Broadsides have been fired between the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The two sides are bickering over a number of things. The NAACP says the Tea Party is directing racist rhetoric at the president and other government officials. The Tea Party says the NAACP is covering up for racism and criminal behavior within the New Black Panther Party. Pundits on both sides of the political aisle have weighed in, casting aspersions and making accusations of the other side.
The NAACP side
The number of photos are legion of Tea Party rally attendees holding signs that might be construed easily as racist by the NAACP or any person else. Of course, the people within the photographs don’t represent the entire Tea Party, but the NAACP is assigning guilt by association. The heads of various Tea Party organizations have routinely denounced, and even barred individuals from, promoting racist materials or messages at Tea Party events.
The Tea Party side
The Tea Party folks have fired back the NAACP is racist for covering for the New Black Panther Party committing voting crimes. The NBPP had a couple of members outside a voting station during the 2008 election which was investigated by the US Attorney’s office. The case was dropped, and accusations of a cover-up at the behest of Obama appointees began immediately.
Who is right?
The only thing this debate does is create more non-debates for Fox, MSNBC, and talk radio to jaw about and sell ad space. Actual racism could be unaffected, the cause of neither side will benefit, and all it will do is make a few talking heads just a little richer.
