Race to the Tea Party

People don’t want to talk about inequality, injustice, or prejudice in terms of class. Race is a sexier topic. America has a sensational history of racial discrimination and worse; and there is no easier way to sell your agenda than by calling the other side racist. It evokes images of lunch counter sit-ins and black protesters being blasted with a fire hose. Turning the political debate to race also contributes to a logical fallacy that the Obama administration is masterfully promoting. The tea party is made up of white conservatives. The tea party is racist. The tea party disagrees with Obama. Therefore, dissent is racist.

Janet Napolitano can say that veterans and Midwesterners are a threat to national security. David Axelrod can say that the Tea Party is “unhealthy”. They get a free pass because they are talking about middle class (mostly white) people. It is all posturing. Glen Beck clamors for an investigation into Obama’s birth certificate. Rush Limbaugh equates liberal policy with reparations. Both sides do a disservice to their respective causes. The difference is that Napolitano and Axelrod are making major policy decisions while Beck and Limbaugh are simply entertainers. Still, both sides have a significant impact on the politics of the day and each is fueling the divide in their own way.