quote:

ORIGINAL: FirmhandKY

[...]
brainiac,

A couple of points:

1.  You seem to be implying that they are all racist because a few may be.  I can find racist Republicans.  I can find racist Democrats.  I can find racist Independents.  I can find racists whites, Asians, and blacks.  We want to make the claim that all of these groups are racist?

quote:

Further, I challenge you to attempt to quantify the number of racists that are part of the "TEA parties", since you say "it's disingenuous to say that it's just a few people on the fringe".  This implies that the majority of the members are racists.  How can you know?  What are you sources?  It looks to me like it's more of a little confirmation bias going on here.

quote:

ORIGINAL: slvemike4u

The only "conclusion" I have definitely,absolutly reached is that these events are not a true representation of Americans.They are just too monochromatic to be so....when you are as purely white as Ivory soap.....something is amiss.
That sort of "sameness" is not arrived at accidentally there must be a reason for it....you object to labeling tea partiers as racists....fine,do you care to offer another explanation for their overwhelming "whiteness".This country is just too diverse for something like that to occur in a vacuum

quote:

ORIGINAL: slvemike4u

And by the way please show me the post where I said they were all racist, This should prove to be difficult as I never said any such thing.

quote:

Firm

since you say "it's disingenuous to say that it's just a few people on the fringe".  This implies that the majority of the members are racists.

quote:

ORIGINAL: slvemike4u

Not exactly a homogeneous representation of Americans at these little parties eh Firm?

How would one go about explaining this?

Coincidence ? .... I'm sorry, but I don't buy it ... to me it looks like a like minded group who share the same values and have chosen to express those values loudly and proudly ... 'ceptin they don't want to discuss why they are predominately white !

quote:

ORIGINAL: slvemike4u

The only "conclusion" I have definitely,absolutly reached is that these events are not a true representation of Americans.They are just too monochromatic to be so....when you are as purely white as Ivory soap.....something is amiss.

That sort of "sameness" is not arrived at accidentally there must be a reason for it....you object to labeling tea partiers as racists....fine, do you care to offer another explanation for their overwhelming "whiteness". This country is just too diverse for something like that to occur in a vacuum

quote:

ORIGINAL: brainiacsub

Firm,

All any of the "liberals" on this site have ever said is that there is a clear "undercurrent" of racism implicit in their agenda, but the defenders of the Tea Party continuously keep coming back with "prove it" or "tell us how many," etc, etc.

I qualified my position by pointing to the leadership, some of whom clearly paint themselves as racist. I don't know what more you want from us.

quote:

ORIGINAL: brainiacsub

Firm,

All any of the "liberals" on this site have ever said is that there is a clear "undercurrent" of racism implicit in their agenda, but the defenders of the Tea Party continuously keep coming back with "prove it" or "tell us how many," etc, etc.

I qualified my position by pointing to the leadership, some of whom clearly paint themselves as racist. I don't know what more you want from us.

quote:

ORIGINAL: FirmhandKY

quote:

ORIGINAL: brainiacsub

Firm,

All any of the "liberals" on this site have ever said is that there is a clear "undercurrent" of racism implicit in their agenda, but the defenders of the Tea Party continuously keep coming back with "prove it" or "tell us how many," etc, etc.

I qualified my position by pointing to the leadership, some of whom clearly paint themselves as racist. I don't know what more you want from us.

I meant not to offend or exasperate, brainiac.  And I don't "expect" anything.  We are just having a conversation, as far as I am concerned.  I'm not trying to put you on the spot.

I meant to ask you for the link you mention earlier though, where you had posted in response to Thadius.

Please?

Firm

quote:

ORIGINAL: brainiacsub

I just mentioned Tom Tancredo, and domi showed pretty compelling evidence that Dale Robertson harbors some racist sentiment. You can't tell me that you are blind to some of what is going on with this movement. It's not just "a few on the fringes" as you would like to assert.

For upwards of 12 months now members of the so-called Tea Party protest movement have been stereotyped, derogated and often dismissed by some politicians and media outlets.

They've been portrayed variously as angry fringe elements, often inarticulate, potentially violent and merely Republicans in sheep's clothing or disgruntled pockets of conservatives blindly lashing out at a left-handed President Obama and the same side of his Democratic Party finally getting its chance to drive home a liberal agenda after eight years of Republican rule and six under a centrist Bill Clinton.

Alas for stereotypes, they're convenient, often catchy. But not necessarily true.

Now, comes a pair of polls, including Gallup, that paint a revealing detailed portrait of Tea Party supporters in most ways as pretty average Americans.

...

A new Gallup Poll out this morning of 1,033 finds nothing fringe about self-proclaimed Tea Party adherents; they are slightly more likely to be employed, male and definitely more conservative. But otherwise Gallup's Lydia Saad writes, "their age, educational background, employment status, and race -- Tea Partiers are quite representative of the public at large."