While the NAACP once stood for equal rights for minorities, it now has turned to "philosophical bigotry," says Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.
The Rev. William Barber, president of the North Carolina NAACP, called Scott a ventriloquist dummy for the tea party in a Martin Luther King Day speech on Monday. Scott is the only black Republican serving in the U.S. Senate.
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Fox News Channel's Megyn Kelly read a statement from the NAACP on Tuesday that did not include an apology.
"Dr. King emphasized love and justice rather than extremism. Unless we stand for justice, we cannot claim allegiance to or pay homage to Dr. King, period," the NAACP statement read. "In a state such as South Carolina, politicians, whether they be black or white, should not be echoing the position of the far right."
Scott called the statement "absolutely ridiculous," explaining he is a conservative because liberal programs such as the War on Poverty have failed. Groups such as the NAACP should be willing to listen to Republican ideas, he said.
CNN reported that Scott had declined to "reflect seriously" on Barber's comments.
"Instead, I will honor the memory of Dr. King by being proactive in holding the door for others and serving my fellow man," Scott told CNN. "And Rev. Barber will remind me and others of what not to do."
The State reported the comments as part of a Barber speech criticizing blacks who don't live up to King's ideals, including black youths who kill others and "who wear their pants down to their knees."
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