Chris Matthews, on Monday's Hardball, actually reported on two different Tea Party organizations condemning Mark Williams, of Tea Party Express, for penning a racially charged satire, however Matthews wasn't impressed, as he questioned the sincerity of the Tea Party movement's commitment to fighting discrimination, and demanded that they do more to remove "racist signs at the next Tea Party rally." After reciting some of Williams' "fictional letter" the Hardball host then noted that both the National Tea Party Federation and the Tea Party Nation chastised Williams, but Matthews wasn't buying it as he commanded tea partiers at the next rally to "Reach over, grab the [racist] sign and tear it out of the guy's hands, then I'll believe you."
The following was aired during the Sideshow segment of the July 19 edition of Hardball:
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Next the Tea Party reaches its tipping point. It started when Tea Party Express leader Mark Williams wrote a fictional letter in defense of slavery to President Abraham Lincoln. Quote, these are his words, quote: "We coloreds have taken a vote and decided that we don't cotton to the whole emancipation thing. Freedom means having to work for real, think for ourselves and take consequences along with the rewards. That is just far too much of us to ask of us colored people."
Well that's, Williams called that satire, the leaders of the National Tea Party Federation called it trouble. Yesterday they expelled Williams. The sentiment continued today. The Tea Party Nation, the group that hosted the big party convention down in Nashville has just put out a statement saying they have quote, "zero tolerance, a zero tolerance policy against racism and they will ban any members who show themselves to be racist."
Okay I'm gonna wait to see just one of those Tea Party people pull down one of those racist signs at the next Tea Party rally. I'm just waiting. Reach over, grab the sign and tear it out of the guy's hands, then I'll believe you.
