Times Watch Quotes of Note - Kate Zernike Still Smearing Tea Party as Racist
Kate Zernike Still Smearing Tea Party as Racist
"It
seems the ultimate thumb in the eye: that Glenn Beck would summon the
Tea Party faithful to a rally on the anniversary of the March on
Washington, and address them from the very place where the Rev. Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his 'I have a dream' speech 47 years
ago. After all, the Tea Party and its critics have been facing off for
months over accusations of racism.... Still, the government programs
that many Tea Party supporters call unconstitutional are the ones that
have helped many black people emerge from poverty and
discrimination....Even if Tea Party members are right that any racist
signs are those of mischief-makers, even if Glenn Beck had chosen any
other Saturday to hold his rally, it would be hard to quiet the
argument about the Tea Party and race." - Reporter Kate Zernike,
smearing the Tea Party again in her August 28 story on Glenn Beck's
upcoming "Restoring Honor" rally at the Lincoln Memorial.
"The
overwhelmingly white and largely middle-aged crowd Saturday was a mix
of groups that have come together under the Tea Party umbrella." - Kate Zernike on the "Restoring Honor" rally at the Lincoln Memorial, August 29 edition.
Um Yes, That's How It Works
"The
Justice Department decided last week not to bring charges against Tom
DeLay, whose unethical conduct represented a modern low among
Congressional leaders...Mr. DeLay, the Texas Republican who had been
the House majority leader, crowed that he had been 'found innocent.'
But many of Mr. DeLay's actions remain legal only because lawmakers
have chosen not to criminalize them." - From an August 22 editorial.
Matt Bai Blames "Nativist Impulse" Against Ground Zero Mosque Opponents
"A
nativist impulse underlies this type of political appeal, and it is not
new. It springs, perhaps, more from human nature than from any defect
in the American character; when our way of life feels imperiled, we
tend to cast a wary eye toward those who embody otherness....The 1850s,
for instance, saw the rise of the American Party - more commonly
called the Know Nothings, because that was their response to any
inquiries about their secret activities. Like us, they found themselves
stranded in a fast-changing society, its economy transformed by
emerging railroads and this gizmo called the telegraph." - From political writer Matt Bai's August 8 Week in Review column on opposition to the Ground Zero mosque.
Obama Opponents Long for Return to "White and Largely Christian Nation"
"From
the moment he took the oath of office, using his entire name, Barack
Hussein Obama, as he swore to protect and defend the Constitution, Mr.
Obama has personified the hopes of many Americans about tolerance and
inclusion. He has devoted himself to reaching out to the Muslim world,
vowing, as he did in Cairo last year, 'a new beginning.' But his 'new
beginning' has aroused nervousness in some, especially those who
disagree with his counterterrorism policies, or those more comfortable
with a vision of America as a white and largely Christian nation, and
not the pluralistic melting pot Mr. Obama represents." - Sheryl Gay Stolberg, August 15.
Sheryl Gay Stolberg, Liberal Urban Elitist
"Here's
another reason for the disconnect. I think, in New York, especially in
Manhattan, people realize that Muslims live and work in Lower
Manhattan, in the area where they're seeking to build this mosque and
community center, which would also include a fitness center where young
people could play basketball or swim or what have you. Out in the
country, the news coverage has not been as intense, there are fewer
details and it allows for the debate to be reduced to its essence,
boiled down to a few words: Mosque at Ground Zero. And those words have
become inflammatory around the country and I think the nuances is
somewhat lost, frankly." - Sheryl Gay Stolberg discussing
opposition to the mosque at Ground Zero, on the August 19 "Political
Points" podcast hosted at nytimes.com.
For more biased quotes from the New York Times, see Times Watch's latest Quotes of Note page.
