The 20 Most Racist Things Tea Party Politicians Have Said

Tea Party representatives often talk an inclusive, diverse movement; the words of their membership paint a very different picture.

Complex Original

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National Tea Party representatives are quick to claim that the Tea Party is a party of inclusion, that they are interested in uniting rather than dividing, and that includes along racial lines. The Tea Party website describes a party that is comprised of, "Young and old, wealthy and poor, patriots of all colors and backgrounds." Despite their high-minded rhetoric, in tense circumstances and candid interviews, time and again, the members of the movement reveal themselves to fall well short of their inclusive message. It seems that Tea Party politicians can't help but make racist statements.

The most recent rash of racially tinged Tea Party comments came courtesy of supporters of defeated Mississippi senate challenger Chris McDaniel, who lost to incumbent Thad Cochran in a run-off election last month. Cochran retained his seat partially by appealing to African-American voters in the state. It isn’t hard to see why African-Americans in Mississippi decided to help defeat a man who once wrote, “Note to the Left: Unless you live in Detroit, the basic necessities of life do not include big screen plasma TV's, Randy Moss jerseys, Air Jordan sneakers or any type of 'bling-bling.'"

These kind of comments are nothing new for Tea Party candidates. Many Tea Party politicians walk a fine line. On one hand, they appeal to their base by stoking the fires of bigotry. On the other hand, they attempt to gain national legitimacy by disowning racist rhetoric that they themselves have helped to spread. Let’s look at some of the most disgraceful, bigoted comments made by the right wing of the right wing. Here are the Most Racist Things Tea Party Politicians Have Said (so far.)

Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS)

"Republicans are struggling to find the great white hope."

Less than a year after Obama's inauguration, Lynn Jenkins spoke to the need to save the Republican Party broadly from the inevitable march toward diversity and specifically from the tyranny of the re-election of President Obama. The latter didn't work out so well for her. The former isn't looking too good either. A spokesman for Jenkins quickly told a newspaper in her home state that "the congresswoman wanted to apologize for her word choice and to emphasize she had no intention of expressing herself in an offensive manner."

The phrase "great white hope" was popularized thanks to a play by Howard Sackler (which was later adapted to film) entitled The Great White Hope which examined segregated America through the lens of professional boxing. It is undeniably about race.

Sarah Palin (Former Governor of Alaska and Vice-Presidential Candidate)

"Mr. President, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and all who commit to ending any racial divide, no more playing the race card."

This year, Sarah Palin celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day the only way she knows how: by declaring racism over. Rather than actually honoring the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement, Palin decided to use MLK Day to once again claim racism dead and take yet another shot at President Obama. Palin has a well-documented history of putting her foot in her mouth, but she also has a track record of saying some really racist shit. We all remember the "shuck and jive" comment from a couple years back, but that's just part of Palin's history of bigotry. Whether it's in her personal life or on the most of public stages, Palin loves to implicitly fan the flames of prejudice only to backtrack with an aww shucks shrug when people question what she means by what she says. Though Palin comes off as though she has the political acumen of a middle schooler, her ability to stoke the racist fires of her base without providing a clearly bigoted pull quote is actually pretty impressive.

Rep. Kenny Marchent (R-TX)

"If you give the legal right to vote to 10 Hispanics in my district, seven to eight of them are going to vote Democrat."

At a Dallas County Republican Party event in 2013, Marchent voiced his concerns about Latino immigrants ruining Texas Republican chances of being re-elected. A month prior to Marchent's statement, Texas Tea Party Leader Ken Emanuelson said, "I'm going to be real honest with you. The Republican Party doesn't want black people to vote if they are going to vote 9-to-1 for Democrats."

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL)

"Boy."

This was the term Jeff Sessions used to address one of his judicial assistants who was well over eighteen and happened to be African-American. Prior to his time in the Senate, Sessions was working his way up the judicial branch of government. His rise came to a quick halt when he was denied a post during the Reagan administration for a variety of racist remarks he had voiced over the years as well as some actions he had taken that appeared to have been racially motivated. During his confirmation hearings, Thomas Figures, a former assistant to Sessions, alleged that Sessions referred to him as "boy" when they worked together. Session backed up his vitriolic statements with action. As African-American organizers were working tirelessly to raise black voter turn out in in Alabama, Sessions allegedly went about bringing bogus charges against organizers in hopes of hindering their efforts.

Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC)

"President Obama is going to 'come out and throw a lot of spears' at Tuesday's upcoming debate."

That's an interesting choice of words, former Governor Sanford. In fact, it is a phrase that we've never heard used to describe debate performance in our lives until this very moment. (For those of you who may not know, "spear chucker" is a racial epithet used against African-Americans.) You may remember Sanford for making national news following his use of government funds to pay for travel expenses for himself and his Argentinian mistress. Sanford made this comment while he was a Fox News contributor and has since returned to office representing South Carolina's first district because the world is obviously a just and fair place.

Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ)

"Far more of the African American community is being devastated by the policies of today than were being devastated by the policies of slavery."

