For months, liberals have been trying to brand the "tea party" movement as racist or perhaps even violent. That characterization has surprised the tea partiers themselves, who are busy attending town hall meetings, urging their fellow citizens to vote and speaking out firmly but peacefully on the need to rein in our out-of-control federal government.
Given the overwhelmingly peaceful approach of the tea partiers, we suspect the real motive behind the attacks on them is that they have been putting an unwelcome spotlight on horrible, bankrupting laws such as ObamaCare socialized medicine and the "stimulus." Those programs are deeply unpopular with the American people and harmful to our economy.
Liberals who support ObamaCare and the stimulus do not want the public to be focused on all the spending that those programs require. So lately, some have intensified their attacks on the supposed racism of the tea party rather than respond to the tea party's arguments. And sure enough, the critics are able to find a few examples of racially tinged posters or statements by a few individuals who claim to be affiliated with the tea party.
But that is hardly evidence that the movement is rooted in bigotry. Recall, for example, the demonstrations against former President George W. Bush over the Iraq War and other issues. Democrats made up large parts of those who were protesting. Yet no one should suggest that everyone at the protests was a crazed radical just because, for instance, some waved the flag of the Communist Soviet Union or the banners of radical organizations.
The fact is, a certain number of "crazies" will attach themselves to any political party or movement.
Most tea partiers are just ordinary Americans who are fed up with Washington's disastrous financial policies. They see our nation heading down a path toward bankruptcy, and they want to turn things around before it's too late.
Their civic spirit deserves praise even from those who may disagree with their views. They certainly should not be condemned as racists.