Current Events > Are the Republicans really the party of racists? Or is this just one big myth?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Hoping to hear some good discussion here.

As I see it: it goes back to Richard Nixon's "Southern Strategy." Winning the south was their formula of winning elections. The idea is that the Republicans could no longer appeal to the common voter, and had to appease to the "racist south" and the likes of the KKK. Suddenly, the Republicans became labeled as "rednecks".

Yet --...In 1928, Herbert Hoover (R) was competitive in the South and captured 47% of the popular vote. In 1952, Dwight Eisenhower (R) won Tennessee, Florida, and Virginia. In 1956, he won Louisiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia. This was after the Supreme Court decision (which Eisenhower was in favor of)to desegregate public schools.

Nixon ended up losing the south in 1968 while Jimmy Carter swept the south in 1976. This is 12 years after the Civil Rights act of 1964. The Civil Rights act of 1964 is the supposed moment when the southern Democrats "switched" because they were upset about it. If the south was so "racist" - why in god's name would they happily vote for Carter? Or better yet, Bill Clinton? Bill Clinton won Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and West Virginia.

There were 21 Democrat senators who opposed the Civil Rights act. Why did only ONE GUY swap parties???? They were even replaced by other Democrats...

Republicans didn't hold a majority of southern congressional seats until 1994. It took them THIRTY YEARS ? That doesn't add up.

I completely disagree that the Republicans are the party of racists.
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Oh boy, here we go
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Donald Trump and his alt right = racists

Normal Republicans = not
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It's the preferred party of racists
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This is about as meaningless as pointing out that Lincoln was a Republican. The Civil Rights Act was over 50 years ago.

"Here is some stuff from 50 years ago that has nothing to do with today!"
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Caution999 posted...

Hoping to hear some good discussion here.

*sucking wind through teeth*
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@Endgame
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Vertania posted...

This is about as meaningless as pointing out that Lincoln was a Republican. The Civil Rights Act was over 50 years ago.

billcom6 posted...

"Here is some stuff from 50 years ago that has nothing to do with today!"

What's your opinion on the relevance of slavery to issues in modern society?

Because "in ${CURRENT_YEAR}" is as bad of an argument as "but it's X years old!"
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billcom6 posted...

"Here is some stuff from 50 years ago that has nothing to do with today!"

we all know political parties have never switched positions ever and remain constant in ideological thought silly.
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Republican says thug and democrat instantly thinks black person. Tell me who the racist is.
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the past GOP was also fairly tolerant and un challenging of American apartheid btw so this isn't even a grand detail that they can be especially proud of lol, they also abandoned blacks in the South to give us the great legacy of Rutherford B. Hayes.
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gatorsPENSbucs posted...

Republican says thug and democrat instantly thinks black person. Tell me who the racist is.

Republican says thug only when they are referring to a black person. Then calls everyone else racist for assuming he meant a black person.
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Is the party that the Neo-Nazis and KKK consistently vote for and currently has an honest to goodness Neo-Nazi candidate running in Chicago right now the party of racists?

The party of which the voters questioned whether or not Obama was born in the United States (He was.) While supporting John McCain who was born in Panama and then Mitt Romney who was born in Mexico without any issue?

Hmm.....

Donald Trump and his alt right = racists

Normal Republicans = not

Donald Trump is the GOP now. He was able to hijack the party by taking the GOP platform of the past few decades to their logical conclusion.

There is no such thing as a moderate Republican. Not anymore.
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The desk of Steve King, R-Iowa

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Endgame posted...

then Mitt Romney who was born in Mexico without any issue?

Mitt Romney was born in Detroit; his father was born in Mexico
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s0nicfan posted...

What's your opinion on the relevance of slavery to issues in modern society?

Because "in ${CURRENT_YEAR}" is as bad of an argument as "but it's X years old!"

Slavery isn't even remotely comparable here.

You shouldn't have to reach 50+ years into history to explain why a modern party isn't racist.

Endgame posted...