No, Franks is not a shock jock or a right-wing pundit. These words came from a man who currently serves in the United States House of Representatives and has done so since 2003. Sometimes quotes sound better in context. This is not one of those times. After saying, "In this country, we had slavery for god knows how long," Franks claimed "half of all black children are aborted" (not true). He used this non-fact to build his claim that African-Americans were better off as slaves. Franks went on to say, "[S]ometimes we get angry and say things that we shouldn't say, and I apologize...[for saying things] that are intemperate. But I don't want to hide from the truth." Before you decide how to respond to the truth, Mr. Franks, you really ought to familiarize yourself with it.

Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL)

"I said, 'It's a racist tax.' He goes, 'You know what, it is.' I had an Indian doctor in our office the other day, very dark skin, with two non-dark skin people, and I asked this to him, I said, 'Have you ever been to a tanning booth?' and he goes, 'No, no need.' So therefore it's a racist tax and I thought I might need to get to a sun tanning booth so I can come out and say I've been disenfranchised because I got taxed because of the color of my skin. As crazy as that sounds, that's what the left does right..."

To provide a frame of reference, in this jokey speech, Ted Yoho is talking about a ten percent tax on tanning beds that is part of the Affordable Care Act. One tried and true tactic of racists is to trivialize racism. If you frame a conversation to make a claim that disenfranchisement and unfair hiring practices are as superficial as a ten percent tax on tanning booths (Yoho goes as far as to misuse the word "disenfranchise" here), then institutionalized racism has an easier time continuing unchallenged.

Also, by defending tanning beds, Yoho is helping our Tea Party congressmen continue frying themselves to an ice copper hue on the cheap.

Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA)

"Just from what little I've seen of her and Mr. Obama, Senator Obama, they're a member of an elitist-class individual that thinks that they're uppity."

"Uppity" like "spear chucker" hearkens back to the awful racist language of the Jim Crow era South. Westmoreland, who was born in 1950 and has lived his entire life in the South, later attempted to explai n away his use of the word, claiming that he was unaware of its racial implications. Never mind that most, if not all, of us have never heard the word used outside of a racial context, because we each have our own unique experience we can use to excuse our casual bigotry. Westmoreland was one of the house Republicans against renewing the 1965 Voting Rights Act as well.

Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX)

"Get there firstest with the mostest."

Sometimes you can't truly appreciate the awful nature of a quote until you get proper context. Poe was (reasonably) critiquing lacking support and supplies for American troops in Iraq when he quoted "successful Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest." What he neglected to mention was the Forrest is also thought to have been the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Not only did Poe quote a losing general who fought a war of rebellion against the United States on the House floor; not only did he select a quote that didn't add anything to his previous point; but, he quoted a man who some historians believe is responsible for whipping and killing freed slaves and their allies.

Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN)

"Friends, I have received numerous calls over the last couple of weeks regarding the Murfreesboro mosque cemetery. Although this is a state issue, I am deeply concerned over the impact it might have on our community."

Scott DesJarlais is quite concerned with Middle Eastern politics, and any member of the U.S. House of Representatives should be. He is also deeply concerned about a mosque in Murfreesboro, Tennessee adding on a cemetery, which maybe he shouldn't be. In a roundabout way, Desjarlais implied on his Facebook page that the Murfreesboro Muslim community probably shouldn't have a place to bury their dead. Of course, DesJarlais also failed to offer his condolences for the vandalism and arson that mosque has had to endure, partially thanks to his political rhetoric. The cemetery has been approved, but with five special conditions that Christian cemeteries aren't expected to follow.

Rep. Diane Black (R-TN)

"I'm very concerned that violent jihadism is becoming the norm, not the exception in too much of Islam today, and American communities have a right to be vigilant in ensuring that Islamic institutions in this country do not aid the jihadist viewpoint."

The Murfreesboro mosque has been a hotly contested issue for a number of Tennessean Tea Party politicians. Diane Black found herself forced to further radicalize her already right-wing viewpoint when she faced a primary challenge from Lou Ann Zelenik. Part of that move farther right meant coming out strong against the mosque. Black narrowly edged out Zelenik by a 1% margin. That victory only came after Black mustered up a quote that could compete with naïve bigotry of Zelenik's statement: "Until the American Muslim community find it in their hearts to separate themselves from their evil, radical counterparts, to condemn those who want to destroy our civilization and will fight against them, we are not obligated to open our society to any of them."

Rep. Curry Todd (R-TN General Assembly)

"[Illegal Immigrants] can go out there and multiply like rats I guess."

CoverKids is a program that provides medical assistance for children under the age of eighteen. This program makes Assemblyman Curry Todd angry because they don't check on the citizenship status of children's mothers before they dole out medical care. His anger at our country providing assistance to children prompted him to mumble the above statement. When his passions subsided and he was given a chance to clarify his statement, Todd offered that perhaps "anchor babies" would have been a more palatable term. Since making this comment, Todd has been arrested for drunk driving and has still managed to keep his seat in the Tennessee legislature.

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC)

"It's a smear on the image that has as a person of high integrity who has been so loyal to the people of South Carolina."

