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The Tea Party has been criticized as an all-white party. AP Photo
Last night Keith Olbermann devoted his special comment to the topic of race and the Tea Party. In the video Olbermann does not explicitly accuse the Tea Party of racism but he does imply that racist motives are behind the criticisms of the President. Olbermann also implores Tea Party memebers to look around them and ask why there are so few African-Americans, Hispanics, and homosexuals among them.
The fact that the comment came from Keith Olbermann will probably be enough for most Tea Party members to dismiss the argument right away. However the second part of Olbermann's comment is an interesting thought to ponder. The Tea Party movement is unquestionably dominated by whites but the reason is not altogether clear. Has the Tea Party movement alienated minorities with its rhetoric about literacy tests and its signs depicting President Obama as Hitler? Or did the Tea Party simply naturally develop into an all-white party based on the demographic of frustrated voters from the last election?
Olbermann implies that Tea Party members may not be consciously racist but instead finding an unconscious outlet for their racism through the Tea Party organization. The difficult thing about this argument is that it is untestable as one would have to delve into the subconscious of Tea Party members to get a definitive answer.
Ultimately these kinds of questions will haunt the Tea Party until they can find a minority leader or start gaining more minority followers. The current demographic of the party gives liberals an easy tool to question the party. The lack of diversity within the party may not be definitive proof of racism but it certainly makes those outside the party wonder.
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It won't help to have a minority leader. Did it help the GOP to have Powell, Rice, Thomas, Steele? It benefits liberals to call us racists. Nice of them to give us the benefit of the doubt that is might just be subconscious. How generous of them.
Is Keith Olbermann ugly or what? But I'll give him one thing. He has the latest inside scoop straight from the hate chamber.
Why does this man hate so much?
Who is "Keith Olbermann"?
What percentage of Keith Olbermann is a white, highly educated, rich man?
It looks like a lot of people want to go back to Jim Crow laws and segregation.
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