Tea Party Caucus Tackles Racism Charge

Members of the freshly minted House Tea Party Caucus spent their first official day trying to quash accusations that they represent a racist movement.

At a news conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Representative Michele Bachmann, the Minnesota Republican who leads the new Congressional group, introduced black and Hispanic Tea Partiers to counter the criticism.

One of them, Tito Muñoz, a Colombian immigrant who is the host of a Spanish-language conservative radio show, criticized lawmakers for dismissing the movement and its concerns.

“They have called us racists,” said Mr. Muñoz,  of Woodbridge, Va. “They have called us many names and they have insulted the Americans who are against big government and socialist policies. We do not want a socialist democracy. We want a constitutional republic back to the basics of how it was founded.”

Also at the caucus meeting was Ana Puig, who moved to the United States from Brazil in 1986.

“What I see going on is exactly what has taken place in Latin America under dictators such as Lula in Brazil and Hugo Chávez in Venezuela,” Ms. Puig said. “We are going down the same path, and it’s called 21st-century Marxism. We have to turn the tide around now, in 2010, by electing conservative candidates.”

Their words were echoed by a parade of white male House lawmakers — a collection of the first 28 members of the caucus.

“That should dispel an awful lot of the rumors about racism,” Representative Dan Burton of Indiana said. “We have people of all different backgrounds here today to talk about how they feel about American constitutional government and more taxes and less spending.”

At the same time, lawmakers tried to clarify exactly who they are — a tricky task when the Tea Party opposes big government and the caucus members work in the heart of it.

“We’re not the mouthpiece,” Representative Bachmann said. “We are not taking the Tea Party and controlling it from Washington, D.C. We are also not here to vouch for the Tea Party or to vouch for any Tea Party organizations or to vouch for any individual people or actions, or billboards or signs or anything of the Tea Party.”

“We are the receptacle,” she added.

Receptacle, not mouthpiece. Got it?

The group — made up of 28 House Republicans — is fairly predictable with one exception: Representative Walter Jones of North Carolina, one of three House Republicans who crossed party lines to vote for the financial regulatory overhaul that President Obama signed into law Wednesday morning. Ms. Bachmann said at least one Democrat was interested in joining the group.

The caucus will work against new taxes and government spending in an effort to keep activities of the federal government within “constitutional limits,” Ms. Bachmann said.

She would not elaborate on how the group would move forward; for instance, whether the Tea Party Caucus would offer legislation of its own or work collectively for or against bills put forward by either party.

The group includes three members of the Republican leadership, including Representative Mike Pence of Indiana, who as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee is leading the party’s effort to win back the House.

Now that the House leadership has approved the formation of the Tea Party Caucus, Ms. Bachmann had one last request for Speaker Nancy Pelosi: Can we use Skype? Please?