We've been following this race-baiting disgrace for a number of days now, and it's about time for another mind-boggling update. Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN) -- who leveled an especially grotesque racial charge against conservatives at a Florida townhall meeting during the August recess -- has a very special message for those he may have offended: I'm not sorry.
"Some of these folks in Congress would love to see us as second-class citizens. Some of them in Congress right now of this tea party movement would love to see you and me ... hanging on a tree," Carson said, according to the audio.On Wednesday, Carson told CNN he stood by those remarks. “Well, I wasn't talking about the entire tea party. I think the tea party is absolutely right when they call for increased transparency in government, when they call for a cutback on excessive government spending. I am deeply concerned about some elements of the tea party who are extremist and who have reflected a mentality going back to the John Birch society, going back to George Wallace's Dixiecrats,” Carson said.
Tea party officials have previously renounced characterizations that their movement is racist. Carson said he believes the vitriolic political environment has encouraged increased attacks on minority groups.
Video of the full non-apology is HERE. This guy is a nasty piece of work. First, he refuses to apologize for a truly ugly racial remark. Then, after lamely "clarifying" that he didn't mean the entire Tea Party is a giant lynchmob, he doubles down and condemns nameless Tea Party "extremists" who cling to a dangerous Wallace-esque "mentality." Zero evidence or examples, of course. Finally, just to prove what a shameless hack he is, Carson laments the country's "vitriolic political environment" (!) and frets that it's leading to increased attacks on minority groups. Again, no evidence offered -- and certainly no mention of the recent flash mobs and race riots that have made headlines across the country in recent weeks. And remember, Carson isn't the only Congressional Black Caucus member who made totally unacceptable racial remarks during the recess. Not by a long shot.
Out of curiosity, has the Congressional Black Caucus reprimanded Carson for his outrageous comments? In fact, has anyone in the Democrat Party leadership made a peep that even hints at some form of disapproval? Crickets. It's a certified Democrat tactic to wearily plead with the "good Republicans" to control the "extreme right-wing fringe" of the party. Crazy wingnuts, etc. Yet Reid, Pelosi et al can't be bothered to slap down an obviously beyond-the-pale lynching remark from a rank-and-file member on their side of the aisle. Let's invoke this revolting little display next time liberals decide to adopt their lecturing, self-righteous "new tone" pose, as they inevitably will. They can't help themselves. The "civility hypocrisy" file is getting rather thick, isn't it?
UPDATE - My friend Mary Katharine Ham reminds me that Carson is one of the few CBC members who still claims to have "witnessed" the infamous phantom N-Word incident prior to the Obamacare vote (though he won't talk about it anymore). He said he heard a "chorus" of N-Words from Tea Party protesters. Others have since retracted and revised their recollections of the confrontation after multiple youtube videos revealed that no such "chorus" actually existed. Could it be that Andre Carson is projecting his racial animus onto others?
UPDATE II - Smear away, Alan Colmes:
Colmes misstates which CBC member initially claimed to have been spat on (it was Emanuel Cleaver, not John Lewis), and ignores the fact that Cleaver later admitted the spittle-flying moment probably wasn't intentional. Details, details...
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