With all the claims of Republican and conservative racism (including on this site), I thought I would point out a couple of things to those who claim conservative racism is overly prevalent:
1. It’s the Democrats who are trying to shut down the D.C. school voucher program, a program that is helping 1,700 poor minority students in the worst district in the nation and is likely to end now that House Democrats have not included extending funding for the program in their mark-up bill. Yet, it is Republicans and Libertarians who support the program and its non-white students.
3. We have a black Republican National Committee chairman. Under President George W. Bush, we have had two black secretaries of state in a row – and not out of tokenism but because one was among the most popular and admired men in the Republican party and the other was the president’s closest foreign policy confidante. In general, the Bush record on diversity at least equaled that of the prior Clinton administration.
4. Fellow NewMajority Contributor Crystal Wright wrote on this site about how she and her mother “…both then reflected on how there seems to be a growing number of white people who simply loath the fact Obama is president.” As a white person who DOES loath the fact that a president with President Obama’s views is president, I must say she is assuming a lot. There were many black people who didn’t like President Bush after all!
5. Hotair.com, a conservative site run by Michelle Malkin and other conservatives, immediately and harshly attacked the Tennessee state senator’s assistant who sent out the now-famous racist e-mail about President Obama, as did many other conservatives.
This is not a defense of racist comments. However, it is a note that just because it’s “accepted” to lump all conservatives under one banner doesn’t mean we should.
27 responses so far
1 ottovbvs // Jul 9, 2009 at 4:27 pm
You’re struggling a bit here Dustin.
1.The Democrats are “racists” for shutting off funds to the DC voucher program (you are grandfathered if you’re already in it).
2. Coulter is your objective voice?
3. No one has ever said Bush was racist. There were apparently 37 black attendees at the RNC. On tokenism you may think that, I couldn’t possibly comment.
4. You’re ignoring her evidence from mainstream figures in the GOP let alone all the freaks at right wing blogs.
5. Another model of objectivity. This is supposed to “prove” there is no racism in the GOP.
This whole subject got beaten to death after Crystal’s diary, you might want to read some of the comments.
2 ottovbvs // Jul 9, 2009 at 6:31 pm
……….Dustin, just went over to a noted conservative site and picked up this sample of comments on the Obama kids who are apparently doing the sights in tees and shorts in Italy. No racism problem on the right at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“we;’re being represented by a family of ghetto trash.”
“Looks like a bunch of ghetto thugs. A stain on America.”
“Looks like a typical street whore.”
“What we now are sending the ghetto over to represent us. and if so who the hell is that flea bag who looks to be dragged from the trash dumpster.”
“you could go down any ghetto right now and see exactly the same.”
“could you imagine what world leaders must be thinking seeing this kind of street trash and that we paid for this kind of street ghetto trash to go over there”
“the world must be laughing like mad right now at that we have this kind of street trash in our white house.”
“Wonder when she will have her first abortion.”
sad isn’t it that we now have ghetto street trash over there representing us in Europe.
“AND NONE I REPEAT NONE of the Palin kids never even ventured into the public arena making anykind of statement comparable to this Obubbo’s daughter”
“This disgusting display makes me more and more eager for the revolution.
They make me sick…. The whole family… mammy, pappy, the free loadin’ mammy-in-law, the misguided chillin’, and especially ‘lil cuz… This is not the America I want representin’ my peeps.”
Of course not! They have black friends!
WHERE………IS HIS BIRTH CERTIFICATE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!
3 aDude // Jul 9, 2009 at 6:52 pm
The issue is not the number of racists, but rather the issue is that such recist sentiments are tolerated. Back when post-war conservatives like William F. Buckley were trying to establish conservatism as a mainstream force, the biggest challenge was not from liberals, but from the far right. Buckley once commented that he spent a lot of the early years trying to make sure that the term conservative wasn’t associated with the likes of the John Birch Society. (People who claimed that Eisenhower was a Soviet agent didn’t help in getting conservatives to be taken seriously). He was able to cast off the tin hat crowd, and in the glory days of conservatism (say, 1968 to 1992) Republicans won five of six presidential elections.
