NPR Discusses How Tea Party Appeals 'Very Fundamentally' to Racists
Ellis Cose was a liberal Newsweek columnist on black issues from 1993 to 2010, and now has a book out on improving racial attitudes called The End of Anger. Naturally, the book was plugged on National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation on Tuesday afternoon. Even as Cose argued he was pleased that racism isn't accepted in any mainstream political group, and tried to insist not every Tea Party activist is a racist, he insisted "let's be adult here" and acknowledge the Tea Party "appeals to an older, conservative, in many cases racially prejudiced group of people."
NPR host Neal Conan started this discussion by reading an e-mail from a man outraged that Donald Trump had forced the media to discuss the adequacy of Barack Obama's birth certificate: "I wanted to read this email from Dan in Tulsa: Although I agree somewhat with Mr. Cose's assertion that being racist is no longer acceptable, I think racism still gets far too much positive press. Case in point: Donald Trump calls for President Obama to prove he is a citizen and his worthiness to be accepted into Harvard University."
And: "It goes without saying his actions were racist, but I was angered to find it covered daily in the media, even NPR, when it would have been consigned to the dustbin of history by all media outlets, where it belonged. This is a question you examine in the book in the context of the Tea Party."
Cose replied:
COSE: Well, I mean, talking first about Donald Trump, I mean, I share the reader's - the viewer's -- listener's, I should say, dismay that these idiotic comments got as much play as they did. And I also agree - I have no idea whether Donald trump's a racist or not, but he was certainly appealing to racial-related fears. My point is not that this kind of nonsense has disappeared. It's clearly going to be a part of the American framework for as long as I expect to be alive, in one way or another.
What I argue and what I maintain is true is that the sort of societal, official condonement of explicit racism has disappeared, which is to say that even the Tea Party - which, again, appeals to an older, conservative, in many cases racially prejudiced group of people - and then again, let me be very clear. I'm not saying everybody, as far is - who's a Tea Party supporter is a bigot. I think there are not people who are not. But I think they do appeal very fundamentally, as well, to a lot of people who are.
And that is a reality. But even with the Tea Party - and I spent some time talking to various Tea Party leaders in various places, and I even did a long, lengthy interview with an African-American member of the Tea Party. And what they argue is that their appeal is not about race. Their appeal is about the role of government. It's about the role of enlarged institutions in society, and so forth and so forth and so on. Now, let's be adult here. We know that race plays a role in at least some of the attitudes that some people bring to the Tea Party. That's not going to disappear. What's different about this moment in history, I think, is that we have said, as a nation: We don't accept blatant racism.
And that opens up a whole range of possibilities, and that's fundamentally different, again, from where we were a couple of generations ago, where if you want to have an analog in some sense to the Tea Party, some people have compared it to the White Citizens Council of the '60s and the '50s. And it's impossible to imagine the White Citizens Council saying we're not racist. They were fundamentally just a racist group of people. It's impossible to imagine the White Citizens council endorsing the idea of African-Americans appearing at their rallies. They probably would have shot somebody black who showed up at their rallies, if they had such a thing.
You know, you can't deny that this is a huge difference in society, and it changes the dialogue. Does it change everybody's attitude? No. But does it indicate that the people "Conservatives argue that government programs, by giving people something for nothing, eliminated the incentive to work in inner cities and created an amoral `culture of dependency.' That argument, I believe, is largely nonsense." who have these kinds of attitudes are much more likely to be older, conservative and out of touch? Yes, it does.
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Comments
Without Racism there is no excuse for the Blacks.
Submitted by Red Jeep on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 8:04am.
Must be many blacks see racism everywhere because without that excuse, there is no reason for the appalling living conditions of many blacks, especially in Liberal dominated cities today, except laziness and immorality ( and Lyndon Johnson.)
Liberal blacks are blaming racism for all there ills and playing the race card. Conservatives don't do that.
I guess "Let's be adult here"
Submitted by motherbelt on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 8:12am.
I guess "Let's be adult here" is newest addition to the liberal lexicon of "Let's be clear," " the fact of the matter is," and " the truth is."
Translation: All "thinking" people KNOW.....
What a coward.
He won't come out and say he thinks Tea Partiers are racist; he just dances around it with "some" attitudes of "some" people in the Tea Party, and who the Tea Party is likely to "appeal" to.
But he has NOT ONE single example of any racist comment or act by ANYONE in the Tea Party!
Who the H made him the judge???
He then pronounces that (emphasis mine):
"Conservatives argue that government programs, by giving people something for nothing, eliminated the incentive to work in inner cities and created an amoral `culture of dependency.' That argument, I believe, is largely nonsense."
Any basis for that, either, Mr. Cose???
Of course, on NPR, none of his assertions are challenged, or even questioned.
Why, why, WHY are we required to subsidize this entity that blatantly hates a good portion of Americans???
Tit for tat
Submitted by DontFeedTheTrolls on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 8:21am.
Perhaps whites should be more like blacks and only vote for a person because he is the same color.
lets be adults ellis
Submitted by scarletandgold on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 9:10am.
your liberal which means your progressive which means your a race monger...its makes perfect sense really...when one is brought up to hate...one hates..when one is brought up in a responsible home...one is responsible...and when the adult conversation starts ...dont cry when you have to face some ugly truths...democrats are racist....
Yeah right
Submitted by vatvoo on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 9:21am.
When will they finally realize that tea parties are for little girls with invisible friends.
www.privacy-web.no.tc
Official condonment of explicit racisim has disappeared
Submitted by Dave81 on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 9:35am.
