Right-wing media absurdly claim NAACP is “manufactur[ing]” existence of racism in tea parties

Michelle Malkin on NAACP: “When you can't find evil enough enemies to blame for your problems, manufacture them.” In a July 14 column, Michelle Malkin accused the NAACP of “manufactur[ing]” the racist elements of the tea party that the NAACP condemned:

To compensate for squandering the proud history of the civil rights organization on innocent greeting cards, NAACP leaders introduced a much-hyped resolution at their annual convention this week attacking the nation's biggest racial bogeyman: the tea party movement. It's a tried and true tactic of worn-out grievance-mongers: When you can't find evil enough enemies to blame for your problems, manufacture them. (Just ask hate crimes huckster Al Sharpton.) This is why one of the most popular signs spotted at tea party protests across the country remains the one that reads: “It doesn't matter what this sign says. You'll call it racism, anyway!”

RedState on NAACP: "[T]here is emphatically not a racial element behind [the tea party] movement." In a July 14 RedState post, FreedomWorks' Tabitha Hale concluded that “there is emphatically not a racial element behind [the tea party] movement” [emphasis in original]:

What the NAACP is doing is inciting racial tension, and it is not an accident. Anyone who is a part of this conservative groundswell can tell you that there is emphatically not a racial element behind the movement. However, since they thrive on racial tensions, this is their comfort zone. How better to destroy the largest threat to their vision of liberal utopia? What they fail to acknowledge is that they are also diminishing the real threats to racial equality in America by spending their time destroying those that aren't truly racist.

BigGovernment: "[F]or the NAACP to condemn the tea party as racist ... isn't only wrong, it's wrongheaded." In a July 15 post, BigGovernment's editorial board defended the tea party against the NAACP's repudiation of its racist elements:

But for the NAACP to condemn the tea party as racist -- and the point of the resolution was to put the libertarian movement on the political defensive -- isn't only wrong, it's wrongheaded.

I'm no member of the group, but from what I can tell, tea party supporters aren't a bunch of absolute racists.

They're a bunch of absolute heretics.

AP noted that tea party activist Alex Poulter “has seen no evidence of racism within the movement.” In a July 13 article, The Associated Press reported that tea party activist Alex Poulter “has seen no evidence of racism” within the tea party movement:

Tea party activist Alex Poulter, who co-founded a Kansas City-area group called Political Chips, also disputed the allegations. He said the movement is made up of a “diverse group of folks who are upset with what is going on with this country.”

Poulter said he has seen no evidence of racism within the movement.

“It's unfounded, but people are running with these accusations like they are true,” he said.

FoxNews.com reported that tea party members said “no visual evidence has been produced depicting a racist attack” against African-American Democratic lawmakers.In a July 14 article, FoxNews.com reported that tea party members have said “no visual evidence has been produced depicting a racist attack”:

But Tea Party members have challenged claims that their activists accosted black lawmakers in March and no visual evidence has been produced depicting a racist attack. Dallas Tea Party founder Phillip Dennis said “there was no proof” of racist behavior at the event and that the movement welcomes minority members.

African-American congressmen were reportedly harassed at tea party protest

Washington Post reports African-American congressmen harrassed outside capitol by tea party protestors. According to a March 20Washington Post article:

Protesters outside the Capitol hurled epithets at Reps. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and< Andre Carson(D-Ind.) as they left the building after President Obama delivered an 11th-hour speech on behalf of the health care bill. Carson told reporters that protesters yelled “kill the bill,” then used a racial epithet to describe Carson and Lewis, who is a revered figure on both sides of the aisle.

Breitbart accuses congressmen of lying about incident because “the Democrats need a racist Tea Party moment.” In a March 25 Big Journalism post, Andrew Breitbart accused the congressmen of lying about the incident. Breitbart wrote:

That's how much the Democrats need a racist Tea Party moment. To stop it in its tracks. That's why on Saturday they used the Congressional Black Caucus to try to manufacture the false appearance of one. And when they didn't get it, they did what they always do: they lied.

Alinsky taught them well: the ends justify the means. And that's how the Democrats play. They love using black people as symbols of oppression. They love to use them for staged rallies, staged walks and staged protests. It's why they fought so hard to keep the heavily minority ACORN alive. They were the portable army that would cry racism in front of your place of business until the company paid them off to go away.

Haven't we had enough? Are we going to allow the left to use its despicable acts of lies and intimidation to shut up legitimate dissent on a subject that has nothing to do with race?

Breitbart concluded by calling Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton “race hustlers” and offered $10,000 “to provide hard evidence that the N-word was hurled at” Lewis. Numerous other right-wing media figures have claimed that the congressmen were lying about the incident.

Racist or racially charged signs and slogans found at numerous tea party protests