Does Herman Cain's rise prove that the Tea Party isn't racist?
The small-government protest movement opposes America's first black president — but loves the man trying to become the GOP's first black nominee

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Of all the things Tea Partiers hate — socialism, President Obama, Big Government — perhaps none wrankles them more than the allegation that they're racist. Now, many Tea Party backers are lining up behind a black man, Herman Cain, as their choice for president. In a new NBC-Wall Street Journal poll, 69 percent of Tea Party supporters gave the former Godfather's Pizza CEO a "favorable" score. Does this prove once and for all that the Tea Party isn't racist?
Yes. This confirms the racism smear was bogus: The Left can't deal with "Herman Cain's rise to Tea Party favorite and top-tier GOP candidate," says Jonathan Neumann at Commentary, because it torpedoes liberals' desperate attempt to paint anyone who differs with them as racist. The truth is that conservatives "care less about race than liberals do." The accusation that the Tea Party's opposition to Obama or illegal immigration was based on race was always a "vulgar mischaracterization."
"Study smears Tea Party again"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
No. Cain is the exception who proves the rule: "Racial animus" is not the defining element of Tea Party ideology, says Leonard Pitts Jr. at The Miami Herald, but it's part of it. Conservatives like "two kinds of blacks." One, like Condoleezza Rice, is too polite to bring up race at all. The other "engages on race," but only to lecture blacks about how they have "the same opportunities to succeed as whites if they'd only get off their lazy so-and-sos and do it." That's "Herman Cain all over." Indeed, Cain "neatly encapsulates what has become an article of faith" for many Tea Partiers: "Namely, that it is they, not black and brown people, who are the true victims of bigotry."
Regardless, Cain will soon fade: Cain "may or may not be proof of the Tea Party's color-blindness," says Peter St. Onge at The Charlotte Observer. And in truth, the Tea Party movement does seem far more focused "on government largesse than the skin color of the people benefiting from it." But either way, this debate won't last long. Cain's signature 9-9-9 tax plan has been universally panned by economists, and it's all but certain that his "time at the top of the polls" will be quite short.
"Is Herman Cain proof the Tea Party isn't racist?"
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Elix, part of Mar-Bella Collection review: a Greek beachside oasis
The Week Recommends This family-friendly resort offers access to a beautiful beach
By Kaye O'Doherty Published
-
The Indigenous referendum splitting the Australian public
The Explainer The referendum would form a federal body of Aboriginal people in Australia
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Who is Laphonza Butler, California's new senator and champion of labor?
Why Everyone's Talking About Butler has served as the president of pro-choice advocacy group EMILY's List
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Dianne Feinstein, history-making Democratic US senator, dies at 90
The Explainer Her colleagues celebrate her legacy as a trailblazer who cleared the path for other women to follow
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Will the cannabis banking bill get the Senate's green light?
Talking Point The SAFER Banking Act is advancing to the US Senate for the first time, clearing a major hurdle for legal cannabis businesses. Does it stand a chance?
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Trump surrenders in Georgia election subversion case
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries chosen to succeed Pelosi as leader of House Democrats
Speed Read
By Brigid Kennedy Published
-
GOP leader Kevin McCarthy's bid for House speaker may really be in peril
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Are China's protests a real threat for Beijing?
opinion The sharpest opinions on the debate from around the web
By Harold Maass Published
-
Who is Nick Fuentes, the white nationalist who dined with Trump and Kanye?
Speed Read From Charlottesville to Mar-a-Lago in just five years
By Rafi Schwartz Published
-
Jury convicts Oath Keepers Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs of seditious conspiracy in landmark Jan. 6 verdict
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published