Now conservatives are once again in the process of establishing that they are a credible alternative to the left wing. If intelligent conservatives tolerate racism in the Republican ranks, then the voting public (especially the younger voters) will not hear the message of small government, low taxes, and free enterprise. They will just hear unrefuted comments that the growing majority finds offensive.
4 JJWFromME // Jul 9, 2009 at 8:03 pm
I agree that the GOP is mostly not racist.
But I think you made a Faustian bargain that came back to haunt you:
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/10/innocent-mistakes/
5 sinz54 // Jul 9, 2009 at 8:07 pm
ottovbvs: You got that list verbatim from DailyKOS, I see:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/7/9/751767/-Obama-daughter-wears-t-shirt,-Freepers-call-her-ghetto-trash
Next time give credit where credit is due. You don’t want to be accused of plagiarism, you know.
And DailyKOS would be so honored to know that self-proclaimed “moderate Republicans” like you follow their diaries so avidly.
6 ottovbvs // Jul 10, 2009 at 7:52 am
sinz54 // Jul 9, 2009 at 8:07 pm
…….And they got them from? All you’re doing is shooting the messenger and it actually gives a fairly good insight into your tolerance of this sort of fairly disgusting stuff which I actually got pointed to from RCP which is one of my regular stop offs. They’re little girls for godsake, get your priorities right.
7 VA Shepherd // Jul 10, 2009 at 8:18 am
Otto’s list of comments (which he also posted on Crystal’s article) proves nothing. Anybody could have posted those.
8 sinz54 // Jul 10, 2009 at 9:38 am
ottovbvs: Free Republic is the source for the stuff you posted.
Free Republic has been mocking Democrats with the wildest stuff imaginable ever since the Clinton Administration (they accused him of fathering a “N***** Baby”). In keeping with their libertarian philosophy, they have no constraints on what can be posted there. Sort of like Usenet in that regard. And thus they give space to absolute fruitcakes and nuts to post anything that pops into their heads.
I could post stuff from Usenet that is far more loony:
http://tinyurl.com/lsu9xp
All it proves is that in a nation of 300 million people, there are at least thousands of certified nuts, who enjoy having an electronic soapbox to climb up on. Ask any mental health professional.
9 ottovbvs // Jul 10, 2009 at 10:18 am
sinz54 // Jul 10, 2009 at 9:38 am
……In truth I’ve never visited the site although I see it referred to often…..I only visit Kos if there’s an interesting link from RCP or similar although you claim I live there….from what I’ve seen they have their nuts but there isn’t the sheer anger and malignance that one sees from conservative commenters…..And the Obama kids stuff wasn’t mockery as you characterise it…..it was blatant and ugly racism aimed at little girls and yes it actually offended me….and of course it’s no problem summoning up bigotry, fear, ignorance and anger on the net….but it’s everywhere as you well know
10 midcon // Jul 10, 2009 at 10:31 am
Humans being what they are, there are racists who are Republicans; racists who are Democrats; and racists who are Independents. The illogical argument that because some racists are Republican, Republicans are racist is just silly. Simple people may buy that premise and it is in the best interests of Democrats and liberals to promulgate that mind-set, but it is not in the best interests of the nation and its citizens. But then neither the Democrats nor Republicans give a hoot about the nation. To them it is about being in power and beating up the opposition. Whatever happened to patriots in this country? They have been replaced by partisans. The two parties will be the root cause of the demise of this once great nation. And as we continue on this long, slow, death spiral, we will be entertained by the Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals blaming each other. Entertaining perhaps, but ultimately we will hit bottom. Fortunately, I will only witness part of the fall.
11 sinz54 // Jul 10, 2009 at 10:32 am
ottovbvs: Extremism and racism were much worse, MUCH worse, when you and I were younger. Remember the John Birch Society? Remember the murder of those 3 civil rights workers? Remember the march of the American Nazi Party through Skokie Illinois?
