The Spectacle Blog
Photo: Ali Akbar and Doug Hoffman
Whenever I introduce Ali Akbar to friends, I usually feel compelled to add the explanation that he’s a Southern Baptist from Texas, which leaves him to relate the backstory: His African-American mother was a college student in Texas when she met and married an Arab exchange student, who subsequently abandoned his wife and son to return to his native country. Given the events of recent years, it is perhaps somewhat ironic that Ali grew up to become a Republican campaign strategist.
Ali’s specialty is New Media, which explains how I met him in October 2009 during Doug Hoffman’s historic third-party congressional campaign in New York’s 23rd District. It was my second trip to the district, and I arrived in the wee hours of Oct. 30 at a rental house in Lake Placid, N.Y., where I had been granted sofa-crashing privileges. The crew in the house were Eric Odom, Steve Foley and Ali — who were working on the Tea Party news site 73Wire — and Yates Walker, who had been brought in by Dan Tripp to run the Hoffman campaign’s Plattsburgh office. There was pizza and beer and we talked until nearly dawn, then got up a few hours later for a trip to Plattsburgh, where Hoffman met at a diner with the mayor who endorsed him. As I said, it was “like reporting a hurricane from the eye of the storm.” RINO Dede Scozzafava quit the race on Halloween morning, and the next day Ali rode with me for the high-speed 120-mile drive westward along Highway 3 to Watertown, N.Y. By the time we arrived, Dede had endorsed the Democrat, Bill Owens. On Election Day, Ali and I repeated our high-speed drive in the opposite direction to arrive at the Hotel Saranac for what we expected to be a victory celebration. It was a tearful moment when Hoffman conceded a narrow defeat, but as he said, it was “worth the fight.”
NY-23 was, as several people said at the time, the “template” for a new kind of campaign operation that combines volunteer grassroots energy with New Media messaging and social networking. Through the subsequent careers of those who joined Hoffman’s crusade (see “Battle Cry in the North Country”), you can trace a straight line from that against-the-odds Tea Party campaign to the Scott Brown victory in Massachusetts, Marco Rubio’s defeat of Charlie Crist in Florida, the GOP mid-term victory in 2010, and on into this year’s special-election victory in NY-9 and the 2012 Republican presidential campaign.
Over the course of the past two years, Ali and I have crossed paths in Boston, Alabama, Nevada, Georgia, Ohio and D.C., and shared a hotel suite during my recent visit to Tampa, Florida, for the Sept. 12 presidential debate. All of which is a preamble necessary to explain that when actor Morgan Freeman accused the Tea Party of racism, my friend Ali was hurt and offended and felt compelled to write an open letter:
Dear Mr. Freeman,
My name is Ali Akbar. I’m a 26 year-old African-American small business owner and a tea party activist… .
I idolized you as a boy. Growing up without a father, you were one of the strong black men in my life who gave me a model to follow. Each of the characters you played had dignity and confidence. I tried to emulate the strength you projected… .
I’ve attended dozens of tea party events. I’ve helped organize them, and I’ve even spoken at a few. The tea party is not what is often depicted in the news. It is people of all colors who are terribly concerned about the direction that America is heading. We don’t trust big government to make decisions for us. And we fear that the present administration’s spending is going to lead our country down a path to insolvency, much like what Greece is currently facing… .
I’m hoping that you’ll come to a tea party in Tennessee - the place of your birth. Really anywhere in the country that works for you; I’ll set it up with the one of the thousands of activists I know around our great country. I’d be delighted to introduce you to good people who will welcome you with open arms, disagree with you, and then feed you some of the best barbeque you’ve ever tasted… .
Read the whole thing. And if anyone has any doubts about Ali’s Tea Party bona fides, tell them to get in touch with me — or Doug Hoffman.
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Clint| 9.28.11 @ 12:45PM
We Tea Party Patriots don't allow agendists to define us.
Morgan Freeman reached into the barrel bottom & Played The Race Card.
Doctor Doctor| 9.28.11 @ 1:43PM
Clint! Are you feeling okay? You only capitalized half the words this time!
