Russ Feingold: How the Republican party quietly does the bidding of white supremacists

[babylonsister]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/19/republican-party-white-supremacists-charlottesville?CMP=fb_us


How the Republican party quietly does the bidding of white supremacists
Russ Feingold

Let us finally rip off the veneer that Trump’s affinity for white supremacy is distinct from the Republican agenda. It isn’t

Russ Feingold is a former Senator for Wisconsin

Saturday 19 August 2017 06.00 EDT


It takes approximately 30 seconds to send a tweet. A half hour to draft and release a statement. And the shelf life of both is only marginally longer. We should not commend Republican party elected officials who claim outrage on social media at Trump’s remarks, often without daring to mention his name. The phony claimed outrage becomes dangerous if it convinces anyone that there is a distinction between Trump’s abhorrent comments and the Republican Party agenda.

The lesson from Charlottesville is not how dangerous the neo-Nazis are. It is the unmasking of the Republican party leadership. In the wake of last weekend’s horror and tragedy, let us finally, finally rip off the veneer that Trump’s affinity for white supremacy is distinct from the Republican agenda of voter suppression, renewed mass incarceration and the expulsion of immigrants.

There is a direct link between Trump’s comments this week and those policies, so where is the outrage about the latter? Where are the Republican leaders denouncing voter suppression as racist, un-American, and dangerous? Where are the Republican leaders who are willing to call out the wink (and the direct endorsement) from President Trump to the white supremacists and acknowledge their own party’s record and stance on issues important to people of color as the real problem for our country?

snip//

If Republican lawmakers want to distinguish themselves from Trump’s comments, they need to do more than type out 144 characters on their phone. They need to take a hard look at their party’s agenda.

A good start would be with voting rights. Let’s see lawmakers like John Kasich in Ohio immediately stop the state’s intended purging of voting records. Let’s see Wisconsin lawmakers throw out their gerrymandered district map and form a non-partisan redistricting commission.

Let’s see strict voter ID laws criticized with the same vitriol that Republicans used in responding to the events in Charlottesville. Let’s see Republicans call out their own agenda, and openly recognize the connection between the agenda of the racist alt-right and that of the Republican party.

Anything short of radical change to the Republican party’s war on voters of color is merely feigned outrage. Even if the white supremacists are condemned, even if the entire Republican party rises up in self-professed outrage at white supremacists, if voter suppression and other such racist policies survive, the white supremacists are winning. And America is losing.

Russ Feingold is a former Senator for Wisconsin

[Stuart G]

1. I miss Russ. I supported him in the last election..

He lost...

[babylonsister]

2. Or not...I think a lot of

people 'lost' who actually didn't; thank the Russians. We shall see eventually, hopefully.

[Stuart G]

3. I do hope he returns to the Senate..He is a real progressive in every way..!!!! nt

[dalton99a]

5. +1

[L. Coyote]

4. They need to be shown the falsehood of their rationalizations.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[Raastan]

6. K + R

[Wounded Bear]

7. K & R ......this has been a long time brewing...

Repubs sold out long ago, starting with the Southern Strategy and right through Reagan announcing his candidacy in Philadelphia, Mississippi. For many years, they masked it fairly well. It's out now. They are who they are.

[leftstreet]

8. DURec