NAACP, Liberal Groups Track Perceived Racism in Tea Party Movement

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Tea Party

Protesters at a Tea Party rally in Washington, April 15, 2010.

(Credit: AP)

The NAACP, which earlier this year caused a firestorm by passing a resolution condemning racism in the Tea Party movement, has joined with three liberal web sites to create a "Tea Party Tracker" site devoted to documenting "racism and other forms of extremism within he Tea Party movement."

"We call on the Tea Party to repudiate extremists among their ranks and join in civil dialogue with all Americans," says the Tea Party Tracker web site, which includes the tagline "A Watched Teapot Never Boils."

Among the items posted on the site so far are a video clip showing interviews with attendees at Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally and a photo of a man at the rally wearing a t-shirt reading, "Blacks own Slaves in Mauritania, Sudan Niger and Haiti."

Members of the Tea Party movement strongly deny that there is a racist element to their movement. Many believe that participants expressing racism at Tea Party rallies are actually liberal plants trying to make them look bad.

They also complain of a double-standard under which extremists at Tea Party rallies are spotlighted while extremists at liberal rallies go ignored.

In addition to the NAACP, the "Tea Party Tracker" site is a project of Media Matters, Think Progress and New Left Media. The groups hope to provide a central clearinghouse for evidence that there is racism in Tea Party Movement, which is responsible for much of the voter enthusiasm on the right.

The groups appear to hope that convincing moderate voters that Tea Party-backed candidates are supported by a movement tied to racism will depress support for those candidates in the midterm elections and help Democrats retain control of Congress.

"I do not want to suggest that the tea party is a hate group, but there are some disturbing elements within," Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACP's Washington bureau told the Washington Post.

In April, a CBS News poll found that 52 percent of Tea Party members believe too much has been made of the problems facing black people. Far fewer Americans overall -- 28 percent -- believe as much. Among non-Tea Party whites, the percentage who say too much attention has been paid to the problems of black people is 23 percent.

The "Tea Party Tracker" site is reminiscent of a Democratic National Committee site launched in June where citizen journalists can upload video of Republican candidates. The point of that site, "The Accountability Project," is to unearth embarrassing moments like the so-called "macaca moment" that helped end the political career of former Republican Sen. George Allen.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
Follow on Twitter »

13 Comments Have Your Say
Email Story Send to a Friend
Share This Tell Your Friends
Tweet This Tweet This
More Share It

Add a Comment See all 13 Comments


by retm-w September 9, 2010 12:15 PM EDT: When are they going to police their own? The Black Panthers.; Reply to this comment


by panola60 September 4, 2010 4:26 AM EDT: NAACP and Al Sharpton organized the "Redeem the Dream" march in Washington DC commemorating the 37th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.

Their rally included a lengthy address by New Black Panther leader Malik Zulu Shabazz filled with disturbing racism and calls to violence against whites.

"We have a black dream today of when we see caskets rolling in the black community, that we will see caskets rolling and funerals in the white community of our enemy as well today... we have a black dream."

http://www.blip.tv/file/4067985/

The hate group watchdog center SPLC describes the New Black Panthers as:

Ideology: Black Separatist

The New Black Panther Party is a virulently racist and anti-Semitic organization whose leaders have encouraged violence against whites, Jews and law enforcement officers. Founded in Dallas, the group today is especially active on the East Coast, from Boston to Jacksonville, Fla. The group portrays itself as a militant, modern-day expression of the black power movement (it frequently engages in armed protests of alleged police brutality and the like), but principals of the original Black Panther Party of the 1960s and 1970s? a militant, but non-racist, left-wing organization ? have rejected the new Panthers as a "black racist hate group" and contested their hijacking of the Panther name and symbol.

This is the same hate group that Obama and Holder decided not to prosecute for voter intimidation charges.; Reply to this comment


by slatep September 4, 2010 2:15 AM EDT: One more attempt to keep "racism" alive.

These groups see racism on every corner and at every turn.

I think the real reason they are attacking the Tea Party is because they are worried that some people in the US have finally come together to try to return the US to the great Nation it once was, by seeking smaller government, less taxation and a return to the principles of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.; Reply to this comment

by robertmugabethegreat September 3, 2010 9:00 PM EDT

It's about time that our great President Obama and the NAACP go after those white man vigorously and expose them as a bunch of bigoted racist.

Our President should quickly impose higher taxes on those white people to get back our money and distribute it among the African brothers just like our great President Mugabe did to those white racist in Africa.

Blessings to our Presidents Barack Obama and Robert Mugabe the Great.

Reply to this comment


by 1renegade September 3, 2010 9:15 PM EDT: Read what you have written... Think maybe you could be the racist????


by 1renegade September 9, 2010 12:16 PM EDT: Read what you have written... Think maybe you could be the racist????

by stn_sage September 3, 2010 6:56 PM EDT

Anything to stop a third party alternative from forming!

Reply to this comment


by stn_sage September 4, 2010 1:33 PM EDT: No where in the article does it say WHOM this racist candidate is
that is backed by the Tea Party! So, it's ONLY a claim!


by golfguy65 September 3, 2010 6:13 PM EDT: Why dont these activists go out and get a real job? Do something constructive for once.; Reply to this comment


by dibbs977 September 3, 2010 5:31 PM EDT: It is time that we all moderate and stand together or surely we will sink together.; Reply to this comment