Is the party that the Neo-Nazis and KKK consistently vote for and currently has an honest to goodness Neo-Nazi candidate running in Chicago right now the party of racists?

The party of which the voters questioned whether or not Obama was born in the United States (He was.) While supporting John McCain who was born in Panama and then Mitt Romney who was born in Mexico without any issue?

Hmm.....

Donald Trump and his alt right = racists

Normal Republicans = not

Donald Trump is the GOP now. He was able to hijack the party by taking the GOP platform of the past few decades to their logical conclusion.

There is no such thing as a moderate Republican. Not anymore.

John Mccain's parents were US Citizens who were stationed on a military zone in Panama. That makes him a legal citizen.

I mean, some on the left are just as looney as the "birthers." The Russia, the two scoops, etc, etc.
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Let's not kid ourselves here. While the GOP may be a tent for people who don't like minorities, if you're racist against whites, your probably a Democrat.
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The Admiral posted...

Let's not kid ourselves here. While the GOP may be a tent for people who don't like minorities, if you're racist against whites, your probably a Democrat.

Good thing it doesn't exist
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ZMythos posted...

The Admiral posted...

Let's not kid ourselves here. While the GOP may be a tent for people who don't like minorities, if you're racist against whites, your probably a Democrat.

Good thing it doesn't exist

I guess you've never been to Asia, Africa, or South America. Either that, or you're so hopelessly eurocentric in your opinions that you can't even fathom how the rest of the world operates.
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Racists often go to great lengths to rationalize that they arent racist. But if it quacks like a duck, etc etc
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This narrative is pretty funny ; yes, the democrats bred hate back in the day, Republicans took up the mantle thereafter... That doesn't help this dumbassed argument. If anything it just reinforces the need for both parties to be wiped clean.

So to what end do you bring up the democrats founded the kkk? And how does that then explain how most racist organizations align with Republicans? If both parties harbor racists what is the one constant among both parties?

Hmmm... Let's see what people think.
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s0nicfan posted...

I guess you've never been to Asia, Africa, or South America. Either that, or you're so hopelessly eurocentric in your opinions that you can't even fathom how the rest of the world operates.

We're talking about US politics here, so stop moving the goalposts
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ZMythos posted...

s0nicfan posted...

I guess you've never been to Asia, Africa, or South America. Either that, or you're so hopelessly eurocentric in your opinions that you can't even fathom how the rest of the world operates.

We're talking about US politics here, so stop moving the goalposts

Moving the goalposts would be redefining racism so it doesn't apply to the groups you don't want it to, champ.
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The Admiral posted...

Let's not kid ourselves here. While the GOP may be a tent for people who don't like minorities, if you're racist against whites, your probably a Democrat.

Lololol
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If you're looking for a non-racist party in the US, you're gonna have a bad time.
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Caution999 posted...

John Mccain's parents were US Citizens who were stationed on a military zone in Panama. That makes him a legal citizen.

Obama's mother was a US citizen, therefore Obama is a US citizen.

Didn't stop the racist idiots from herp derping "BIG SCARY BLACK MAN NOT BORN HERE"

Including the current President.
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The Admiral posted...

Let's not kid ourselves here. While the GOP may be a tent for people who don't like minorities, if you're racist against whites, your probably a Democrat.

Not sure why you're deflecting to the democrats, but I will play:

No Democrat president campaigned and/or governed on anti-white sentiments. We are now in an era where the president actually panders to the fringe racist elements of society, or as he calls them, 'very fine people'

Shuto-uke posted...

The Admiral posted...

Let's not kid ourselves here. While the GOP may be a tent for people who don't like minorities, if you're racist against whites, your probably a Democrat.

Not sure why you're deflecting to the democrats, but I will play:

No Democrat president campaigned and/or governed on anti-white sentiments. We are now in an era where the president actually panders to the fringe racist elements of society, or as he calls them, 'very fine people'

I know the primaries don't really count, but how quickly we forget "white people don't know what it's like to be poor"
EDIT: Also "They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.
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Trump and anyone else who continued with the birther charade AFTER the certificate was released were completely out of line.

