An anonymous commenter raised the issue of a certain political viewpoint being identified with racism and homophobia with the following comment submitted to our article about visiting a gay bar:
"Of course you're not. Otherwise you'd be labeled a racist and a homophobe and we know only conservatives are racists and homophobes."
The above, easily-recognizable commenter has contributed a number of observations to this blog, always tongue-in-cheek, employing reverse psychology, actually mimicking the criticism and characterizations conservatives receive.
He or she has a point. We'll try to deal with the racist charge and leave homophobia for another day.
At this point in time, Republicans seem to be identified with racism, much in the same way Southern Democrats once were in the era of George Wallace, Robert Byrd and Orville Faubus.
That was not true when Eisenhower was President as, it was he who was trying to stop segregation and that effort was blocked by Democrats.
Nixon was many things, but I don't recall he being called a racist.
Nor were the presidencies of Republicans Reagan or the two Bushes identified with racism.
Racism being identified with Republicans started with Donald Trump's ride down the escalator and his intentionally inflammatory words in connection with his declared candidacy.
Remember Trump started his campaign, not with high-minded words calling for unity, equality, but with overt racism:
“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best . . . . They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us [sic]. They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”
Trump was likely not a rotten-to-the-core racist, but simply an opportunist, using racist buzz words to appeal to a core constituency, largely poor, white and uneducated, that felt they'd been overlooked and feared losing jobs to minorities and immigrants.
Trump, also, had never shown any particular religious inclination in his life, but now, awkwardly holding up a Bible here and there, posed as a devout Christian with an evangelical bent.
The TV preachers ate it up like hog slop and, almost universally, became Trump advocates.
Both tactics played perfectly as Trump, just as he'd insulted Mexicans, now insulted his way past 16 other Republican candidates for President, topping it off with claiming Ted Cruz's dad played a role in the Kennedy assassination.
It was dumb stuff, but just what his core constituency loved hearing.
Prior to this Trump had spent a couple years claiming Obama wasn't born in the U.S. and didn't qualify to be President, the repeatedly debunked "birther" theory.
Trump's popularity seemed to grow with every lie, untruth and insult.
He may not have been a racist, serial liar or Bible thumper, but he was playing one on TV and his base was devouring it.
More significant than any of that was Trump's choice of White Supremacist Stephen Miller as presidential advisor and speech writer, who shaped Trump's immigration policy including the travel ban, reduction of refugees and the separation of migrant children from their parents.
To Miller, "diversity" was a bad word, a false religion. That view certainly influenced policy.
Steve Bannon, Senior Advisor to President Trump, but also the publisher of Breitbart News, contributed to the racist image of Trump and the party, with his news outlet featuring "Western values" and "White identity."
Add Trump advisor Sebastian Gorka to the mix, with Nazi connections, you get the picture.
So, in answer to the original question, if there is a taint of racism on conservatives, Republicans and Trump supporters, I've tried to explain why and how that might have occurred.
Does this mean all conservatives, Republicans and Trump supporters are racists? Absolutely not.
In my small close circle of friends are several Trump supporters. None are racists.
One man, a close friend, has been there for me every time I've called, even delivering us to the airport at 3AM. Ana and I would do the same for him, yet we disagree on most political issues.
Hopefully, friendships supersede differing political views.
Jim you do know that Hillary Clinton is the one that originated the claim that Obama was not a US citizen. The media won't report it and the people that do know this conveniently forget. She even accused him of not being born here during the debate. Obama responded by saying Hillary was the least qualified person to be President. Of course Obama beat her and promptly appointed her Secretary of State. A position that she held and bragged about going to the most foreign countries than any other Secretary of State ($$$). These are facts Jim. Google it.
ReplyDeleteJim, so claim that Republicans, which are mostly conservatives, are NOT falsely labeled racists. No mames Jim. You know that this is not true. You totally ignore facts.
ReplyDeleteWhat "facts" are being ignored? Perceptions are not recorded in the congressional record. History books may or may not portray Southern Democrats or Stephen Miller and Company in that way depending on the viewpoint of the author.
DeleteJim, who do you think coined the phrase "systematic racism". Who do you think is pushing Critical Race Theory? Who do you think is pushing that white's are inherently racist? Who do think blames their failures on racism?
DeleteTwo ad hominems and one red herring.
DeleteYou said Democrats don't call Republicans racist. This is America blatant lie. Democrats use this all the time especially during election time.
ReplyDeletea blatant lie
Delete