The Rev. Jeremiah Wright — known for his perceived anti-American rhetoric and ties to President Obama — has come out strong against the tea party, blasting them in a speech as akin to a lynch mob.
“We’ve got some unfinished business on the agenda, with one branch of the tea party being nothing but a 2.0 upgrade of a lynch party,” Mr. Wright said at a Martin Luther King Day event in Delaware, according to the Wilmington News-Journal. “We’ve got some unfinished business on the agenda, with some folks doing everything they can to get that black man out of their White House.”
During the 32-minute speech, he also lambasted the “millionaires in Congress” who allowed unemployment benefits for long-time recipients expire, Raw Story reported.
Tea party activists took umbrage with Mr. Wright’s characterization.
“I have been involved with the tea party since its inception here in Delaware and I have never once heard or seen anything at a tea party rally, 9-12 meeting or Patriot group event that was racist or ever even suggested that the president’s race has anything to do with the concerns raised,” said former Christine O’Donnell campaign member Evan Queitsch, according to the News-Journal.
Theresa Garcia, executive director of the 9/12 Delaware Patriots, told the News-Journal, “If there was a white man in office with [Obama’s] policies, we would dislike him. It has nothing to do with Obama being black.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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