(CNN) -- The National Tea Party Federation, an organization that represents the Tea Party political movement around the country, has expelled conservative commentator Mark Williams and his Tea Party Express because of an inflammatory blog post he wrote, federation spokesman David Webb said Sunday.

Appearing on the CBS program "Face the Nation," Webb said that Williams and the Tea Party Express -- which has held a series of events across the country to generate support for the movement -- no longer were part of the National Tea Party Federation.

"We, in the last 24 hours, have expelled Tea Party Express and Mark Williams from the National Tea Party Federation because of the letter that he wrote," Webb said of the blog post by Williams that satirized a fictional letter from what he called "Colored People" to President Abraham Lincoln.

Webb called the blog post "clearly offensive."

Williams did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday afternoon.

Williams wrote the blog post in response to a resolution by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) that called on Tea Party leaders to crack down on racist elements in the movement.

The NAACP, the nation's main group advocating civil rights for African Americans, cited signs carried at Tea Party events and racial slurs reportedly shouted at black congress members during an event as some examples of racism in the movement.
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The announcement by Webb on a Sunday talk show demonstrated that the public outcry over the issue had resonated with the Tea Party movement, and indicated a possible split within its leadership.

On the same program, NAACP President Benjamin Jealous called for other Tea Party leaders besides Webb, who is African American, to come out against racist elements in the movement.

"Dear Mr. Lincoln," began the fictional letter posted by Williams. "We Coloreds have taken a vote and decided that we don't cotton to that whole emancipation thing. Freedom means having to work for real, think for ourselves, and take consequences along with the rewards. That is just far too much to ask of us Colored People and we demand that it stop!"

Williams went on to write that the Tea Party movement couldn't be racist because it opposed government bailouts for Wall Street banks and big corporations.

"Bailouts are just big money welfare and isn't that what we want all Coloreds to strive for?" the posting said. "What kind of racist would want to end big money welfare? What they need to do is start handing the bail outs directly to us coloreds!"

Williams, a conservative talk radio host, said the post was intended as satire. He took it down as criticism mounted

people dont realize how hurtful words can be or how impactful. I am not sure he needed to be expelled instead of just publicly declaring his ACTIONS and WORDS as unacceptable and giving him the opportunity to straighten out,,, a political movement rarely has perfect people but ,,, I am glad the party did make SOME response,,

their image is slowly improving in my eyes

i think he should have been kicked out...he's a politician, not a comedian... if he wants to try to be funny, he should get on the cast of the daily show or something...

oh, the piece said he is a conservative commentator, is he also a politician?

said he is a part-time radio talk host.... does that count?

read this and see what you think

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/07/16/martin.tea.party.civil.rights/index.html

interesting read


truly, its probably a no to all the issues raised as none are EXPLICITLY described or covered or mandated by the constitution

my impression of the movement is that they basically stand for little to NO federal government(ie, little to no UNITED laws across states) , and prefer each state to be able to just define their own laws and regulations

they seem to be constitution fanatics who want things run ONLY as described by the constitution written by those governing an america that existed two hundred years ago,,,

If that's ALL you 'understand', then you 'understand' very little about the REAL Tea Party movement ... and I'm sure any 'misunderstanding' is 'accidental' ..

well, very little is explained

from THEIR website

'A community committed to standing together, shoulder to shoulder, to protect our country and the Constitution upon which we were founded! '

and then this

'Tea Party Patriots, Inc. as an organization believes in the Fiscal Responsibility, Constitutionally Limited Government, and Free Markets. Tea Party Patriots, Inc. is a non-partisan grassroots organization of individuals united by our core values derived from the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States of America, the Bill Of Rights as explained in the Federalist Papers.'


so its not just the constitution, its the declaration of independence and bill of rights as well,,, governing ideas over an America which existed two hundred years ago

The tea baggers or tea partiers whichever they prefer to be called have so much racism and fringe politics in the group they have little hope of being considered a legitimate third party worth voting for in most elections.


This is just one of so many cases that they cannot defend them all.

with all fairness, I dont think the blatant racism is the norm in the movement and is more akin to reflect the blatant racism in america,,,,

its much more subtle a problem in modern times than it once was and I dont expect any party or organization to accomplish eradicating it anymore than I expect america as a country to eradicate it

I have yet to see a valid concern that the baggers or partiers stand for.

They have all the fringe rhetoric that is not a valid concern.

Socialism is not a concern here it will never be one.
Healthcare reform was not a government take over of healthcare and all the crazy notions that go along with that subject.
Most of the tea baggers or partiers do not even pay income taxes and scream to get their taxes lowered. They actually get refunds.

They pull people in on this rhetoric, which if the people thought about it or researched they wouldn't be fooled by the rhetoric.

Have you ever watched one of their meetings?

It is a bunch crap they discuss. Hatemongering and fearmongering nontruths is all you hear.

I can agree with their stand on being fiscally responsible. It makes sense. Its their opposition to the federal government and obsession with the government from 200 years ago (when people still had slaves, there was a small percentage of the population there is now and the economy reached across towns as opposed to across the globe) that seems far reaching and dangerous to me.

Where were the "fiscal responsibility fanatics" when Bush put us in the hole to at least a trillion dollars with an illegal war?

Sure didn't hear a peep out of these people then.

Bush wasn't fiscally responsible at any level except for his tax cuts to the rich, which is not fiscally responsible for the government.

If they were consistent and had been calling for it all along then they would appear valid but not just popping up now that a black man is spending money.

I try to think the best of people, but it is very possible the 'fire' that fanned the flames was OBamas race,,,,, I dont know for sure and I hope not

but, I still believe in fiscal responsibility and I guess this movement had to START sometime or another,,,,,(too bad it wasnt sooner or it might seem more legit,, as you say)