The difference is that back then, gradually, over the years, America found ways to marginalize such folks. They weren’t given airtime to rant on major TV networks, for example. In their reporting, newspapers distinguished between mainstream politicians (Nixon, Reagan, Dole) and the fruitcakes.
Now, thanks to cable TV and the Internet (particularly YouTube), the nuts have come back out of the closet and have been handed an electronic soapbox to say anything that comes into their heads, no matter how wild or extreme.
In a country of 300 million people, we’re always going to have thousands of nuts and racists around here and there. The question is whether the rest of us are going to adopt ethical standards and marginalize them–or hand them a microphone just because what they say excites the audience.
12 Cforchange // Jul 10, 2009 at 11:22 am
Dustin, Dustin, Dustin how can you choose not to acknowledge that there is now a dangerous connection to racism and the GOP?
How about this young GOP leader Shay??? If she is elected, the message from the party youth like yourself will be, if not just from perception but part reality, that the GOP has opposition to the president partly because of his race. If the disagreement has been about policy why did words like noose even enter her discussions? So Ms Shay is bright enough to represent our party in leadership, but dumb enough to envoke words such as this and written Facebook words at that. Dustin – what no concern here? Do you want this activity to be part of what you represent? Not me.
Since the election, I’ve received emails with watermelon patches in the Whitehouse garden. I’ve shut down public discussions about how Michelle Obama looks like an ape? Oh yes the aging photo of the pres who turns into George Sanford (cute and malicious at the same time). I’ve heard the “N” word from an advanced degree holding older white dude who sports a collar and tie more since the election, than in the 10 years preceding. Yes, he’s a 24/7 Fox news buff. And yes, all these incidents from certified Republicans. I’ve seen McCain/Palin bumper stickers pop up in the last month on traffic signs in neighborhoods with larger concentrations of AA. Maybe this was posted by a Democrat but the connection to the GOP is one and the same.
Each time I’ve personally encountered this behavior, I’ve taken the only and high road, confronting the problem when it is presented to me. This is one we the GOP can not enable. I know there are scores of Republicans who have absolutely no malice in their hearts towards anyone, especially because of color. However, I’ve heard enough to believe there is smoke and where there is smoke there if fire. The connection to the GOP should simply be snuffed out.
13 brutus1791 // Jul 10, 2009 at 1:10 pm
I am curious as to how long these conversations can occur and perpetuate. Unfortunately, there is no actual getting to the root of the problem; rather, we are lost amongst different ‘historicists’ and their “arguments” (anectodes) over how many times they can list the existence of racism on one side of the Party spectrum.
I thought about the particular instances I have known, where liberal and Democratic friends of mine (in and out of government employment) have demostrated some particular form of racism, and then decided I just cannot fall into the same trap and encourage the continuing of this historicism. Instead, I’ma go and read my Harry Jaffa. Some of the people here do not wish to be influenced on a higher level than simple political polemics. Those who choose to enlighten themselves on greater things, I encourage you to read Jaffa who is credited with turning Buckley around on some of his older stances, and see what Conservatism has done to reverse the course of racism.
Valle!
14 ottovbvs // Jul 10, 2009 at 2:26 pm
sinz54 // Jul 10, 2009 at 10:32 am
“ottovbvs: Extremism and racism were much worse, MUCH worse, when you and I were younger. Remember the John Birch Society? Remember the murder of those 3 civil rights workers? Remember the march of the American Nazi Party through Skokie Illinois?”
……..That’s definitely true although the American Nazi party is still holding marches and about three years ago I was driving through Hanover PA and some KKK guy with a bunch of others all in the full outfits gave me a leaflet………Unfortunately the problem the GOP has, is that it become to some extent identified with racism because this is where most of the nuts and racists have chosen to perch and there are people in the mainstream of the party who play the race card from time to time as detailed by Crystal and as in the case of Gingrich’s completely ridiculous remarks about Sotomayor. It’s also endemic in the Southern GOP, I’m sorry but it’s a fact……I’m not offended by much and my usual tactic for dealing with extremism is humor or sarcasm but those comments about the Obama kids were absolutely awful and if someone had made them in my presence I’d call him out.
