Steve Cohen (D-TN) Compares Tea Party to KKK

(Hat tip to Hot Air)

I had never heard of this Congressman Steve Cohen from Tennessee until I saw this video interview with some show called The Young Turks. I find his description of the Tea Party demonstration in front of the Capitol particularly obnoxious and insulting. One of the low points is when he describes John McCain as looking more like a prisoner in North Viet Nam than a senator.



Another cheap shot is the reference to KKK robes and ropes. I had previously expressed condemnation about the reported use of the N-word to members of the Congressional Black Caucus and the reported spitting upon Emanuel Cleaver. However, at this point, both allegations are under serious doubt. It appears that the worst thing that happened to Cleaver is that some saliva fluid was accidentally sprayed by a man shouting, "Kill the bill!" in his close proximity. As for the N-word, in spite of all the microphones and cameras that were covering the crowd, no audio proof of the slur can be found. Andrew Breitbart of Biggovernment.com has now increased his reward to $100,000 for anyone who can come up with audio proof. So far, there are no takers. I still have an open mind on this issue, and if anyone crossed the line, I will continue to condemn it.

As it is, we are still awaiting our first arrest of any Tea Party demonstrator anywhere in the nation, as far as I know. That's a pretty good record. Yet, people like Cohen continue to portray these people as the next KKK, which is simply not true. It is an obvious attempt to silence a segment of our population that traditionally has not spoken out and simply continued to pay their ever-increasing taxes.