You likely know Joe Wilson best from his most famous quote, shouting out "You lie!" during one of President Obama's speeches. Many suspected that this moment of intense disrespect was racially charged. The evidence suggests that those people are right. The above quote was Wilson's response when Strom Thurmond's daughter by his mistress, Essie Mae Washington-Williams, came forward. Politicians and affairs are nothing new. What was different this time? Thurmond was a famed segregationist and Washington's mother, Carrie Butler, was black. Joe Wilson's racist credentials also include being one of seven to vote in favor of continuing to fly the Confederate flag over the South Carolina capitol and membership in the S ons of the Confederate Veterans.

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX)

"There is no assurance that if we did that we wouldn't end up with moo goo dog pan or moo goo cat pan. There is no way to assure that money will not be wasted when it's sent to foreign countries."

In the midst of the steady tide of Tea Party racism against Blacks, Latinos, and Arabs, Louie Gohmert, a Texas representative who has a penchant for pulling racist shit out of nowhere, dropped a statement about Asians to spice things up. What prompted Gohmert's worry that we would end up funding Chinese pet cuisine? Gohmert aired this grievance after Congress passed the "The Great Cat and Rare Canids Act," which helps preserve animals like wild African dogs and snow leopards. Picking a favorite offensive Louie Gohmert quote is about as challenging as choosing a favorite child, so feel free to head over to Salon and choose for yourself.

Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL)

"As your congressman on the house floor, I will do anything short of shooting them. Anything that is lawful, it needs to be done because illegal aliens need to quit taking jobs from American citizens."

Threatening to do anything short of shooting illegal immigrants doesn't exactly show much respect for one's fellow man. It is a safe bet that Brooks isn't referring to immigrants coming to this country from Canada or Western Europe.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT)

"Purpose: To exclude certain employment of domestic service from the prohibitions on unlawful employment of unauthorized aliens."

Props to Mike Lee for managing to get his racism directly into proposed piece of legislation. Lee added the above amendment to proposed immigration bill. We'll go ahead and list these "certain employment" options for you, but you've probably already guessed most of them: "cooks, waiters, butlers, housekeepers, governessess, maids, valets, baby sitters, janitors, laundresses, furnacemen, care-takers, handymen, gardeners, footmen, grooms, and chauffeurs of automobiles for family use" from prohibitions against "unlawful employment" for undocumented immigrants." The Daily Kos called this the "Don't Deport My Lawn Guy" Amendment. Sounds about right.

Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC)

"It's kind of like having a house—and you're not homeowners, a lot of folks in this room, but your Mom and Dads are—taking the door off the hinges and allowing any kind of vagrant, or animal, or just somebody that's hungry, or somebody that wants to do your dishes for you, to come in. And you can't say, 'No, you can't come in.' And you can't say, 'No, you can't stay all night.' Or 'No, you can't have this benefit of using my deodorant.' All those things. We're giving those benefits away, which we earn as citizens of this nation, of being legalized citizens."

One way to gain street cred as a Southern Tea Partier these days is to find the most colorful way possible to insult illegal immigrants. Though comparing immigrants to rats is impressively terrible and threatening to do everything short of shooting them to keep them out is impressively violent, Duncan may have the best entry in the Southern bigot Olympics. Not only does he compare immigrants to vagrants and animals, but through lines like, "No, you can't have this benefit of using my deodorant," Duncan adds a tinge of absurdity to his bigotry that pushes this quote a cut above the rest.

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

"I think there was a cachet about having an African-American president because of guilt. People don't hold guilt for a woman."

Not only does Michele Bachmann seem to top herself with a new offensive comment with each passing week, she does it with an edge of conspiracy theory craziness that seems too ridiculous to be true. Attributing Obama's victories to white guilt is pretty offensive and pretty crazy, but it lacks the imagination of some of her greatest crackpot quotes. In the past she has labeled The Lion King gay propagand a and suggested that major disease outbreaks only strike America during Democratic presidencies.

Sharron Angle (President, National Federation of Republican Assemblies)

"What we know, what we know about ourselves is that we are a melting pot in this country. My grandchildren are evidence of that. I've been called the first Asian legislator in our Nevada State Assembly."

Here's the problem: Sharron Angle isn't Asian. At a gathering of a Hispanic Student Union, Angle attempted to make the argument for draconian immigration laws by pointing out that she gets it because she looks Asian. According to Angle, this means that she can relate to the plight of Latinos in America. In the same presentation she also told the students, "Some of you look Asian to me." You really can't make this shit up.

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

"[Illegal Mexican immigrants] weren't all brought in by their parents. For everyone who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there that weight 130 pounds and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the border."

Not only was this comment super racist, but it demonstrates a lack of understanding regarding anatomy. Not only is carrying bags of marijuana not a terribly good calf workout (just ask any of your stoner friends), but calves, even when hit hard on leg day, don't really look melon-like at all. When given the chance to apologize or amend his comments King said, "I said valedictorians compared to people who would be legalized under that act that are drug smugglers coming across the borders. My characterization was exclusively to drug smugglers." Oh, that makes it better. Thanks for the clarification.