CNN Wire Staff
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/07/19/williams.640×360.jpg caption="The National Tea Party Federation has expelled Williams and his Tea Party Express" width=300 height=169]
Tea Party activist Mark Williams says he's done discussing the controversy stirred up by his attack on the NAACP, accusing a fellow movement leader of turning the debate into "a World Wrestling style personality conflict."
The National Tea Party Federation, an organization that seeks to represent the Tea Party political movement around the country, has expelled Williams and his Tea Party Express organization because of the inflammatory blog post Williams wrote last week, federation spokesman David Webb said Sunday. In response, Williams announced in another statement on his blog that, "I am refusing all media requests on this" and canceled a scheduled interview on CNN to discuss the controversy Sunday evening, citing a last-minute change in travel plans.
"That careless individual tea partier who assumed the mantel of 'leadership' did so long enough to turn a critical and serious movement and delicate peace with skeptical groups into a World Wrestling style personality conflict with me at the center," Williams said. "There are internal political dramas amongst the various self-anointed tea party 'leaders,' and some of the minor players on the fringes see the Tea Party Express and Mark Williams as tickets to a booking on "Fact [sic] the Nation.' "
|
Filed under: 360° Radar |
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°
The Tea-Party is just the bigoted far right of the Republican party, the racism is to be expected from these bottom-feeders. Obama is a moderate if anything, there is no other way to look at the incredible vitriol of the right towards him except thru the eyes of a racist. I would love to hear the off-mike comments of McConnell, Palin, Boehner, Limbaugh, et all, when they talk about him.
He is the perfect poster boy for Tea Party Bigotry. His so-called letter to President Lincoln speaks volumes of his inner detest for people of color. It is a sad day to give this shameless soul – air time on TV to market his negative beliefs.
I'm not a fan of WIlliams or the Tea Party but I see no reason for them to expel people from the group because the NAACP demands it since the NAACP refuses to do the same. There is an elephant in the room when it comes to racism which is that a lot of "anti-racist" groups, the NAACP being one of them, don't follow the same rules they demand of everyone.