They've been called Oreos, traitors and Uncle Toms, and are used to having to defend their values. Now black conservatives are really taking heat for their involvement in the mostly white tea party movement — and for having the audacity to oppose the policies of the nation's first black president. "I've been told I hate myself. I've been called an Uncle Tom. I've been told I'm a spook at the door," said Timothy F. Johnson, chairman of the Frederick Douglass Foundation, a group of black conservatives who support free market principles and limited government. "Black Republicans find themselves always having to prove who they are. Because the assumption is the Republican Party is for whites and the Democratic Party is for blacks," he said.
Mr. Johnson and other black conservatives say they were drawn to the tea party movement because of what they consider its commonsense fiscal values of controlled spending, less taxes and smaller government. The fact that they're black — or that most tea partyers are white — should have nothing to do with it, they say. "You have to be honest and true to yourself. What am I supposed to do, vote Democratic just to be popular? Just to fit in?" asked Clifton Bazar, a 45-year-old New Jersey freelance photographer and conservative Republican blogger.
Opponents have branded the tea party as a group of racists hiding behind economic concerns — and reports that some tea partyers were lobbing racist slurs at black congressmen during last month's heated health care vote give them ammunition. But these black conservatives don't consider racism representative of the movement as a whole — or race a reason to support it. Angela McGlowan, a black conservative Republican congressional candidate from Mississippi, said her tea party involvement is "not about a black or white issue." "It's not even about Republican or Democrat, from my standpoint," she told The Associated Press. "All of us are taxed too much."
Black conservatives don't want to have to apologize for their divergent views. "I've gotten the statement, 'How can you not support the brother?'" said David Webb, an organizer of New York City's Tea Party 365, Inc. movement and a conservative radio personality. Since President Obama's election, Mr. Webb said some black conservatives have even resorted to hiding their political views. "I know of people who would play the (liberal) role publicly, but have their private opinions," he said. "They don't agree with the policy but they have to work, live and exist in the community...Why can't we speak openly and honestly if we disagree?"
Among the more than 30 black Republicans running for U.S. House and Senate seats in November is Charles Lollar of Maryland's 5th District. A tea party supporter running against House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Mr. Lollar says he's finding support in unexpected places. The 38-year-old U.S. Marine Corps reservist recently walked into a bar in southern Maryland decorated with a Confederate flag. It gave his wife Rosha pause. "I said, 'You know what, honey? Many, many of our Southern citizens came together under that flag for the purpose of keeping their family and their state together,'" Mr. Lollar recalled. "The flag is not what you're to fear. It's the stupidity behind the flag that is a problem. I don't think we'll find that in here. Let's go ahead in." Once inside, they were treated to a pig roast, a motorcycle rally — and presented with $5,000 in contributions for his campaign.
To comment on "Black Conservative Tea Party Backers Take Heat" post, click here.
Black Conservative Tea Party Backers Take Heat
