Hoyer: ‘I Don’t Think TEA Party is Racist’; But House Dem Leader Not Sure ‘Who the TEA Party Is’
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (top money man from public sector unions) said Tuesday that he does not think that the TEA Party is racist, but admitted that he also does not know “who the TEA Party is.”
By Jane McGrath at CNSNews.com
At his weekly pen-and-pad news conference at the Capitol, CNSNews.com asked Hoyer whether he agreed with Vice President Joe Biden’s comment over the weekend that he does not believe the TEA Party is racist.
Hoyer replied: “The TEA Party, per se, I don’t think is racist.”
However, the Democratic leader added: “There are obviously, as I said on Sunday [on CNN’s “State of the Union”], I have seen some virulent racist tracts, which I believe are harmful to the public discourse and inconsistent with America’s values. You’d have to ask the TEA Party whether they agree with those or not. I mean, I don’t even know who the Tea Party is, number one.”
The TEA Party is a grassroots movement that began in February 2009 in the wake of President Obama’s inauguration and grew out of CNBC financial commentator Rick Santelli’s on-air call for a “Tea Party,” just days after Congress passed the $787 billion economic stimulus bill. “TEA” is an acronym that stands for “Taxed Enough Already.”
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