渨hite ethno-state,鈥� but encouraged Tea Party supporters to welcome him anyway in their pursuit for a 鈥渞evolution with love in it that can be peaceful.鈥� Also featured was , who, along with British-born colleague , ranks among the world鈥檚 leading Holocaust deniers. Weber, who heads the , spent most of his address railing against illegal immigration, but allowed his white separatist orientation to peek through, noting the 鈥渇oolish lie鈥� that 鈥渄iversity is our strength.鈥�
The white-nationalist hate group (CCC) 鈥� the modern incarnation of the racist White Citizens Councils, which opposes all efforts 鈥渢o mix the races of mankind鈥� and has referred to blacks as a 鈥渞etrograde species of humanity鈥� 鈥� maintained a display table at the event. Entertainment was provided by Traven Tucker, described on the white racist website as an 鈥淎merican white nationalist鈥� performer. Tucker鈥檚 album Till the Day I Die featured a Confederate battle flag on its cover and included such songs as 鈥淎in鈥檛 No Shame (Bein鈥檃 White Man),鈥� described by a Stormfront commenter as 鈥淸a] fantastic song which rubbishes the liberal idea that to be proud of your heritage is shameful.鈥�
Also in April, four Mansfield, Ohio, mayoral candidates opted to forgo a debate sponsored by the Mansfield North Central Ohio Tea Party Association. The association in March had scheduled a presentation by Usama Dakdok, a stridently anti-Muslim Christian evangelical who has made such comments as 鈥淗ow can you be a Muslim and not be demonized?鈥� and 鈥淭here is no such thing as a loving Muslim.鈥�
The Mansfield City School District canceled Dakdok鈥檚 presentation citing safety concerns. The Tea Party group, claiming the district violated public access rules, sued 鈥� prompting the mayoral candidates and the incumbent mayor to decline to attend its forum.