They just hated Obama that much. Couldve been his race, couldve been the fact he was a democrat, couldve been what he stood for and his policies or a combination of all 3.

I remember how utterly ridiculous that was. I remember laughing when people brought up Bin Ladens death certificate as a play on the whole birther issue.
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Caution999 posted...

Trump and anyone else who continued with the birther charade AFTER the certificate was released were completely out of line.

They are also in line with Republican voters.
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the old saying that not every Republican is a racist but every racist is a Republican is pretty accurate
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A lot of them were desperate and didnt like Obama at all. They wanted him out in the worst possible way.

Seems things have gotten more extreme with the last few presidencies and is only getting worse. Seems like the losing party loses a piece of their sanity.
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speaking of the birther garbage that only racists believed in, Trump's birther buddy Joe Arpaio is running for Senate on the platform of "Obama wasn't born in America, elect me so I'll give you this info I totally have to prove it so we can fire him from... look a kitty!"

This crap is still being passed around Republican circles.
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Shuto-uke posted...

the fringe racist elements of society, or as he calls them, 'very fine people'

8 months later and people are still spreading this shit. That's not what he said.

Shuto-uke posted...

The Admiral posted...

Let's not kid ourselves here. While the GOP may be a tent for people who don't like minorities, if you're racist against whites, your probably a Democrat.

Not sure why you're deflecting to the democrats, but I will play:

No Democrat president campaigned and/or governed on anti-white sentiments. We are now in an era where the president actually panders to the fringe racist elements of society, or as he calls them, 'very fine people'

My quote had to do with party members, not presidential candidates.

But as far as political leadership goes, one of the DNC chair nominees said her job as party head would be to "shut white people down." Like I said, let's not kid ourselves about which party people racist against whites flock to.
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Oh Ive seen YouTube videos that were like ...somewhat recent with regards to the birth certificate lmao.

Its amazing people wont let this go. And Im sure the same will happen with this presidency.
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The Admiral posted...

one of the DNC chair nominees said her job as party head would be to "shut white people down."

And then she lost.

Broseph_Stalin posted...

The Admiral posted...

one of the DNC chair nominees said her job as party head would be to "shut white people down."

And then she lost.

For now. But that you could be that openly racist and be a chair nominee for a major party in 2017 is pretty fucking insane.
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Well, they hate anything non-white, so you tell me.
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FLUFFYGERM posted...

Broseph_Stalin posted...

The Admiral posted...

one of the DNC chair nominees said her job as party head would be to "shut white people down."

And then she lost.

For now. But that you could be that openly racist and be a chair nominee for a major party in 2017 is pretty fucking insane.

I mean, Roy Moore was openly racist and lauded by Trump and the rest of the GOP.
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How about this?

Both parties have racists in them.
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FLUFFYGERM posted...

But that you could be that openly racist and be a chair nominee for a major party in 2017 is pretty fucking insane.

tbf she got less than 3% of the vote
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Deflect deflect deflect
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prince_leo posted...

tbf she got less than 3% of the vote

Yeah, but we have to try and pretend there's racist on both sides no matter what the facts are.

No, considering the Democrats advocate for openly racist policies which specifically benefit individuals on the basis of their skin color. Plus, if you look at their presidential contenders, it was nothing but old white folk. You're telling me that in a party with so much minority representation they couldn't even find *one* POC qualified to stand on that stage? The GOP has fewer minority members yet their frontrunners included two Latinos and a black man. It goes to show that while they're all for promoting minorities, it's only as tokens. One black president meets their quota.

As a Democrat, I was embarrassed by my party's primary choices.
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I mean, there are lots of reasons some southern states might flip in 12 years that don't necessarily imply any fundamental shift in party politics

But also, states might flip generationally because parties do fundamentally change

I feel like both things are ar play here
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I wouldnt say that Republican = Racist but the GOP has a lot of policies and representatives that align themselves with racist ideologies
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