As long as I'm here let me also add that charges of anti-Semitism in the Tea Party are just as false as any other charges of racism. Tea Partiers are solid in their support of Israel and the importance of defending Israel against all attackers. Right Clint?
Clint| 9.28.11 @ 1:58PM
We Tea Party Patriots don't allow agendists to define us.
We Don't Allow You Israel Firster Agendists to Play The Anti-Semite Card on us either.
The Tea Party Rebellion Is Here.
Doctor Doctor| 9.28.11 @ 2:20PM
When it comes to Israel, the Tea Party is united. You don't find anti-Semites in the Tea Party because in the middle east "Israel First" is the right policy for America. Anything else is pure lunacy.
Clint| 9.28.11 @ 2:44PM
Read Our Tea Party Patriots Mission Statement.
It Says Nothing About An Israel Firster Agenda.
The Tea Party Rebellion Is Here.
Occam's Tool| 9.28.11 @ 2:52PM
You are an antisemite, Clint. Truth is not a card, dimbulb.
As Morgan Freeman is a bigot, so are you.
Occam's Tool| 9.28.11 @ 2:54PM
And I'm not talking about you as a Tea Partier, Clint, 'cause I'm one, too.
I'm talking about you as a man who I would not trust with the safety of my children. A man who cannot be trusted with kids is no man at all, he's a degenerate. You sir, are filth.
Clint| 9.28.11 @ 3:05PM
You Seem So Upset & All Atwitter This Fine Day, Tool Job.
Was It Something I Said, Little Maniac ?
Hmmmmmmmm ?
Clint| 9.28.11 @ 3:02PM
Uh Oh !
Screwball Israel Firster Fanatic Tool Job Attempts To Play The Anti-Semite Card On Tea Party Clint Again.
Maniac Tool Job Is All PMS'y & Angst Ridden Because Many Of We Tea Party Patriots < Our tea Party Senator Dr.Rand Paul & Our Tea Party Co-Favorite Presidential Candidate Dr.Ron Paul Don't Asskiss His Israel Firster Agenda.
The Tea Party Rebellion Is Here.
Tibberton| 9.28.11 @ 1:10PM
If the Tea Party having one member who had an Arab father doesn't refute Freeman's outrageous comments then I don't know what would.
Skippy| 9.28.11 @ 3:06PM
Schmuck. Oy!
beebop| 9.28.11 @ 5:46PM
Considering the one trick pony in the WH, I am surprised that you have much time to descend into pettiness. Oh. Wait. Pettiness. The new face of the Demoncraft party ....
Tibberton| 9.28.11 @ 5:54PM
I'm just summarizing the original article, beebop. And you can't blame the author of the article, either. He did the best with what he had. You go to blog with the token you have, not the tokens you wish you had.
Ex-Liberal| 9.28.11 @ 1:28PM
Ali, thank you for setting a great example for our fellow citizens!
caitlin| 9.28.11 @ 1:36PM
That's all well and good. But I personally know people who are biased against people of color. And they are very proud Tea Party members. They've been making "coded" comments at parties since the beginning. They were brought into my circle of friends by other acquaintances so I don't know them well. But the Tea Party friends of mine who are not racist in any way don't say anything! I don't think the whole Party is racist, but it's there and I can't help but wonder if my experience isn't shared by others. When a public figure calls the Tea Party racist (and it's been done quite a few times) it's hard to understand why the Tea Party would be offended.
Mr. Akbar's letter is wonderful. I hope Mr. Freeman takes notice and responds. However, the Tea Party members need to address this very real issue.
Skippy| 9.28.11 @ 1:58PM
Why should they?
Should the DNC "do something" about the racist comments of the BCC?
The Tea Party is an amalgam of many citizens wtih no governing body overseeing everyone's every word.
That's what Big Govt. wants to do.
Nice try; better luck playing your tired race card next time.
LiveFreeOrDie| 9.28.11 @ 2:38PM
Talk about a limited grasp of the obvious. Show me ANY group consisting of thousands of people and I'm sure you'll find at least one racist, so what? Does that excuse coloring the entire group racist? The Tea Party doesn't need to "address" anything and will be better served by not defending themselves from nonsense while staying focused on their mission.