15 ottovbvs // Jul 10, 2009 at 2:34 pm
brutus1791 // Jul 10, 2009 at 1:10 pm
” then decided I just cannot fall into the same trap and encourage the continuing of this historicism.”
……..The problem is that it’s not historicism it’s the here and now…….50 years ago I was mildly racist….I certainly wouldn’t have harmed anyone but I listened and joined in the jokes like most people of age and social background…..but life’s a journey….at some point you have to grow out of it…….same with homophobia…..all the prejudices of my age group and background…. but you get past it because life’s experiences usually demonstrate you’re wrong
16 brutus1791 // Jul 10, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Otto, my point being that there is nothing transcendential about bickering between the “cowans and eavesdropper” from the left and Conservatives on the right and which side can demonstrate more instances of racism regarding the other. I take what you have to say, but to be honest, your example is actually a quintessential form of historicism in itself ironically enough. You came from a starting point where you had to claw out of the ‘cave’ and how you percieved people, some of us just did not start out there (rather, the differences that made people were Officer and NCO, et cetera).
I find these conversations of no use in securing a better understanding of racism, our transcendence over racism as a society, and our regime. A young staffer making a racist quip is as wrong in his/her words, as a liberal family moving out of a neighborhood because more blacks are moving in. Such is the case in places like Maryland and the sorts. I am more interested in the latter because it is more harmful to the society as a whole, and a demonstration of intolerance. I’m less interested in the former, as I cannot delve into the soul of every person and know that they are inherently racist or not.
17 ottovbvs // Jul 10, 2009 at 3:47 pm
brutus1791 // Jul 10, 2009 at 2:51 pm
…..Dear me I’m a product of my life’s experiences…….Your ignoring context……we’re not bickering just talking about the extent to which racism is a problem real or perceived in the GOP…..I’m afraid you’re basically avoiding the issue by a bit of casuistry probably for reasons that are to do with your political viewpoint
18 El Indio // Jul 10, 2009 at 10:59 pm
True, not all Republicans are racists, nor the majority of the party. The problem is that, as pointed out in post #14, people believe the party to be racist. I don’t know how many of you were listening to talk radio during the immigration reform debate, but the comments by Limbaugh, et. al. and their listeners would reinforce those beliefs. The Texas legislature didn’t help much during their session of last year. To the Republican controled state goverment, nothing was more important than passage of a bill requiring photo id’s for voting. We need not only to attempt to prove that this is not the party of W.A.S.P.S, but to actively bring minorities into the party. So much is said about return to the ideals of Reagon, remember one of his greatest ideals was that the party was for everyone, and that that was one of the reasons that we had the moral MAJORITY.
19 VA Shepherd // Jul 11, 2009 at 12:06 am
Sean Linnane aka “Stormbringer” shows how to respond when rascism rears its ugly head: http://seanlinnane.blogspot.com/
20 Uncategorized | The Progressive Republican // Jul 11, 2009 at 12:37 am
[...] about the response given by a fellow blogger on New Majority, Dustin Siggins. In a post entitled “GOP & Race: Don’t Blame All for Sins of a Few” Siggins decides to “set the record straight” when it comes to conservative racism. He [...]
21 brutus1791 // Jul 11, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Otto: …..Dear me I’m a product of my life’s experiences…….Your ignoring context……we’re not bickering just talking about the extent to which racism is a problem real or perceived in the GOP…..I’m afraid you’re basically avoiding the issue by a bit of casuistry probably for reasons that are to do with your political viewpoint
Otto, I am not negating the fact that life experiences contribute to the gestalt of one’s being, per se. But to make value judgements based on them is a form of historicism is what I am trying to get at. The kid who grew up with a racist family in the south (who benefited greatly from the TVA and hasn’t voted Republican since FDR) is still stuck in the cave looking at shadows of images by your point. On that point, the black kid who grew up loathing white cops because he has witnessed them being power-hungry in his neighborhood may grow up hating whites on the opposite side of the token. Again, experience cannot be taken away, but ultimately it will not help the broader issue of natural rights. I see no need for the quips, I am inclined to believe that by making this a tit-for-tat about who can name the larger number of racists or race-incidents relating to the opposite side is sophistry, and you may deduce that I am skirting the topic because I am ‘conservative’, once again you are the one avoiding the issue truly at hand, and I see continue the tradition of cherry picking which parts of my messages you respond to and the more important factors, you seem relatively silent.
