Thread: Tea party protesters call Georgia's John Lewis "N word&

Tea party protesters call Georgia's John Lewis (N word)

By William Douglas, McClatchy Newspapers William Douglas, Mcclatchy Newspapers
Mar 20, 7:21 pm ET

WASHINGTON — Demonstrators outside the U.S. Capitol , angry over the proposed health care bill, shouted "******" Saturday at U.S. Rep. John Lewis , a Georgia congressman and civil rights icon who was nearly beaten to death during an Alabama march in the 1960s.

The protesters also shouted obscenities at other members of the Congressional Black Caucus , lawmakers said.

"They were shouting, sort of harassing," Lewis said. "But, it's okay, I've faced this before. It reminded me of the 60s. It was a lot of downright hate and anger and people being downright mean."

Lewis said he was leaving the Cannon office building across from the Capitol when protesters shouted "Kill the bill, kill the bill," Lewis said.

"I said 'I'm for the bill, I support the bill, I'm voting for the bill'," Lewis said.

A colleague who was accompanying Lewis said people in the crowd responded by saying "Kill the bill, then the n-word."

"It surprised me that people are so mean and we can't engage in a civil dialogue and debate," Lewis said.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver , D- Mo. , said he was a few yards behind Lewis and distinctly heard "******."

"It was a chorus," Cleaver said. "In a way, I feel sorry for those people who are doing this nasty stuff - they're being whipped up. I decided I wouldn't be angry with any of them."

Protestors also used a slur as they confronted Rep. Barney Frank , D- Mass. , an openly gay member of Congress . A writer for Huffington Post said the crowd called Frank a "fa****."

Frank told the Boston Globe that the incident happened as he was walking from the Longworth office building to the Rayburn office building, both a short distance from the Capitol. Frank said the crowd consisted of a couple of hundred of people and that they referred to him as 'h***.'

"I'm disappointed with the unwillingness to be civil," Frank told the Globe. "I was, I guess, surprised by the rancor. What it means is obviously the health care bill is proxy for a lot of other sentiments, some of which are perfectly reasonable, but some of which are not."

"People out there today, on the whole, were really hateful," Frank said. "The leaders of this movement have a responsibility to speak out more."

Thousands of demonstrators gathered outside the Capitol on Saturday as the House Democratic leadership worked to gather enough votes to enact a health care overhaul proposal that has become the centerpiece of President Barack Obama's domestic agenda. Most were affiliated with so-called tea party organizations that originally sprang up during last summer's protests of the health care proposals.

Heated debate has surrounded what role race plays in the motivations of the tea party demonstrators. During protests last summer, demonstrators displayed a poster depicting Obama as an African witch doctor complete with headdress, above the words "OBAMACARE coming to a clinic near you." Former President Jimmy Carter asserted in September that racism was a major factor behind the hostility that Obama's proposals had faced.

The claim brought angry rebuttals from Republicans.

On Saturday, Frank, however, said he was sorry Republican leaders didn't do more to disown the protesters.

Some Republicans "think they are benefiting from this rancor," he said.

House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D- S.C. , said Saturday's ugliness underscored for him that the health care overhaul isn't the only motivation for many protesters.

"I heard people saying things today I've not heard since March 15th, 1960 , when I was marching to try and get off the back of the bus," Clyburn said. "This is incredible, shocking to me."

He added, "A lot of us have said for a long time that none of this is about healthcare at all. It's about extending a basic fundamental right to people who are less powerful."

( James Rosen contributed to this story.)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20100 ... hy/3457015

Related:
Raucous, Ugly Build-Up to House Health Care Vote
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-192023-.html

really hope someone has film of these things being yelled by Tea Partiers, and/or there are witnesses who are also Tea Partiers. Surely if some Tea Party protestors really yelled these things, others either witnessed it or got it on tape.

If these things really happened, and if it was done by real Tea Partiers, (mod edit) Let the fellow Tea Partiers at them. These kind of stupid-a$$ actions only cause problems for the Tea Party, and bring discredit to the movement. (I know not all ALIPACers are Tea Partiers.)

