Day by day, politics becomes funnier by the minute. I could never fathom an African-American that would support or aspire to be a leader in the Ku Klux Klan. What an extreme and idiosyncratic thought! Thus far, I do not know of any Blacks who would tread down this lonely road. But, it appears that there may be a few African-Americans who are walking toward this road, as evidenced by Black Tea Party Leaders stating that President Obama and the Democrats are re-enslaving America. Wow!
In defense of the Tea Party, I do believe that there are some hard-working, patriotic and decent citizens who disagree with democratic policies and government’s role in their lives. Although somewhat extreme in most cases, one has to respect their ideological views relative to politics. But, when you see signs that explicitly target President Obama as a “Communist,” “Hitler,” “Lenin,” “Colored People,” and “The N-Word” and African-Americans and Hispanics being spit on at Tea Party rallies, one has to wonder whether it’s really about differences in public policy views or the fact that there is a sun-burnt face in the White House.
As with affirmative action, many Tea Party Leaders are now playing the reverse victim role by stating that racists in their movement are outsiders who have infiltrated to discredit their cause. Really? If this holds true, then why aren’t these outsiders removed from the rallies with their hate-filled signs and rhetoric.
In the face of observing this type of malevolent and abhorrent behavior from a first-hand perspective, the Black Tea Party Leaders believe that the master slaveholder President Obama is going to place everyone back into the cotton fields for long and treacherous work under the merciless sun. It would seem to me that someone who has spearheaded health care reform, credit card reform, tobacco reform, Wall Street reform, fair sentencing, ethics reform and equal and fair pay would be considered an abolitionist. If it were somehow true that President Obama was the master slaveholder, then what should we consider Bush and Cheney?
Let’s consider the beautiful works of Bush and Cheney, such as the broken No Child Left Behind education system, failed leadership after September 11, a $9.2 trillion deficit, the veto of expanding children’s access to health care, an unnecessary war in Iraq, a lack of response relative to Hurricane Katrina and a lack of proper oversight of greedy financial institutions that nearly brought the world to its knees. Doesn’t this sound like the wonderful and courageous acts of John Brown, Levi Coffin, Harriet Beecher Stowe or Elijah Lovejoy? Resoundingly, no!
It is simply not wise for anyone, exclusive of race, to suggest that the democratic policies of the Obama Administration are re-enslaving America. It is extremely disrespectful to our African-American predecessors who were treated as subhuman and who had to endure horrible and barbaric acts of evil, such as forced labor, lynching, rape, auctions, and pain induced by whips, chains and other instruments of cruelty. Ideological battles are understandable, but to invoke the thought that an atrocious system that enslaved African-Americans for over 400 years is comparable to the America that we currently live is simply not fair and prudent.
Anthony Jerrod is a bestselling author, speaker, and public policy expert.