It was life’s experiences that led you to be “mildly racist” to begin with was it not?
22 ottovbvs // Jul 12, 2009 at 7:50 pm
brutus1791 // Jul 11, 2009 at 1:34 pm
…….I reference you to what this discussion is about…..namely the presence real or imagined of racism in the GOP……since it’s blatantly obvious that racism is fairly widespread in the Republican party I can understand that someone of your political standpoint would rather talk about historicism, gestalts and various other bits of what Alfred Hitchock called McGuffins. They are all largely irrelevant to the issue at hand and awfully unconvincing when, as is reported elsewhere on this blog, the Young Republicans have just elected as their chairman someone who routinely joins in discussions about the our present coon administration. Since the tenor of your remarks indicates your age group, I’m sure you fit in fine.
23 sdspringy // Jul 13, 2009 at 9:13 am
Ottovbvs : racism is fairly widespread in the Republican party. Really. Which party has a former Grand Dragon of the KKK in their Senate leadership? Which party likes to refer to a black woman in public office as a “twofer”? All those Union votes that the Dems love to spend money on, think that group is without racism. And my favorite is the Gingsberg comments on abortion, priceless coming from a Lib.
The article is stupid because it tries to present an arguement for a false premise. Racism exist, in both parties, in all races, in all genders.
24 ottovbvs // Jul 13, 2009 at 12:28 pm
sdspringy // Jul 13, 2009 at 9:13 am
“Really. Which party has a former Grand Dragon of the KKK in their Senate leadership?”
………As far as know Bobby Byrd hasn’t burned any flaming crosses lately and doesn’t usually go around calling Obama a coon……..You can accuse the Democrats of many things but racism isn’t one of them…… they are a much more inclusive party……Could I find some racist Democrats sure…..it’s not endemic however, nor do mainstream democrats in elective office ever subscribe to it…… it’s a quantum difference however much you squirm
25 brutus1791 // Jul 13, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Otto, I reference you back to what I was hoping the conversation would become, and why what the conversation “was about” was going to get nothing accomplished. I’d be curious to know what my political standpoint is in your eyes quite honestly, but the Hitchcock reference I guess was supposed to demonstrate your age? Irrelevant issues? How is that? You failed to address any of them, just because you lack the argumentative ability to counter with something sound (or complete for god’s sake) does not mean my arguments lack relevance. It just means you refuse to raise the level of your rhetoric to a suitable level. So be it *Shrug*
I guess calling me a young racist was your best shot then. Ouch.
At least you demonstrated for sdspringy your modus operandi of being presented with several issues or anectodes, and cherry picked the one you could answer, and went back to bashing Republicans. Again, lowering the conversation to the level of tit-for-tat and FURTHER proving my points. For all, naturally.
The tenor of my remarks… priceless. I always fancied myself a Siegfried Jerusalem type!
tschüs!
26 brutus1791 // Jul 13, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Whoa (think Joey from Blossom)… the winky faces come to life!
27 sdspringy // Jul 13, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Really Otto, you better read Gingsburg comments about abortion, I believe she is mainstream. We may not know what Byrd has in his closet but the cape and cross was definitely there. And what about Sotomayor, she makes better decision than a white male. Can you say you make better decision than a black female and not get pinned with a label.
You know of a Republican in an elected office that subscribes to racism, and please not some goofy college kid. Still don’t see the quantum difference which you would love to crow about
You must log in to post a comment.