Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn, pictured) is standing by her reference to the Obama Administration as a "gangster government."

Bachmann, who is the founder of the Tea Party Caucus, said:

"I don't take back my statement on gangster government. I think that there have been actions that have been taken by this government that I think are corrupt."

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Bachmann's "gangster" assertion relates to $105 billion that was included in the health care law for its implementation. Bachmann said that the White House should apologize for providing the funding and accuses the Obama Administration of widespread corruption.

What's interesting about Bachmann's remark is the term "gangster" in reference to our nation's first black president, which brings a quick psychological reference to gang bangers and gangster rap and obviously sends a racist signal.

Even the liberal TV show host Bill Maher, once said that he expected that the first black president would hold meetings with a gun in hand and shoot those who disagreed with him. So whether you're referring to liberals or conservatives, stereotypes of black males as dirty, corrupt and violent human beings continue to persist.

You cannot disconnect these readily available perceptions from the fact that our government has continuously passed laws leading to the mass incarceration of hundreds of thousands of African-American men, in spite of the fact that there is evidence that government policy actually helped create and fuel the crack-cocaine epidemic.

I personally deal with the "angry black man" stereotype at Syracuse University (where my work as a black public scholar is more likely to lead to punishment than reward), and millions of black boys deal with these stereotypes when they are disproportionately disciplined, suspended and expelled within the public school system.

The bottom line is that the black male, to some extent, is America's sociological cockroach: Unless he is playing a sport, providing entertainment or committing a crime, he is felt by some to be "out of his place."

President Barack Obama has committed the ultimate crime in the eyes of Michele Bachmann by not just becoming president of the United States, but by running the country in a manner that is not in alignment with the way she sees the world.

With that said, Bachmann's choice of words are rather unfortunate and reminds us of the latent and subtle racism that the Tea Party brings to the table. The Tea Partiers are not racist because of their disagreement with Obama (I disagree with him all the time), but because they do not have the desire to disagree with him respectfully.

It's one thing to say that a president's policies are counter-productive and another thing to compare him to a gang banger. As an elected representative, Bachmann disrespects herself and her constituents by making her comments in such a hurtful and immature manner.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the author of the bookBlack American Money To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. To suggest a subject for a Dr. Boyce Watkins Spotlight, please click here. To follow Dr. Boyce on Facebook, please click here.