At the top of the 3PM ET hour on MSNBC, anchor Peter Alexander reported on a Tea Party event being held in Boston and grilled conservative author Kevin Jackson on "the fringe elements who show up for these rallies. Some in the past have had offensive signs and rhetoric." As Alexander spoke a large sign from the Boston rally appeared on screen, displaying the word 'LOVE' and a heart symbol.
In fairness to Alexander, he prefaced his comment by acknowledging that such signs were "perhaps not at today's event."
After Jackson, author of The Big Black Lie and founder of TheBlackSphere.net, observed that the "fringe" claim was "much ado about nothing," Alexander responded by arguing that a recent email sent out calling on tea party members to avoid any offensive behavior was evidence of offensive behavior: "I think it said the following: Like, 'no chants or signs that you wouldn't want to repeat to your mother or children....'No bigotry, threats, or profanity. No alcohol or pre-drinking.' I mean, would that be necessary if there weren't signs of bigotry or offensive signs at these events?"
Jackson shot back: "it's probably more preemptive to deal with what is being said by the Left, because it just flatly doesn't occur. You know, all the racism that supposedly occurs, I would love to see it....I've yet to find anybody from the Right that I would declare as a racist."
Apparently, Alexander then found the footage he was looking for, showing old B-role of a handful of offensive signs from past events: "We're looking at some pictures. And obviously, these are the fringe elements to which we refer. But there's Obama being painted a mustache on to look like Hitler there."
Here is a transcript of the exchange:
3:01 PM ET
PETER ALEXANDER: Kevin, if I can, perhaps not at today's event, but as you've noted in the past, a lot's been made of some of what they refer to as the fringe elements who show up for these rallies. Some in the past have had offensive signs and rhetoric.
What's your take on that?
KEVIN JACKSON [AUTHOR, THE BIG BLACK LIE; FOUNDER BLACKSPHERE.NET]: Well, as I've said before, I personally don't believe that all the fringe element are people from the Tea Party and what's being defined as 'fringe' are signs that have appeared in many other times under – when Bush was running for office or, you know, in liberal types of environments where they were protesting against anti-war, things like that. So it's just – to me it's no different than at any other time in America's history. So I just see it as something, much ado about nothing.
ALEXANDER: Much ado about – the only reason I bring it up is because there was an e-mail that was recently sent by the Columbus Tea Party to its supporters, and I think it said the following: Like, 'no chants or signs that you wouldn't want to repeat to your mother or children.' Here it is on your screen. 'No bigotry, threats, or profanity. No alcohol or pre-drinking.' I mean, would that be necessary if there weren't signs of bigotry or offensive signs at these events?
JACKSON: Well, I personally think that sending out things like that do nothing except fuel the fire from the Left, because the fact of the matter is I've done over a hundred tea parties, none of that has occurred. So it's probably more preemptive to deal with what is being said by the Left, because it just flatly doesn't occur. You know, all the racism that supposedly occurs, I would love to see it. I've been chasing the tea party racists for quite a few months now and I've yet to find anybody from the Right that I would declare as a racist.
ALEXANDER: We're looking at some pictures. And obviously, these are the fringe elements to which we refer. But there's Obama being painted a mustache on to look like Hitler there.
