How Do You Feel About the Tea Party Now?

Rand Paul, Ron Paul's son, won the election in Kentucky as a Tea Party Candidate. I love Ron Paul and I'm on his list serve.  I realize that Ron Paul and his son have embraced the Tea Party wholeheartedly, but I was reluctant to follow.  Namely because my perception of the Tea Party is that it consists of racist rednecks who are anti-immigrants and government.  The morning after Rand Paul and several other teabaggers  won elections in the United States, I almost changed my mind. I heard a broadcast on NPR about how the it was shocking that Republican Voters went to the polls and voted for the Tea Party because they are also anti-war--which is contrary to the Republican Platform.  If I had to classify myself, it would be as an anti-war, anti-spending Libertarian. I almost jumped on the bandwagon, but the end of that broadcast.  Then, as quickly as that feeling came, it went. I got on the subway to the office, picked up a Metro (free paper available in most big cities all over the world) and read about this jerk-off.  Mark Williams, a leader of the Tea Party, said this regarding the new Islamic Community Center that is to be built in downtown Manhattan--near the former World Trade Center:

 “The monument would consist of a mosque for the worship of the terrorists’ monkey-god.” Urged to apologise, he said: “I owe an apology to millions of Hindus who worship Lord Hanuman, an actual monkey god.”

I don't have to be a monkey to see that he's a racist and hateful bastard.  This community center is slated to be built in the old Burlington Coat Factory Building two blocks away from the World Trade Center site.

The $100 million (£69 million) project would include a swimming pool, a basketball court, a 500-seat theatre and possibly a daycare centre. About 2,000 Muslims are expected to attend Friday prayers there.

Well, I wonder if he realizes that there was a mosque IN the WTC.  Just as there was a shul.  Jews and Muslims need to pray during the work day and the WTC accounted for that. I imagine there was a chapel as well.  So, if they are building another mosque/community center near by--I am sure that it serves a need for the Mulim-American community.  Remember, none of the terrorists were American.  And, even if you disagree with Muslims' freedom to worship, how can an emerging third party's leader say ignoramus things like "monkey-god."

So, they lost me.

I find it hard to believe that the Tea Party will continue to gain power when they spew nonsense like this.  How will they gain the support of sane and educated people?  I'm not sure if the Tea Party is going to continue to support this monkey asswipe as a political boss, but I am probably lost to their cause.

Do you support the tea party?