Dear Commons Community,

The Huffington Post is reporting that Congressman Andre Carson (Dem.-Indiana) and the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) whip, told attendees at the CBC’s Job Tour in Miami that the Tea Party is actively taking steps to keep down the black community and other vulnerable populations.    Carson is quoted as saying:

“This is the effort that we’re seeing of Jim Crow…Some of these folks in Congress right now would love to see us as second-class citizens…Some of them in Congress right now of this Tea Party movement would love to see you and me … hanging on a tree.”

Ask to explain his comments, a spokesman for the Congressman stated:

“The Tea Party is protecting its millionaire and oil company friends while gutting critical services that they know protect the livelihood of African-Americans, as well as Latinos and other disadvantaged minorities…and referred to GOP efforts to cut funding for child nutrition, job creation and training, housing assistance and Head Start. .. as examples of ways the Tea Party agenda hurts vulnerable populations.”

There is surely truth in what the Congressman is saying but the language and imagery is fiery designed to rile up the crowd and not necessarily to seek resolutions to the problems we face.

Tony