Unless you'lre black attacking a group of white people. That's still socially acceptable.
A liberal playing the race
Submitted by Beukeboom on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 9:40am.
A liberal playing the race card?!? Who'd a thunk it!
Shocked face.
Double face palm.
Tea Party comprised of Liberals that vote for Democrats?
Submitted by iamsaved on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 9:43am.
To apply the term racist to a group of people has to imply the accuser is speaking about liberals that vote for the Democrats because it is they, the libs, that are constantly interjecting the term into their harangues to the point of being an obscession.
The only time I hear the term racist spoken by a conservative is in defense of being charged as a racist by the left.
You'd think the overuse of this term would finally become totally ignored and accepted for what it is - an old, tired mechanism that has been used to death by the Dems.
if liberals can't
Submitted by ohio granny on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 9:44am.
If liberals/dems can't play the race card, and the nasty republicans want grandma to be homeless and starve, they have nothing to play.
Same old, same old. Spineless, gutless and and clueless.
Racism in the TEA Party? Check this out...
Submitted by Grumpy in Arizona on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 10:04am.
(Relevant comments begin at the 46 second mark.)
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/05/31/the_herman_cain_train_...
- Grump :o)
Racist-Homophobes-whatever-
Submitted by JIMMY1660 on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 10:29am.
as long as the liberal, Marxist BHO is flushed out of the Oval office-i can be anything.
the definition has gone sour-Anti liberal yes yes yes
When your cabinet-Czars-appointees-all look like RED OCTOBER-you need to go.
POTUS should have all visitors to the White Vetted by the FBI/Secret Service before access is granted.
How does Andy Stern and Trumka get in??
Communists!!!!!!!!!!
It Goes Without Saying!
Submitted by Gazinya on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 10:35am.
It goes without saying and I know that everyone would agree that every American would never question the fact that since the 'offical' end of slavery that everyone would agree was sometime in the past, the Democrat, Liberal Party and it goes without saying, has been and still is the New Slave Party that has, as everyone knows, lied , cheated, every black person in America to keep them on the welfare plantaion. This, as every American knows, has been a blessing that gives hope to the change we all have experienced.
Of course there will be a few 'fringe' people, on the so called conservative side of social and political ideology, that will deny that the black people in, as everyone accepts this fact, America are a lot better off because of our proven and tireless 'wealth re-distribution' than if we just allowed people to think for themselves. Thank you for your thoughtful acceptence.
The Charge of Racism Has Lost It's Punch
Submitted by Comrade Jim on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 10:41am.
Ellis Cose and Neal Conan are unable to make any political argument against the Tea Party or Donald Trump so they simply assume racism.
But the charge of racism is so overused that it is becoming an admission of impotence in political argument. It is practically an advertisement that "We are too stupid to argue the issues so we'll just charge racism."
There was a time when cries of racism from the commies...
Submitted by Dave. on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 11:04am.
...sent everybody who reflected a little more light diving under the nearest table out of fear of the "racist" tag.
That doesn't happen very often anymore.
I wonder why?
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Something else that it's done
Submitted by jon_torlin on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 11:37am.
I'll tell you something else that this racism crap has done in the last three years.
It's made me leery of dealing with black people. Now before some of you get your undies in a twist, I'll explain why.
Everyone might remember how a lot of black people went on the air basically making fools of themselves saying they were going to be taken care of, and etc. Or how things were going to be different, the rules were going to change, and all kinds of utter nonsense.
Where I am, I've seem similar attitudes in some people, but I've also see (at least in my interpretation) how they look at me and others almost as if they were either daring them to say or do something, or that they might be a bit uncomfortable, maybe a little arrogance, whatever, it varies. Basically the mood's changed.
I still treat people politely, cordially, or to my friends, normally. But there are days that when I see black people, especially when conversing with them, I just have to wonder where they stand on the Chairman's nonsense. I usually let them make whatever first move so that I can see what's going to happen, how they are going to act, etc.
My parents run a small business and they have seen stuff like that with some of their customers who were black, but the wonderful thing was, some of the other customers got on their case about their attitudes, even asked them to take their business elsewhere.
But I blame the liberals and democrats and the race-baiter blacks for fomenting the race division we are seeing these days.
How can they possibly even begin to believe that their actions are beneficial??
-Jon
NPR
Submitted by jessieH on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 11:34am.
I am fed up to here with NPR! Stop all funding for these hacks! It's a waste of our money, funding traitors to slam the American Citizens! You may not like the Tea party but they/we are still Americans. To call them racists is a blatant lie.
Actually, I'm starting to get
Submitted by killa37 on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 11:37am.
Actually, I'm starting to get really proud of being a 'racist'................especially in light of the types of people who are calling me one.
Baseless
Submitted by Model850 on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 4:56pm.
This buffoon's opinion is based on zero evidence.
It is no different than if I were to say the democrat party and liberalism fundamentally appeals to pedophiles.
Racism
Submitted by libertarian71 on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 8:22pm.
I find it weird that whoever disagrees with the progressive mantra of big government, high taxes, and social justice is deemed a racist. The Tea Party stands for limited government and individual choice/freedom, I don't see how that equates to racism. The more this term is used without merit (crying wolf), the less likely people will become outraged when it really does occur. Also, you would think that the more this occurs, the less credibility the people who say would have. But a complicit media, thirsty for ratings, no matter how crass, will always flock to those who make their living race baiting. It seems whenever someone throws out the race card, it is because they really have no viable counter or argument. Basically, it is a way for people to demonize those they disagree with without having to defend a flawed logic of their own.