A really excellent read by Issac J. Bailey on the racial rift (yes) in the Democratic Party comes with this warning for "progressives" who don't join the battle to fight the "existential threat" posed by neo- fascist "Deadbeat Donald" Trump:
Minority voters have been watching in horror as millions of Republican voters choose Trump either because of, or despite, his open bigotry. The Sanders supporters who toy with the idea of shunning Clinton in November and allowing Trump to become president to force a revolution that Sanders couldn’t deliver are playing with fire. To minority voters, Trump’s candidacy feels like an existential threat. It’s one thing for Republicans to either ignore or embrace his racism; the party already seems unwilling or incapable of making the kinds of adjustments it must to attract more non-white voters. It’s quite another for white Democrats to not appreciate how liberal minorities feel about the possibility of a Trump presidency and what that would say about the state of racial progress in America. It would be a slap in the face, the latest sign that a kind of white privilege—throwing a temper tantrum because they don’t get their way despite how much it hurts people of color—is deeply rooted within liberal, Democratic ranks as well.Ron Brownstein looks at the racism rampant in the Republican/ New Confederate/ Stupid/ Shooter's Party, what it portends for the party's future, and the hypocrisy of Republican "leaders" who profess to be shocked -- shocked! -- that their party's base has internalized all the racist dog- whistles that have been at the heart of Republican politics for more than 40 years (Trump's racist comments on Judge Curiel "came out of left field," said Rep. Paul "Lyin'" Ryan):
Trump has reason to be surprised because until now, Republican leaders have mustered no more resistance to his provocations than momentary grumbling, followed by capitulation. Trump personally demeaned Marco Rubio during the campaign as contemptuously as one presidential candidate has ever belittled another; yet Rubio compliantly endorsed him. Ryan criticized Trump over his Duke remarks and his proposal to temporarily ban Muslim immigrants. But then, after briefly withholding his endorsement, he too fell into line (if perhaps only temporarily).
Throughout, even the Republican leaders most uneasy with Trump have recoiled from confronting him partly because he has demonstrated how much of the GOP coalition responds to a racially barbed message of defensive nationalism. Trump’s appeal extends beyond racial backlash: His economic message and identity as an outsider and business executive also powered his victory. But there’s no question he has drawn his greatest support from the GOP voters most uneasy about demographic and cultural change. As Pew Research Center polling shows, Republicans who say the growing number of immigrants threaten traditional American values, and those who believe Islam is more likely to encourage violence, rate Trump far more favorably than those who reject those statements. Likewise, while voters who support deporting all undocumented Mexican immigrants only represented a minority of all GOP primary voters in almost every state with an exit poll, those deportation supporters backed Trump in such overwhelming numbers that they provided a majority of his votes almost everywhere. Meanwhile, polls consistently show broad majority support among Republican voters for Trump’s temporary ban on Muslims entering the country.Take some time to read the full articles if you can.
UPDATE: As we noted yesterday, Deadbeat Donald is back using the tired "Pocahontas" slur on Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), causing some Republicans to squirm. Stuart Stevens, Willard "Mittens" Romney's chief strategist in 2012, had this to say about Deadbeat Donald's latest tantrum:
“This is a sick guy, and Americans are not longing for a president who’s going to go out and use ethnic slurs against people."
