Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Congressman Carson Says Tea Party Wants Blacks Hanging On A Tree



Hearing is believing. Your representative in Congress, Andre Carson, told a gathering of the Congressional Black Caucus recently that members of the Tea Party view blacks as "second-class citizens" who would like to see blacks "hanging on a tree." Worse yet, Carson's comments seemed to suggest that those views were held by some of his fellow Republican members in Congress. Carson's spokesman, Jason Tomsci, confirmed to the Indianapolis Star that he had made the comments and "they represented Carson's frustration with Republican efforts in Congress to cut back on programs such as Head Start that help African Americans and other minorities." Absolutely unbelievable. This man is not fit to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. His constituents must demand his resignation. It's hard to believe that a man who holds these views could actually represent a white majority district in Congress. His race-baiting views are so far removed from mainstream thought that he cannot possibly represent his constituents effectively in Congress. What an embarrassment he has become to the people of his district.

UPDATE: I'm still waiting for the Indiana Republican Party and the Marion Co. Republican Party to respond appropriately to Carson's outrageous and insulting comments. It's pretty sad that they must be prompted to respond. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, particularly given the way the Marion Co. Republican Party turned its back on the Tea Party movement that put it back in control of Indianapolis city government four years ago.

UPDATE: U.S. Rep. Allen West (R-FL), the only Republican African-American member of the Congressional Black Caucus, is threatening to resign his membership in the organization in a letter to its chairman unless it condemns the inflammatory comments made by Rep. Carson:

"It is unconscionable when a fellow CBC Member, Congressman Andre Carson, comes to South Florida and claims that some in the Tea Party would love to see black Americans 'hanging on a tree,'" West wrote Wednesday in a letter to CBC chair Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), which he also released to the media. "It is appalling to hear another CBC colleague, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, say 'The Tea Party can go straight to hell.'
"As Chairman of the CBC, I believe it is incumbent on you to both condemn these types of hate-filled comments, and to disassociate the Congressional Black Caucus from these types of remarks. Otherwise, I will have to seriously reconsider my membership within the organization."

Congressman Carson's desire to generally criticize a large grassroots group as racist is baseless and desperate. When individuals believe they are defeated in a political disagreement, they normally resort to race-baiting, which in my opinion is in itself racist.

As a member of the CBC, I look forward to working with you to help end this practice. All of us, especially Congressman Carson, Congresswoman Waters and others who have engaged in racially-motivated rhetoric, should follow the example of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., not the example of Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

7 comments:

Concerned Taxpayer said...

1) It is sickening that elected members of congress would make statements like that, knowing them to be completely false.

2) The Alsee L. Hastings in the video is this one:
In 1988, the Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives took up the case, and Hastings was impeached for bribery and perjury by a vote of 413-3. He was then convicted in 1989 by the United States Senate, becoming the sixth federal judge in the history of the United States to be removed from office by the Senate. The vote on the first article was 69 for and 26 opposed, providing two votes more than the two-thirds of those present that were needed to convict. The first article accused the judge of conspiracy. Conviction on any single article was enough to remove the judge from office.

Anonymous said...

The Congressional Black Caucus is itself a discriminatory organization in that it refuses to admit any white members of Congress, even those who support the message and agenda of the Caucus. Still, we shouldn't feign shock at Carson's remarks insinuating that some members of the tea party might prefer to see Carson and other Caucus members hanging from a tree than support their agenda. Perhaps there is some truth there. And after all, what do we get from political correctness? I would rather a man say what he means and mean what he says. This was, after all, a Caucus gathering, and he was addressing Caucus members and supporters. One doesn't expect the Caucus to abandon their political agenda. But perhaps that agenda is past its prime. After all, we do have a black President, plain evidence that blacks can reach the pinnacles. Do we still need to coddle and support the larger black community with programs we can no longer afford? I am all for giving a hand up. But certain programs, like Section 8 housing, seem to be doing more harm than good. There was a time when the votes were there for programs primarily benefiting blacks. But that time has arguably passed. If President Obama's election to the presidency marks the end of this era, then so be it. Perhaps the message of the Congressional Black Caucus is just tired, past its prime and no longer relevant. Andre Carson needs to focus less on black issues and more on his larger constituency. Personally I think he ought to resign the black caucus and call for its disbanding. The old days are gone.

Marycatherine Barton said...

For making such tribalist remarks against white people who may be associated with the tea party movement, which does include people of all colors, as a voter in the 7th district, I call on Andre Carson to resign. Thanks for here asking, Gary.

If he wants to go to war against the tea party movement, he needs to leave Congress. I am pretty frail, and I hope his hatred does not get me hurt when I display an Indianapolis Tea Party label.

CircleCityScribe said...

...more ignorance from "Our Fool on Capitol Hill!"

Jedna Vira said...

Andre Carson IS a second class citizen and it’s not because of the color of his skin. He is second class because he is a racist, hate-filled, ignorant man. He was spoon fed a job due to the influence his grandmother, Julia Carson, had within Marion County, Indianapolis. He couldn’t pass a simple test to gain employment within the Marion County Sheriff’s Department, so he needed remedial training and miraculously passed! Since the black community casts votes based purely on race, they elected Andre when his grandma “retired.” Andre Carson is a microcosm of the ignorance that now pervades the inner city within Indianapolis. Thank God, I’m sorry Andre, Thank Allah, you aren’t my Congressman.

Covenant60 said...

Then 90% of Black Democrat officeholders should resign. They pretty much all believe this claptrap.

Nothing new here.

Marycatherine Barton said...

In a report he authored, posted at www.infowars.com, entitled, "Black Caucus Incites Race War Against Tea Party Americans", Kurt Nimmo derides Congressman Carson for his accusatory remarks caught in the video posted here, and details how and why the establishment politicians and Neocons despise the tea party movement.