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Lewis Called a Nier, Frank Called a Faot at Tea Party Protest

by Amy Judd | March 20, 2010 at 01:38 pm

486 views | 20 Recommendations | 7 comments

Rep. John Lewis (D-G.A.) Called a 'Ni**er', Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass) Called a 'Fa**ot', and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-M.D.) Spat on by a Protestor at Tea Party Protests at the Capitol

Thousands of protesters gathered at the Capitol Saturday morning ahead of President Obama's speech to the House Democrats, and as The Huffington Post reports, as the members of Congress were passing through the Longworth House office building a number of things were shouted at some members and a staff member for Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) told waiting reporters that Cleaver was spat on by a protester.

Protest Rally Planned at the Capitol on Saturday

Mr. John Lewis was called a 'ni**er' and Mr. Barney Frank was called in a 'fa**ot' by people who used 'deliberately lisp-y screams' according to the HuffPo. Frank did not seem to let the incident bother him, but Mr. James Clyburn expressed disbelief at what had happened:

"It was absolutely shocking to me," Clyburn told the Huffington Post. "Last Monday, this past Monday, I stayed home to meet on the campus of Claflin University where fifty years ago as of last Monday... I led the first demonstrations in South Carolina, the sit ins... And quite frankly I heard some things today I have not heard since that day. I heard people saying things that I have not heard since March 15, 1960 when I was marching to try and get off the back of the bus."

Clyburn went on to say:

"A lot of us have been saying for a long time that much of this, much of this is not about health care a all. And I think a lot of those people today demonstrated that this is not about health care... it is about trying to extend a basic fundamental right to people who are less powerful."

Mr. John Lewis told the McClatchy Newpaper:

It surprised me that people are so mean and we can’t engage in a civil dialog and debate

The Hill Blog states that when Tom DeLay (R-Texas) was asked if he heard any of the 'racial epithets and slurs' he said that he did not, but did say that emotions were high in the crowds.

The Capitol Police warned those protesting about their behavior, and after the meeting ended the crowd left in an orderly manner of their own accord.

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nanute

at 14:37 on March 20th, 2010

And this behavior is a surprise? After what we saw last week with the way "protesters" treated a Parkinson's afflicted pro health care reform advocate, it shouldn't be a revelation at all. Shocking Video: Tea Partiers Mock And Scorn Parkinson's Victim

Karen Hatter

at 16:41 on March 20th, 2010

Nanute, what I find most interesting about the obviously ill-mannered behavior of some of these folks are the Republican Party officials' reactions and attempts, by representatives and senators, to, on the one hand, say the behavior is despicable, while they also explain they understand how upset these folks are, which, I guess, means somehow their actions are possibly expected or excusable?

YankeeJim

at 15:49 on March 20th, 2010

Nice crowd.

There are no excuses, just losers.

eastvanray

at 19:00 on March 20th, 2010

Wow! These are some seriously pissed off people.

dysamoria

at 00:14 on March 22nd, 2010

agreeing with YankeeJim: NO excuses. but also, i'm not surprised. people are horrible and getting worse.

This quote:

"It surprised me that people are so mean and we can’t engage in a civil dialog and debate"

makes me wonder if this man has ever really dealt much with people, especially over the last decade. Heck, there's a hate-blog (authored by a clique of insecure, racist, hate-filled brats) dedicated to slandering me, and i'm not even a public figure.

people are nasty, cruel, rude, and just plain horrible to each other. especially in groups. there has been a major shift in this country toward people being cruel and antipathetic toward each other and "crowd mentality" makes it come out even uglier and louder.

-jace
dysamoria dot com

Dwightwannabe (not verified)

at 06:16 on April 5th, 2010

I read every word of the article you linked to the word "warned." No one was "warned" in any way, shape, fashion, or form. The article also contains a falsehood that some unnamed person was arrested for spitting. This is not true. Smear, smear, smear.

Dwightwannabe (not verified)

at 06:18 on April 5th, 2010

Oh, and by the way, it's 2010. The rule is "pictures or it didn't happen." Libs have been playing that card for years. So.... Pictures or it didn't happen. Period.