Thursday, a billboard in Iowa that was paid for by the Tea Party has created nationwide controversy, and drew criticism from Tea Party members. The sign includes a photo of President Obama next to Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin, and under each photo is the word “Change" and then the phrase "Radical leaders prey on the fearful & naive." The North Iowa Tea Party paid for the sign, and they have stated that they do not believe the sign is disrespectful, but other Iowa tea party members disagree and are speaking out about their opinions.
“I think it really does an injustice to the people who suffered and died under Stalin and Adolf Hitler,” said Ryan Rhodes, a member of the Iowa Tea Party, “and making that comparison's not really fair.”
“This is called 'negative association,' so you associate someone that you don't like with a very negative caricature,” said Diane Bystrom, who teaches Political Science at Iowa State.
This comes just two days after the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) held their annual convention in Kansas City and passed a resolution that asked the Tea Party to get rid of its racist elements. They claim that the Tea Party allows some of their protestors to carry racist signs and by not discouraging it or eliminating it, they are tolerating it. For more on this story, click here.
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