To those eager to label the Tea Party, in blanket fashion, “racist,” the charge is horrendously unoriginal. The Huffington Post has propagated this claim for more than a year for the shallow reason that other news organizations have: ratings.

Take this lede from a health reform story at Huffington Post: “Abusive, derogatory and even racist behavior directed at House Democrats by Tea Party protesters on Saturday left several lawmakers in shock.” Attention shocked lawmakers: There will always be a minority of politically active Americans crossing a line. Attention, Huffington Post: It isn’t news. Attention racist Tea Partiers: Do something constructive with your time.

The news here is the growing number of Americans who view the Tea Party and its criticism of budget deficits, bailouts and the national debt in a favorable light. The news is that Fox News has employed Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and increasingly dubious ethics to steer the independent Tea Party to the Republicans.

Remember Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who said Barack Obama was electable because he had “no negro dialect”? Take this conclusion from Keli Goff at the Huffington Post: “Ultimately, the fact that [Reid] still has a learning curve on something as simple as what word to use to describe black people doesn’t tell me that [he’s] a racist.” Maybe not, but it would be nice if The Huffington Post would grant a learning curve to a disparate and amorphous body of independents.

Again, it’s better for ratings to show the jerk carrying the sign “Obama’s plan: white slavery,” but focusing on the loud and offensive does a profound disservice to the thousands of less provocative individuals who dedicate their time to political activism in hopes of spreading legitimate ideas.