Skippy| 9.28.11 @ 2:42PM
And what business is it of yours whether anyone is biased aginst anyone else?
All are free to be as biased as they feel.
Welcome to America. Liberty and freedom of thought is what makes us better than the rest.
Are you suggesting that Big Govt. needs to monitor or adjust peoples bias to fit a template?
You really need to understand freedom.
And using the term "people of color" pretty much gave you away as a touchy-feely liberal.
But thanks for playing!
tonypal| 9.28.11 @ 2:57PM
Caitlin, I'm quite certain you won't be coming back here to respond. Your post reads like a prepared statement given to you by the DailyKos, or some other leftist site.
The home of racism in this country is the same as it's always been, the Democrat Party. They were the original slave holders, home of the KKK, the authors of Jim Crow laws and Bull Connor. Over the past 5 decades, liberal democrat policies such as welfare did more to damage multiple generations of minorities than you can possibly imagine. In addition, when the sainted Ted Kennedy was still alive, it was pretty well known that if you were black, you had a better chance of being struck by lightening than being hired as one of his staffers.
Today, liberal outfits such as Planned Parenthood can be found in every minority district in this country, pushing infanticide on young black women. I defy you to find a Planned Parenthood facility in a predominantly white neighborhood.
So the bottom line Caitlin is that when you start talking about who is biased against people of color, the first place to look is in the mirror and in your own house. You may think you're an enlightened liberal who would never think to discriminate against a minority. I would suggest you take a serious look at the policies advocated by liberal democrats and look at the results, not the intentions. Then come back here and tell us who the true racists are.
Lillith| 9.28.11 @ 10:48PM
Fact check: I know of many Planned Parenthood locations in primarily white neighborhoods. But don't let facts get in the way of a good 'liberal' bashing rant!
Al Adab| 9.28.11 @ 4:06PM
Always love the term "coded" comments or code words as it means absolutely nothing yet is a convenient slander. To a paranoid anything can be a code word if there is political advantage to be gained.
BTW what was Senator Byrds' background?
Only Republican at Woodstock| 9.28.11 @ 11:45PM
Well, St. Caitlin. If you hear "coded" comments made by those closet bigots (whom you don't know well) brought into your pure circle of friends, (by, presumably, your friends) there is something you can do. Challenge them, or are you too much of a coward? Afraid of being embarassed and proved wrong? Of course, I'm not calling you a moral coward. Just asking a question (maybe it's in code). Of course the Tea Partiers should not be offended when they are libeled as being racist. They should consider the source - judgemental, sanctimonious hypocrites.
Clint| 9.28.11 @ 2:09PM
Get Back To Us When The Thought Police Remove The Racists & Bigots From The Democrat & Republican & Other Parties.
Tea Party Patriots Mission Statement and Core Values
Mission Statement
The impetus for the Tea Party movement is excessive government spending and taxation. Our mission is to attract, educate, organize, and mobilize our fellow citizens to secure public policy consistent with our three core values of Fiscal Responsibility, Constitutionally Limited Government and Free Markets.
Core Values
Fiscal Responsibility
Constitutionally Limited Government
Free Markets
Fiscal Responsibility: Fiscal Responsibility by government honors and respects the freedom of the individual to spend the money that is the fruit of their own labor. A constitutionally limited government, designed to protect the blessings of liberty, must be fiscally responsible or it must subject its citizenry to high levels of taxation that unjustly restrict the liberty our Constitution was designed to protect. Such runaway deficit spending as we now see in Washington D.C. compels us to take action as the increasing national debt is a grave threat to our national sovereignty and the personal and economic liberty of future generations.
Constitutionally Limited Government: We, the members of The Tea Party Patriots, are inspired by our founding documents and regard the Constitution of the United States to be the supreme law of the land. We believe that it is possible to know the original intent of the government our founders set forth, and stand in support of that intent. Like the founders, we support states' rights for those powers not expressly stated in the Constitution. As the government is of the people, by the people and for the people, in all other matters we support the personal liberty of the individual, within the rule of law.
Free Markets: A free market is the economic consequence of personal liberty. The founders believed that personal and economic freedom were indivisible, as do we. Our current government's interference distorts the free market and inhibits the pursuit of individual and economic liberty. Therefore, we support a return to the free market principles on which this nation was founded and oppose government intervention into the operations of private business.
