Wednesday, July 14, 2010

The Tea Party Isn’t Racist - The Daily Beast

The Tea Party Isn’t Racist - The Daily Beast So if you were an organization vested in keeping the same identity you have had for over a hundred years and you felt threatened by the changing political atmosphere what would you do? You would reach for your old tried and true weapon to fight it of course. But what if that weapon was out of date and ineffective? Would you still use it? You most certainly would if it was the only one you had. This is the case with the NAACP. It's most powerful weapon has always been the race card. But the trouble with the race card is that it is losing its punch in an atmosphere where most people realize we need to move beyond race to solve our problems. It is also a totally ineffectual weapon against an organization that won't back down in fear of being labeled racist. I remember the days when the NAACP was a powerhouse organization that did much good for the people it served. But such actions as voting on a referendum against supposed racist elements in the Tea Party movement only serve to keep its members stuck in the past. The question is, will the NAACP leadership realize this and change their platform so they can truly advance the people they serve? Sadly I fear, that yesterday's ruling suggests they fully intend to keep things just the way they are. It is a tragedy because the American people, Tea Party affiliated or not, are getting tired of and impatient with the race card.  One day the NAACP and other similar organizations will find that the race card weapon will be about as useful as a musket against a nuclear bomb.  Good luck with that.

No comments: