New York Times reporter Matt Bai is writing for readers who get their news from, well, the New York Times. So he feels free to regurgitate this: The question of racism in the amorphous Tea Party movement is, of course, a serious one, since so much of the Republican Party seems to be in the thrall of its activists. There have been scattered reports around the country of racially charged rhetoric within the movement, most notably just before the vote on the new health care law last March, when Representative John Lewis, Democrat of Georgia, the legendary civil rights leader, was showered with hateful epithets outside the Capitol.
There are a few problems with this assertion regarding the report that John Lewis was showered with "hateful epithets" outside the Capitol last March. There was supposedly only one epithet involved. Rep. Andre Carson was supposedly there for the walk along with Lewis. And what about Reps. Emanuel Cleaver and James Clyburn? What are they? Chopped liver? Not legendary, I guess.
The real problem with Bai's assertion is that it didn't happen. It's a big lie. A complete and utter crock. Thus the failure of any independent witness or journalist to vouch for the story, and the failure of any video to corroborate it and win Andrew Breitbart's $100,000 reward. On the contrary, the video record decisively refutes the story.
Is it possible that Matt Bai doesn't know this? Only if he gets his news from the New York Times.
Via Instapundit/American Power.
