Doug Mataconis · · 23 comments

In a sign that the Obama Administration is unwilling to associate it self with the “Tea Party = Racism” discussion that the NAACP started last week, Vice-President Biden said this morning that he did not believe it was true:

“Do you think elements of the Tea Party are racist?” This Week anchor Jake Tapper asked Vice President Joe Biden in an EXCLUSIVE interview. Biden equivocated at first, but then settled on a pretty firm no.

“Well, the truth is that at least elements that were involved in some of the Tea Party folks expressed racist views,” he said.

“I wouldn’t characterize the Tea Party as racist. There are individuals who are either members of or on the periphery of some of their things, their — their protests — that have expressed really unfortunate comments.

(…)

“I don’t believe, the president doesn’t believe that the Tea Party is — is a racist organization. I don’t believe that,” Biden said. “Very conservative. Very different views on government and a whole lot of things. But it is not a racist organization.”