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.