Our Philosophy
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. We recognize and support the strength of grassroots organization powered by activism and civic responsibility at a local level. We hold that the United States is a republic conceived by its architects as a nation whose people were granted "unalienable rights" by our Creator. Chiefly among these are the rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The Tea Party Patriots stand with our founders, as heirs to the republic, to claim our rights and duties which preserve their legacy and our own. We hold, as did the founders, that there exists an inherent benefit to our country when private property and prosperity are secured by natural law and the rights of the individual. As an organization we do not take stances on social issues. We urge members to engage fully on the social issues they consider important and aligned with their beliefs.
Al Adab| 9.28.11 @ 4:10PM
Mario Rubio
Herman Cain
Bobby Jindahl
Thomas Sowell
Walter Williams
Linda Chavez
or is it that only a racist would even notice?
Skippy| 9.28.11 @ 4:32PM
Well done Al Adab.
I think Caitlin is through here.
beebop| 9.28.11 @ 5:48PM
It seems like we are seeing more and more and more of the Caits. I guess the pity party on their websites isn't as fun as it is to condescend to those who categorically disagree with each and every position you hold dear. But? Hey. Its a free country. Rock on.
Trinacria| 9.28.11 @ 5:39PM
Really? Are we really going to engage in the "look how many blacks and Indians and Hispanics WE have" battle? When someone is accused of being a racist, does the "some of my best friends are black" retort ever satisfy the accuser? Of course not; they don't care, because they know that the facts aren't important to the intended audience. They know that their audience needs a villain to blame for their circumstances; without one, they'd have to face the uncomfortable reality that they themselves are to blame for their failure. They don't look at a Herman Cain or an Ali Akbar and think, "hey, maybe they're on to something..."; they look at them and think "sell out" or "uncle Tom". So why bother engaging in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent? There's really no loot there worth the taking...
1ConservativeUSA| 9.29.11 @ 10:34AM
As a Constitutional Conservative, I will strongly defend Morgan Freeman's right to express his opinions, even if he uses this right to say stupid things.
The real issue is that Morgan Freeman is ignorantly shooting from the hip. He is not informed regarding the Tea Party. If he were informed, he would understand that Tea Party activists are nothing more or less, than We the People.
I welcome Morgan Freeman to attend a Tea Party event, get a feel for it, and talk to some of the folks who attend. In that experience, he will see that our nation's issues rule the day, not skin color.
If not, I hope Morgan Freeman would apologize for making his reckless charge of racism. We don't need that kind of nonsense from him.
Trinacria| 9.29.11 @ 10:56AM
Why do you care what an aging queen who plays "dress up" and make-believe for a living has to say on any adult subject? He's a fool with nothing meaningful to contribute to the conversation. Ignore him.
Eric| 10.5.11 @ 3:45AM
I must laugh each time I hear about Tea Party people worry that the US is on the wrong path. Take a second to think about the Tea Party people shouting to let the uninsured sick man die on the TV debate and no further comment on the matter should be necessary. Ali Akbar loves Jesus? I would doubt that an adult man who claims to be Christian and was abandoned by his Muslim father, would keep the name of Akbar. Anyway, the Tea Party stands for some of the most anti Christian ideas and anti democratic attitudes I`ve ever thought possible. I`d rather associate myself with atheists than with any of these pseudo Christians fascists! To hell with the GOP and the Tea Party!
Frank| 10.5.11 @ 3:58AM
Hello. I feel that it is only fair to state that I`m a Norwegian Tea Party supporter, and I openly confess that I hate Niggers and Jews. The Norwegian gunman who killed 90 Norwegian youths earlier this year was a strong supporter of the Tea Part too. I support his actions in full. I yearn to be in USA where right wing, racist Nazi supporters like the Tea Part still have strong support among in the congress.
Frank| 10.5.11 @ 4:01AM
Please do not pretend to support this Muslim monkey black Nigger bastard Akbar, the Tea Party must stay white and pure, like Adolf Hitler was pure. Long live the Tea Party!
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