The Tea Party’s Color Conundrum
Why does the Tea Party have a color problem?
Try this experiment. Google the phrase “Tea party politics” and look at the image results, then count the number of black people you see in the results. You probably won’t need more than two hands. It’s that low.
The chief aims of the Tea Party are supposedly: limited government, fiscal responsibility and government accountability.
These are all admirable goals, but why do only white people seem to be getting the message? The answer lies in a dark thread that’s weaving its way through Tea Party groups around the nation (who, by the way, all claim to be non racist).
If you listen to prominent Tea Party voices they usually won’t directly blame a certain race or group of people for the problems America faces, but they definitely imply it. Whether it be blacks, Mexicans or Muslims, there always seems to be some religious or ethnic group allegedly doing something counter to the Tea Party mandate.
Here’s a scary thought: It’s easier to be a racist in America today than it’s been in quite some time.
For some reason it’s suddenly become more socially acceptable (at least in some circles) to blame nationwide systemic problems in government and elsewhere on select groups of individuals.
Saying there aren’t racist elements in the Tea Party is like saying there’s no oil still floating in the Gulf of Mexico. It may not be immediately apparent, but upon a closer inspection there’s no denying the truth.
The main goals of the Tea Party should be things every American could potentially get behind, the fiscal responsibility objective first and foremost. Unfortunately, due to their actions, the Tea Party groups have alienated large ethnic and racial sections of the country.
It’s unlikely the Tea Party will ever achieve the kind of momentum it’s leaders and backers dream of because it’s quickly becoming too racially driven to be a large scale political force.
The Tea Party folks love to talk about their enemies. How ironic then, that their greatest enemies may be the people they call their own.