Barack Obama is nothing less than a hypocrite on his admonitions over public discourse and the latest example of this truth lies in his refusal to condemn the violence-tinged language of Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa not to mention his similar silence on the obscene rhetoric of many of the leading members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

While Obama has tsk tsked folks on the right like Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin and told the nation that we need to start “talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds,” he has turned a blind eye to his own vice president calling political opponents “terrorists,” members of Congress saying that Republicans and Tea Partiers can “go straight to hell,” and just this week walked on stage grinning like a Cheshire Cat immediately after Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa told a Detroit crowd that they intended to “take those sons a bitches out.” Tonight he hosts AFL-CIO head Richard Trumka in the box next to the First Lady, the same Trumka whose union members this morning stormed a port and took hostages. (MSM was careful to not report this until later today so as not to overshadow the President’s address.)

Obama loves to sound as if he’s somehow above old fashioned, boilerplate rhetoric or the mudslinging that is associated with down-and-dirty politics. He not only claims to avoid such rhetoric himself but acts the national scold and wags fingers at others that do indulge such tactics. Well, he does if it happens to be his political opponents indulging that sort of rhetoric, that is. When his side does it, the scold in chief is suddenly silent.

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By now we’ve all heard the reprehensible remarks made by Congressional Black Caucus Whip Andre Carson (D-IN) where he told the audience at a CBC Jobs Fair Town Hall in Miami that Tea Party Congressmen would like to lynch black people. Given the opportunity to revise or retract his remarks, Carson instead stood by “the truth” of his comments.

So now it seems pretty fair to say that Andre Carson is a race-baiting bigot who has brought shame upon the U. S. House of Representatives. But any regular reader of Big Government knows that this is not new information. In fact, Andre Carson’s despicable, divisive slander of August 22nd is just the latest of bogus attacks made by the 2nd term congressman against the Tea Party. Andre Carson is the man who told the mother of all race-baiting lies against the Tea Party: That racial slurs were screamed “fifteen times” at he and Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) in Washington DC on the day before the ObamaCare vote in 2010.

The headlines at the time (as well as Topic #1 on cable news and Sunday talk shows) was “Racist Tea Party Yells ‘N-Word’ at Civil Rights Icon John Lewis”. Andre Carson’s name was hardly mentioned in any of the stories. But a Big Government investigation revealed that it was he, in fact, who gathered Capitol Hill reporters around himself on March 20, 2010 and breathlessly told them what had happened “outside of Cannon (Congressional Office Building)” just moments before. (audio courtesy Kerry Pickett, Washington Times)

By now you know the story become part of Democratic Party lore showing up in talking points as recently as just last week as Alan Colmes mangled the “facts” but still was able to perpetuate the lie on Fox News’ “O’Reilly Factor”. You should also know by now that Andrew Breitbart offered a $100, 000 reward for anyone who can produce video proof o the supposed racial hatred. The only videos uncovered were found by the Big Government staff. They show the exact moment Carson described, “down the steps of Cannon”, from four different angles. Not only were there no slurs heard on any of the videos, but the scene is not at all how Carson described it to Capitol Hill reporters.

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Don’t ask me what I think of the NAACP’s desperate, politically timed report, ask Cedra Crenshaw, Damon Dunn, Tim Scott, Ryan Frazier, Allen West, Star Parker, Bill Marcy, Charlotte Bergmann, Robert Broadus, Ryan Frazier, Charles Lollar, Stephen Broden, Michel Faulker, Bill Randall, Patrick David King, Chuck Smith, and Isaac Hayes, all conservative black candidates running for higher office, endorsed and embraced by tea parties around the country. This malicious “report” is crafted and timed as a cynical means to scare the black community to the voting booth, and is dutifully played up by the same media that ignores the aforementioned black conservative candidates because it goes against the “narrative”.

Or ask former chairwoman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and liberal icon Mary Frances Berry, who said:

“Tainting the tea party movement with the charge of racism is proving to be an effective strategy for Democrats. There is no evidence that tea party adherents are any more racist than other Republicans, and indeed many other Americans. But getting them to spend their time purging their ranks and having candidates distance themselves should help Democrats win in November. Having one’s opponent rebut charges of racism is far better than discussing joblessness.”

The same media that plays up the NAACP’s desperate smear campaign continues to trot out the provably blatant falsehood that a “mob” of Tea Partiers hurled the N-Word at Congressmen John Lewis, Emanuel Cleaver and Andre Carson the day before the health care vote on the steps of the Cannon House Building.

