This is similar to the old trap question, "Do you still beat your wife?"
For the Tea Parties to disavow the alleged racists in their midst, would be to admit to the underlying and unspoken charge that the Tea Parties are essentially racist in nature.
To not disavow the alleged racists in their midst, can be (and will be) seen as an admission of guilt by association, and a tacit support of white racists.
It doesn't seem to matter that there's been no evidence presented to substantiate the charge that the Tea Parties have white racists on their periphery.
I see that the article mentions some examples of racist signs carried by Tea Party protesters posted on the NAACP website. Well, I'm not going to give the NAACP the dignity of a visit, but I'll posit that what they posted is pretty thin gruel, and not clear evidence of racism.
What's stunning about this whole story is the stark hypocrisy of an organization that is race-based, calling a loosely confederated political protest movement "racist", on the slimmest of evidence.
Is the NAACP going to disavow the racists who they're closely connected to, such as the New Black Panther Party, or the Nation of Islam?
I highly doubt it.
Is anyone in the press going to call them out on that hypocrisy?
Nope.
That bothers me too, Windflier. It’s heads I win, tails you lose. And this ultimatum the NAACP issues is done with a ‘generous’ flourish because they are adopting a more reasonable tone. Very stealthy and I suspect, hard to deflect. It really is the modern ‘Are you still beating your wife.’ I saw the Tea Party formally end association with the Tea Party Express yesterday (a freeped post) after demanding that the Tea Party Express formally disavow a speaker (was it Josh Martin) recorded for having made ‘controversial’ remarks. The Tea Party Express declined and the Tea Party cast them off for it. They should have done that before, of course, but it then furthers the appearance of a hasty or self conscious ‘purge’ of racism that NAACP is pointing to.
IT’s also a ‘reply’ of sorts to our objection to having Robert Byrd in congress - the Dems always insist they represent minorities and we would point in horror at the ex-Klansman and say “Well then repudiate and get rid of THAT THING” over there!” They never did and yet they were able to claim the ‘high ground’ of racial equality.