The government shut down because one side refused to negotiate. Threw a tantrum because it didn’t get its way.
We all know which side is to blame.
The other side.
Now Republican Congressman Tim Huekskamp is accusing Democrats of racism. Representative Alan Grayson from Florida recently said, “At this point, the Tea Party is no more popular than the Klan,” prompting criticism from the Kansas Representative.
“When is enough going to be enough with the Democratic Party and their racism and bigotry?” Huelskamp asks. “Representative Grayson’s actions are an insult to African Americans, Catholics, and all Americans in this country.”
Huelskamp may have let Grayson’s remarks slide last week, when they were part of the congressman’s interview with the Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNBC. But then they were printed in a fundraising email that included a photo of a burning cross – shown as the “T” in “Tea Party.”
“I condemn Congressman Grayson’s actions in employing a symbol of hate and evil in a crass attempt to raise political contributions,” Huelskamp said. “He knows full the well the negative emotions and hurt conveyed by his racist imagery.”
In the MSNBC interview, Grayson led into his Klan remark by saying ordinary Americans are “appalled by the Tea Party’s tactics. ... They are appalled by the way the Tea Party cheered on the shutting down of the government, cheered at the fact that we put our credit at risk for a generation to come. And they’re appalled by the enormous expense – the fact that this temporary shutdown ended up costing America $24 billion. ... Frankly, they want their money back, and the Tea Party out of their lives.”
Grayson was unrepentant about the later email, reportedly saying to those uncomfortable with the KKK comparison, “If the sheet fits, wear it.”
So Grayson and Huelskamp and others to the left and right continue the game, “I know you are but what am I?” It’s time to put away the childish talk.

Susan Thacker