Republicans Claim Free Speech Re: Hitler/Obama Comparisons at Tea Party

Oh it can be hard work being a Tea Party promoter. The Republican Party of Duval County, Florida wants you to know that just because they promoted a Tea Party event with e-mails that stated "Paid by Republican Party of Duval County"-- a disclaimer which is required by state law regarding political communications -- and featured Duval Republican Party Chairman Lenny Curry broadcasting live from the event on the party's weekly radio broadcast hosted by AM 1320, they are not responsible for:

a few individuals holding controversial signs who were present at the Tea Party and construed them to represent the views and beliefs of myself, elected officials present at the Tea Party, the DCREC, Tea Party organizers, and the thousand or so honest, hard-working people who were in attendance at the Tea Party.

According to JaxPoliticsOnline.com:

numerous signs that were prominently displayed at the gathering, including two that featured Barack Obama in Nazi garb. One sign, in fact, had altered Obama's appearance to resemble Hitler. Other signs compared ACORN, the community organizing group accused of voter registration irregularities, with the SS-the Nazi organization responsible for enacting the Holocaust and the group responsible for most of the crimes against humanity committed by the Third Reich.

Photos from the group's event posted on Facebook by the Duval County Republican Party Social Media Coordinator Stephen Butters that featured the signs have been removed. Duval Republican Party Chairman Lenny Curry explained the Tea Party's position on these Tea Party attendees:

I believe Tea Party officials made the right choice in not bringing further attention to those few people in attendance holding inappropriate signs by forcing them to leave or to put their signs away. Refusing them entry into this event or calling them out for their ridiculous signs would have given them a larger platform than they deserve.

But posting their pictures on Facebook didn't? Curry adds that:

the philosopher Voltaire once said, 'I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to my death your right to say it.' I believe in this principle and I support the actions of the Tea Party organizers for allowing Free Speech to prevail.

And the Duval Republican Party shows that support for free speech by celebrating it in photos.

More photos and more from the Republican Party of Duval County here

Lisa Derrick is La Figa at Firedoglake.com

Follow Lisa Derrick on Twitter: www.twitter.com/lalisa93

Comments

[hollenfeuer]

Godwin's Law. GOP loses.

kthxgg

[ongoliard]

Here are some more of my photos:

Jacksonville, Florida 7/2/09: http://ong­oliard.50w­ebs.com/Te­a_Party/

St Augustine Florida 7/5/09: http://ong­oliard.50w­ebs.com/Te­a_Party_2/

Enjoy :-)

[Denney Crane]

I think it's outrageous that a radical white-wing racist would spew hate speech just like a radical left-wing racist... We can't allow this to get started! Nip it in the bud... throw the tea party protesters in the FEMA concentration camps where they belong!

Right wing free speech must be stopped! Only liberals can spew hate speech in a politically correct fashion.

www.bostonlegalsass.blogspot.com

[LeftRight]

Considering that this is the party that doesn't like free speech when it's against them (or for something that they don't like, such as p0rn) I could say that's unacceptable. On the other hand, as pointed out in "The American President":

"America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours."

In other words, I don't like what they are saying, but NO ONE can tell them that they cannot say it, provided that what they are saying isn't breaking some public safety law.

[peterg76]

Comparisons with Hitler are usually a sign of desperation. The publicity might work for Obama in the long term.

[billstewart]

Any party is going to have some wingnuts who are rude and offensive that they have to deal with, whether it's the Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians (my party), Greens (probably the nicest of the major parties), or whoever. And often they're not going to deal with them well. But the Republican leadership (the political leaders, not just shock-jock entertainers like Rush) have been setting a bad example, with speakers at major Conservative meetings calling Obama a Commie and saying he's like Stalin or Lenin.

If they'd called Obama a Swedish-style socialist, or a Roosevelt-style Keynesian, that might have been acceptable rhetoric, but Sweden's been looking pretty decent lately compared to the US mess, everybody's forgotten how economically disastrous Roosevelt's bold programs were, and the Republican party was just transformed by 8 years of autocratic keep-every­body-on-me­ssage-and-­purge-the-­disloyal control by Rove, Cheney, and that Texan who worked for them.

[barrycourage]

The psychiatric ward is a small place indeed.

When throwing a tea party, be sure to invite everyone there, including the paranoid schizophrenics.

Otherwise, prepare for trouble with getting your meds, good food, or your straight jackets laundered.

[SiberianRat]

The GOP likes free speech when it allows them to engage in way offensive hyperbole, but they decry it otherwise.