I know full well the far majority of Tea Partiers aren't racist and also aren't that stupid, to publicly say such assinine things. Its been suggested that if it did happen, maybe it was Progressive plants acting as Tea Partiers. As someone else pointed out, it wouldn't be the first time this tactic has been pulled.

Thats why we need to know who it was and make it public. Then we'll know if it was real Tea Partiers. If so, let us publicly ridicule them ourselves. If it was actually a plant, then it will expose them.

The TV news said that the person who spit on a congressman was arrested.

March 20, 2010 10:24 PM

Make That the Nas-Tea Party »

By Michael McAuliff and KENNETH R. BAZINET

They might want to think about renaming it the Nastea Party.

Democrats were angered, shocked and disappointed after reports that some Tea Party activists let more than their opinions on health care reform be known today, calling revered civil rights hero Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) n——- and openly gay Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank a f——-.

And racism and gay-bashing apparently wasn’t all. Add anti-Semitism to the list.

A staffer in Rep. Anthony Weiner’s office reported a stream of hostile encounters with tea partiers roaming the halls of Congress. The less harmful stuff was mockery. But [b]they left a couple of notes behind. One asked what Rahm Emanuel did with Weiner in the shower, in a reference to mess around ex-Rep Eric Massa. It was signed with a swastika, the staffer said. The other note called the congressman “Schlomo Weiner,â€

Protester Spits On Congressman Cleaver -
Politics News Story ...Mar 20, 2010 ... A protester was arrested Saturday by U.S. Capitol police after spitting on U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri as he walked into the ...
www.kmbc.com/politics/22899142/detail.html

Thanks for posting the additional articles JohnDoe2. If these things did happen, I hope the names and home towns of any protestors who spit, left vile notes, or yelled racial slurs is made public. I hope Tea Party leaders will speak out publicly against them. I hope fellow Tea Partiers in their home towns, who might be in the same groups, and/or are able to contact them by e-mail or whatever, will contact them and tell them to GET OUT, that they are NOT welcome.

I do have to say, though, that when its been the other side being aggressive, or even rioting and destroying property, the Progressive and/or Civil Rights leaders are the first to try to justify such behavior, by telling us we need to "understand their anger and pain". They explain that its a rational reaction to society's "victimization" of them. So I guess the bleeding hearts should have sympathy now for any Tea Partiers, who truly believe their country is being stolen and destoyed right before their eyes.

Easy folks, if a crowd for of Tea Party demonstrators all were yelling the N word this would be on video.

Brace yourselves for some very serious propaganda over the next few days.

W

Actually it is a time honored tradition learned as children to use any perceived weakness your adversary may exhibit in your taunting and calling out.

Maybe not the best strategy or the high road but a time honored tradition never the less.

In fact I might even consider it proper etiquette before proceeding to the next level of conflict...


P.S. Lets get real. Many of the actions they pull are ending in peoples death and destruction.

Originally Posted by ALIPAC

Easy folks, if a crowd for of Tea Party demonstrators all were yelling the N word this would be on video.

Brace yourselves for some very serious propaganda over the next few days.

W

You're right W. I'm not at all assuming these claims are true. And even if any of it is true, it would only be a few people out of MILLIONS of Tea Partiers. Theres no way the Tea Party can totally prevent all such actions. But the Progressives will try to exploit it as much as possible.

StokeyBob wrote:

In fact I might even consider it proper etiquette before proceeding to the next level of conflict...

P.S. Lets get real. Many of the actions they pull are ending in peoples death and destruction.

I agree especially with the last two sentences of what you wrote, StokeyBob. But IF these things turn out to be true, why give the adversaries fuel, when you get no benefit at all in doing so? I'm talking more about the accusations of racial and/or sexual orientation slurs, more even than the spitting. The spitting I might agree is "proper etiquette before proceeding....".