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In the article “Andrew Breitbart’s Video ‘Evidence’ Of Lying Congressmen Is Anything But” published August 6th at Mediaite, author Tommy Christopher makes a number of factual errors and unverifiable claims that ought to be corrected or clarified.  The problematic sentences are identified in block quotes with explanations of the errors beneath each quote:

Earlier this week, conservative media figure Andrew Breitbart seized upon a New York Times story correction as proof that Civil Rights hero John Lewis (D-Ga) and others were “lying” when they claimed that a crowd of protesters had hurled the “n-word” at them as they walked to the Capitol to vote on health care reform.

Breitbart did not accuse John Lewis of lying in his Big Journalism post; in fact, the only reference to Lewis at all comes by way of a quote from the New York Times correction. Breitbart did, however, accuse Rep. Andre Carson of lying: “Which [media outlet] will be the first to admit that Congressman Carson lied about the events of that day?”

…its important to go over the other evidence that the incident did occur, at least as told by the corroborating testimony of three credible eyewitnesses. In a court of law, that’s called evidence.

There is only one corroborating witness, not three.  Rep. John Lewis has never gone on record saying he heard the n-word used at this event.  Rep. Emanuel Cleaver said he heard racial slurs like “a chorus” as he walked a “few yards behind” Rep. Lewis, but video evidence proves Cleaver was not walking to the Capitol with Lewis and Carson when the events in question occurred. (more…)

Tommy Christopher at Mediaite has decided to wade into the “Phantom N-Word” story and do the heavy lifting of the Congressional Black Caucus, Media Matters, MSNBC and all of the networks and publications that spread the false charges of racism emanating from the health care protests in Washington DC on March 20^th. After reading Tommy’s lame attempt I see now why the other apologists for the Congressional Black Caucus have stayed silent for months on this issue.

Let me answer his two main arguments immediately and then provide detailed and sourced evidence to support me answers:

1. There is corroborating evidence from three eyewitnesses who said the racial slurs occurred

WRONG: There is one witness with no corroboration. And that witness is NOT civil-rights hero Rep. John Lewis. (more below)

2. The five videos showing the moment the slurs were supposed to have taken place don’t reveal what each and every person present is saying, therefore, it does not prove the racial slurs didn’t happen.

WRONG: The videos we have provided of the incident unequivocally prove that the scene described by the one witness is a complete fabrication. Furthermore, it is not incumbent on the accused to prove something did not happen, it is incumbent on the accuser to prove that it did.

To back-up his claim that there is corroborating evidence from three respected congressmen, Tommy links to two articles: The original report from McClatchy that started the “N-word” story in the first place and a subsequent piece in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution by Cynthia Tucker where she discusses the matter with Rep. John Lewis.

For three eyewitness testimonies to be “corroborating” they need to support one another’s version of the events. Let’s look at each person’s testimony:

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Buried at the bottom of a story published the other day, the New York Times printed a curious little correction:

The Political Times column last Sunday, about a generational divide over racial attitudes, erroneously linked one example of a racially charged statement to the Tea Party movement. While Tea Party supporters have been connected to a number of such statements, there is no evidence that epithets reportedly directed in March at Representative John Lewis, Democrat of Georgia, outside the Capitol, came from Tea Party members.

Let’s go over that again:

• The Times is admitting that there is absolutely no evidence that any epithets were shouted at the Congressman by any member of the Tea Party.
• This correction demonstrates we have finally proven our point to the nation’s most eminent and influential liberal media organ: that Rep. Andre Carson lied when he told the AP that members of the Tea Party hurled the “N-word” 15 times during the March 20 health-care rally that took place at the U.S. Capitol.

That’s great, as far as it goes – a thorough vindication of the Tea Party — but it doesn’t go far enough. (more…)

So after this whole Shirley Sherrod thing, I’m thinking, Andrew Breitbart has a point.

Let’s review:

1. The Tea Party was born, causing a frightened media to drum up accusations of racism
2. Later, Congressman John Lewis claims Tea Partiers shouted the “N-word” at him. The press runs with it. Breitbart posts a $100K reward for evidence. None comes.
3. The NAACP creates a race-baiting resolution to smear the Tea Party.
4. Breitbart responds with the Sherrod video – becoming the first conservative to use leftist tactics on the left.
5. It works: the White House and the NAACP look stupid.

