Former President Jimmy Carter drew widespread criticism Wednesday for saying in an interview that Rep. Joe Wilson's "You lie!" outburst last week was "based on racism" and that an "overwhelming portion" of similar demonstrations against President Obama are rooted in bigotry.

Obama's supporters have attributed racist motives to some opponents of his health care plan for weeks, but Carter is the highest-profile person so far to push that claim.

While some anti-Obama demonstrators have been seen carrying over-the-top or racially offensive signs, administration critics say Carter is flat wrong to claim that those fringe protesters make up the bulk of Obama's detractors.

"I don't see race as an issue. It's all about the policies that are coming out of the current administration," said Deneen Borelli, a black conservative who spoke at the protest rally held in Washington Saturday. Much of the condemnation of Obama's critics has come as a response to that protest, where tens of thousands demonstrated against big government and over-spending.

"I just see this as the race card being used once again to distract the American people from the core issues," Borelli said.

Adam Brandon, spokesman for protest organizer FreedomWorks, said Carter's comments were "absurd." He noted that the protest featured about a dozen black speakers.

"To say this crowd was racist is absolutely absurd when black speakers were probably the most popular speakers," he said.

I think former President Carter was correct in what he stated. Racism is alive and well in this country.

i THINK YOUR RIGHT .. 73% of the blacks still hate your *** . that comes from a survey recently taken . and of course I think the young kid who just got the **** beaten out of him because the black bus driver ordered him to sit down . the bus driver wouldn,t get up and break up the fight he started . and 2 blacks took turns beating the crap out of him. even thou he wouldn't fight back . where are all the grey dogs when you need them . all caught on tv ... but the lib,s are in cover up and spin mode now . they said there was no racism in it . the white kid was at fault ,, he was the one whose family lived in a black neighborhood .. I think he would agree with you ..

I think former President Carter was correct in what he stated. Racism is alive and well in this country.

You're right, it is, but its not just white racists. You live in the PHX area I'm sure at one point or another you've heard Mexicans talk about killin the honky white boy and takin back the south west! Theres racists in all ethnic groups. This nonsense about all these protests being based on racism is out and out unfounded. After 8 years of watching Dick Cheyney screw things up we had this guy promising change and yet to me and many others he's gonna make it worse, and Carter is a senile idiot, he sucked as a president and I bet he sucks as a college professor.

So we should just sit back and let congress do as it pleases because we have a black president.

I still have yet to see a plan from Obama. They are all coming from congress and that's what the people are protesting not the fact that Obama's black.

It's the Dem members of congress that are making a racial issue out of this because the people are strongly against what they want to do to our country. It wouldn't matter what race the president is.

I know this will fall upon deaf ears because some only believe what the likes of Olberman and Maddow say

Former President Jimmy Carter drew widespread criticism Wednesday for saying in an interview that Rep. Joe Wilson's "You lie!" outburst last week was "based on racism" and that an "overwhelming portion" of similar demonstrations against President Obama are rooted in bigotry.

Obama's supporters have attributed racist motives to some opponents of his health care plan for weeks, but Carter is the highest-profile person so far to push that claim.

While some anti-Obama demonstrators have been seen carrying over-the-top or racially offensive signs, administration critics say Carter is flat wrong to claim that those fringe protesters make up the bulk of Obama's detractors.

"I don't see race as an issue. It's all about the policies that are coming out of the current administration," said Deneen Borelli, a black conservative who spoke at the protest rally held in Washington Saturday. Much of the condemnation of Obama's critics has come as a response to that protest, where tens of thousands demonstrated against big government and over-spending.

"I just see this as the race card being used once again to distract the American people from the core issues," Borelli said.

Adam Brandon, spokesman for protest organizer FreedomWorks, said Carter's comments were "absurd." He noted that the protest featured about a dozen black speakers

"To say this crowd was racist is absolutely absurd when black speakers were probably the most popular speakers," he said.

He did make a fine peanut farmer and Billy was a funny drunk. Go Billy Beer!

Oh my, Carter tells a simple truth and we deny it? Interesting but not surprising. I won't even bother getting long winded. I'm learning that no matter what I say it will be shouted down as liberal nonsense anyway.

I read some interesting stuff today about what happened to the republican party, I had been wondering for some time and about the evangelical radical right in our government. Might be interesting to those that might consider yet another interesting point of view..

http://frank-schaeffer.blogspot.com/

There's several good reads here about the current craziness and the point of view of an ex conservative fundementalist with famous parents who were also evangelical fundementalists and what they really want to achieve by way of political manipulation.

If you deny racism or a heavily dominated republican party with evangelical fundamentalists, you might want to avoid it.

An uncle of mine had a six-pack of billy beer on his bar shelf

Usually, it's just us Rednecks what would collect a Billy Beer.
Congrats to your Uncle. He's got great Redneck class!

I think former President Carter was correct in what he stated. Racism is alive and well in this country.

i THINK YOUR RIGHT .. 73% of the blacks still hate your butt

You're right, it is, but its not just white racists. You live in the PHX area I'm sure at one point or another you've heard Mexicans talk about killin the honky white boy and takin back the south west! Theres racists in all ethnic groups. This nonsense about all these protests being based on racism is out and out unfounded. After 8 years of watching Dick Cheyney screw things up we had this guy promising change and yet to me and many others he's gonna make it worse, and Carter is a senile idiot, he sucked as a president and I bet he sucks as a college professor.

nobody hung (or burned) effigies of Bush?