Republicans are racist?

[evilernie]

It would be interesting to find out what people think.

[rameses2]

What with the new "Papers, Please" bill in Arizona and the dearth of major Republican minorities, one could think racism is the default position. I think it more based on ignorance and the fact that, maybe, a lot of people that identify themselves as Republican don't really know that many non- White people.

[Silcc69]

And I don't think most of them are racists but there is a good chunk of them and soem also don't seem to give a rats ass about minorities.

[trish]

Some but not most republicans have unresolved issues with race stemming in part from their fear of changing demographics and for many of them, their cultural isolationism. By proportion, I would guess that these sorts of issues plague republicans more than democrats, but that's only a guess based on what I hear from republican pundits and writers, their platform, their recent legislation and on my personal experience. Sociological measuring tools might or might not bear that out.

[Faldur]

We would never have gotten the 1964 Civil Rights Act if it hadn't been for the Republicans. And I love how the poll is all in the affirmative, not one answer for "No I don't feel republicans are racist". Seems a little self serving..


Vote totals 1964 Civil Rights Act
Totals are in "Yea-Nay" format:
The original House version: 290-130 (69%-31%).
Cloture in the Senate: 71-29 (71%-29%).
The Senate version: 73-27 (73%-27%).
The Senate version, as voted on by the House: 289-126 (70%-30%).

By party
The original House version:[10]
Democratic Party: 152-96 (61%-39%)
Republican Party: 138-34 (80%-20%)
Cloture in the Senate:[11]
Democratic Party: 44-23 (66%-34%)
Republican Party: 27-6 (82%-18%)
The Senate version:[10]
Democratic Party: 46-21 (69%-31%)
Republican Party: 27-6 (82%-18%)
The Senate version, voted on by the House:[10]
Democratic Party: 153-91 (63%-37%)
Republican Party: 136-35 (80%-20%)

And just a another republican racist spouting his hatred on the street:


Racist come in all sizes and color, no one party has an exclusive.

[hippifried]

This isn't a republican problem, or even a political problem. Fear, distrust, delusions of superiority, & a myriad of learned cultural hangups plague every demographic of intellectualized ideology. It gets overamped & used as an attack tool from all points on the political sphere. I really think most people recognize the silliness & are trying to get past it. Bigotry is always a personal problem, regardless of how hard some folks try to project it on everyone else. These attitudes were built up over hundreds of years, & were actually intensified for a century following the Civil War. It takes multiple generations to undo a malevolent socially ingrained mindset , & there's always give & take backslides. I've been around a while, & I see things getting a little better with each generation. Folks shouldn't get discouraged over lame political nonsense.

[BeardedOne]

This isn't a republican problem, or even a political problem. Fear, distrust, delusions of superiority, & a myriad of learned cultural hangups plague every demographic of intellectualized ideology.

I agree and I did not vote in the poll because there is no real pocket in which to put Repugs above or below anyone else.

An episode of the television series Northern Exposure brought the concept to light that =EVERYONE= is racist, to some degree. Whether by intent, such as those of Arlan Nation or Nation of Islam or by nature/nurture from personal experience and familial osmosis.

Speaking for myself, my parents were very liberal and open-minded and accepting of all people "...by the content of their character..." rather than "...by the color of their skin...". Just out of high school, I brought home a lovely, dark-skinned Jamaican girl and my parents were very accepting of her, but were careful to pull me aside and warn me of "...What other people might think...". This wasn't racism or prejudice, but a head's up that there were people in the world that would see our relationship as somehow being 'wrong'.

Their teachings have stayed with me and I've had many friends, lovers, coworkers of all ethnic, racial, religious persuasions (You can also add in gender identity, sexual preference, political affiliation, etc.) over the years.

However, in those years I've had more guns pointed at me than any man outside military service should ever see. Each one was in the hands of a black man. I do not equate this to the misguided concept that 'every gun pointed at me was held by a black, therefore only blacks are criminals', but it has affected my subconscious to be wary of black men who approach me in the big, bad city.

I posted some time ago of how I was frozen in fear when a large, black man came at me on New Year's Eve a few years ago and the worst he did was to give me a bear hug and wish me a blessed New Year. So, yes, in the black and white world, as it were, I am racist to a degree, but I don't let it rule my life or poison my relationships with people of other races, genders, creeds.

Republicans, however, like to play the race card. While I cannot fault all conservatives with racism, the party certainly plays to racist fears and it is having a field day with the fact that Obama is a standout in the Old White Man's Club.

I know a local couple that is very conservative and does not like Obama, at all. Ordinarily, they are the nicest, sanest people I know, but when Obama is mentioned they get all quiet until the wife, the uber conservative, starts complaining about "The Obama-nation". I honestly don't see thenm as racist, but they certainly have racist tendencies/views when it comes to Obama in particular and I see that as the effect of the party line of the GOP.

So, yah, Republicans are racist, but not all are =insanely= racist and I'm sure you could find quite a few Dems, Independents, etc. that are in the same club.

[evilernie]

We would never have gotten the 1964 Civil Rights Act if it hadn't been for the Republicans.

Perhaps, these are different Republicans from the bunch that we have now. All it takes is a non-white person to get ahead and the white fury does come out. I came from a non-white neighborhood and even other established non-white people gets "angry" if a person of another ethnicity is doing good for himself.

Southern Democrats were notorious in their hate a century ago. So I'm not claiming exclusivity for Republicans. However, this poll is referring to current individuals that call themselves "Republicans".

And I love how the poll is all in the affirmative, not one answer for "No I don't feel republicans are racist". Seems a little self serving..

Note that there is no vote for "All Republicans are racist". People can be honest if it's anonymous and I think a "No I don't feel republicans are racist" will not get any votes either. It's not a conspiracy but just an honest omission.

[Ben]

No.... Just a fundamental, well, different world view. Burkean believers, as it were, believe that people are fundamentally evil (so-called conservatives -- but not really traditional conservatives) and thus need to be controlled. That's right wing belief.
Left wingers have the antithetical view: people are decent and can rule their own affairs.

[russtafa]

i think race hate or ethnic hate is all around the world no just america or a political party