Moving on, from the Powerline blog, New York Times reporter Matt Bai writes this of the Tea Party movement on July 17th: (more…)

We all know the story by now.  Rep. Andre Carson (D, Ind.) says that he and Rep. John Lewis (D, Ga.) were assaulted with racial slurs by Tea Party protesters as they walked down the step of the Cannon office building and headed to the Capitol on March 20.  McClatchy News reported that Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D, Mo.) also told reporters that he heard the ‘N-word’ as he was walking a few yards behind Rep. Lewis.  “It was like a chorus,” Cleaver said.

Only problem is: Cleaver wasn’t there.  He didn’t walk behind Lewis coming down the steps of Cannon on the way to the Capitol.  He walked behind Lewis coming up the steps of Cannon on the way back from the Capitol.

Of course, Cleaver and Carson could claim that racial slurs were screamed both times by the Tea Party protesters.  If that’s the case, then they have contradicted their own narrative from two weeks ago when the AP ran a story with the headline:

Wrong video of health protest spurs N-word feud

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FINAL National Tea Party Federation – CBC – ALL_SIGS v1.0 –

Rep. Andre Carson wants to change the subject.  I don’t blame him.

On April 13, 2010 he told AP reporter Jesse Washington, “I think we need to move toward a dialogue that explores why this kind of divisive and reprehensible language is still making it into our political debate.”

The “divisive and reprehensible language” that Rep. Carson is referring to is his claim that while he left the Cannon office building on March 20 with Rep. John Lewis, they were verbally assaulted by health care protesters hurling the “N-word” at them.  He said the scene was so hostile he “expected rocks to come” when he was coming out of Cannon.

I wanted to see the evidence. I wanted the truth. In the course of our search we have actually uncovered further video evidence that casts serious doubt on Rep.Carson’s claims:

Now this story is much more important than the accusation of fifteen racists among the thousands of protesters that day.  This is now about the accusers.

It’s not just that Congressmen Carson’s accusation of an extraordinary racist verbal assault by the tea party participants on March 20 doesn’t appear to have occurred, it’s that the accusers have now gone into the bunker and, having raised the incendiary subject, are doing everything they can to avoid the discussion.  Why? What’s changed? (more…)

Courtesy of Scott Johnson, one of the stalwarts of the indispensible Power Line blog, comes this illuminating correspondence:

My name is Greg Farrell and I would like you to know I have been exchanging emails challenging Washington Post Ombudsman Andrew Alexander and his version of the incidents concerning Rep Lewis and Rep Carson. I was there at the foot of the Cannon Building. Here is the exchange in order. The first is my response to Alexander’s version as set forth in his April 11 Washington Post column.

The following is Mr. Farrell’s email correspondence with Alexander:

Put your money where your pen is.

There follows a classic exchange in which Alexander gets much the worst of it. In fact, he exemplifies just about everything that’s wrong with contemporary establishment journalism: defensiveness, pettifoggery, arrogance, and an utter disinclination to use his faculties of reason instead of his emotions and his sense of “social justice.”

Scoring on the ten-point-must system, I’ve got Farrell well ahead on points. So read the whole thing — savoring every word — and then let’s have your thoughts on Alexander, the Post and the state of the MSM today. Remember to protect yourself at all times, and no hitting below the belt.

Remember how, following the Fort Hood massacre, Americans were cautioned by pundits and politicians alike not to blame Islam for the actions of one Muslim? A typical mainstream media narrative went something like this excerpt from Sally Quinn’s Washington Post column:

Hasan’s actions seems to have had much to do with his personal religious beliefs, but we cannot indict an entire faith for the distorted and disturbed thoughts and actions of one individual.

You’ll be happy to know that the MSM requires no such burden of proof when it comes to passing judgment on conservative groups, particularly the Tea Party. Case in point: A handful of Congressional Democrats claimed that Tea Party protesters screamed racist and anti-gay taunts during Saturday’s D.C. protest against the health care bill. ”I heard people saying things that I have not heard since March 15, 1960, when I was marching to try and get off the back of the bus,” said Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.). Rep. Andre Carson (D-Ind.) said he heard the “N-word” at least 15 times. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) stated that he was called a “faggot.” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., talked of being spat upon.

And the mainstream media, salivating at the prospect of finally having enough rope to hang the Tea Party with, commenced its own Old West-style necktie party:

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