NAACP: The "tea party" is racist

Remember when the NAACP opposed blanket group characterisations and caricatures?

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is reported today to be considering a resolution condemning the Tea Party movement for racism within its ranks. While our data don't speak to views at the individual level, in the broadest, population-based sense, we don't see it.

We covered the question in our extensive look at the movement in May. Certainly suspicions of racism are there: We found that 57 percent of people who oppose the Tea Party suspect its members of racial prejudice (specifically, against President Obama). That declined to a quarter of those who are neutral toward the movement, and 10 percent of its own supporters.

Certainly views on race differ among groups, and as we noted at the time, Tea Party supporters are less apt than other Americans to see racism as a major problem. But that view also is associated with attributes other than being a Tea Party supporter - being very conservative, for example, and being white. . . .

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/naacps-condemning-tea-party-racist-world-news-question/story?id=11150657

Talk about unintended consequences - - could the NAACP do anything to help the "tea party" groups more than issue a blanket, unreasoned, unreasonable condemnation?