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Cokie Roberts: Some Tea Party anger is 'racist'

Having a non-black candidate on the 2016 ballot could reduce some of the current Tea Party racism aimed against the president, ABC News' Cokie Roberts said.
Members Of Congress Join Tea Party At Anti-Obamacare Rally At US Capitol
Tea Party activists cheer during the \"Exempt America from Obamacare\" rally, on Capitol Hill, September 10, 2013 in Washington, DC.

Having a non-black candidate on the 2016 ballot could reduce some of the current Tea Party racism aimed against the president, ABC News' Cokie Roberts said.

"Some of this Tea Party anger is racist. And that having a non-black person on the ticket will diffuse it to some degree," Roberts said Wednesday on Morning Joe.

Both Democrats and Republicans might be "better off" with a new slate of candidates during the next presidential race, she added. But show host Joe Scarborough thought differently.

"I disagree with that completely because I was there in '93 and '94 when I was saying awful things about Bill Clinton," he said in response. "There is nothing I've heard said about Barack Obama that we didn't take about 10 degrees further."

Watch more on Morning Joe.