Tea Party Express Spokesman Mark Williams - Patriot or Putz? July 20, 2010
Tea Party Express Spokesman Mark Williams |
In response to the condemnation of the Tea Party by the NAACP, former chairman and current spokesman for the Tea Party Express, Mark Williams posted a blog which was a satirical letter addressed to former President Lincoln. This letter was signed “Precious Ben Jealous, Tom’s Nephew, NAACP Head Colored Person.” We have chosen not to post this letter here because of its offensive nature, but it is very easy to find on the internet if you desire to read it for yourself. Williams’ blog has removed from the website and explanation has replaced it.
The National Tea Party Federation released the following:
Effective Immediately, Tea Party Express Is No Longer a Member
of the National Tea Party Federation
Date: Sat, 17 Jul 2010 at 3:43pm
Last night, the members of the National Tea Party Federation participating in an "All Hands" conference call unanimously decided the following:
The membership of the National Tea Party Federation has this evening suspended and will immediately expel Tea Party Express from any further association with the Federation should they fail to publicly rebuke Mark Williams and remove him from their ranks by 3 pm eastern time Saturday July 17.
The rebuke must take the following form:
1. Mark Williams must be officially removed from the ranks of the Tea Party Express.
2. Notice of Mark Williams' removal must be placed prominently on the official Tea Party Express website.
3. Tea Party Express must issue a press release articulating points 1 and 2 above.
* * *
Last night, a member of the National Tea Party Federation communicated our decision directly to a member of the leadership team of Tea Party Express. That leader's response was clear: they have no intention of taking the action we required for their group to continue as a member of the National Tea Party Federation.
Therefore, effective immediately the National Tea Party Federation is expelling Tea Party Express from the ranks of our membership.
In response to being expelled from the National Tea Party Federation, Williams wrote, "Apparently I have offended the tea party 'leadership,' mind you, there is no tea party leadership; every tea partier is a tea party leader. But something happens when the stronger egos and personalities in a movement begin to feel a sense of ownership. It is not long before they act to claim and defend that feeling."
In April, Idaho’s Walt Minnick touted the fact that he was the only Democrat endorsed by the Tea Party Express. Yesterday in a letter from the Minnick campaign to the group stated that Congressman Minnick could not accept support from the group after the Tea Party Express refused to distance themselves from radio talk show host and Express spokesman Mark Williams and his satirical blog posting about the NAACP.
Since the first wave of the Tea Party sweeping across the nation, the group has faced an onslaught of accusations of racism from the likes of Al Sharpton, the NAACP, Keith Olbermann, Nancy Pelosi, and a host of others. Now Mark Williams has added fuel to an already burning brush fire with his racially slanted blog post. Mark Williams – patriot or putz? You decide.
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