The party of Lincoln is dying

[Zorro]

Why such vehemence among Republican leaders in their condemnations of Donald Trump for questioning the objectivity of a federal judge based on his “Mexican heritage”?

This is, in House Speaker Paul D. Ryan’s words, “the textbook definition of a racist comment.” But it is not materially more bigoted than the central premise of Trump’s campaign: that foreigners and outsiders are exploiting, infiltrating and adulterating the real America. How is attacking the impartiality of a judge worse than characterizing undocumented Mexicans as invading predators intent on raping American women? Or pledging to keep all Muslim migrants out of the country? Or citing the internment of U.S. citizens and noncitizens of Japanese descent during World War II as positive precedent?

Is Trump himself a racist? Who the bloody hell cares? There is no difference in public influence between a politician who is a racist and one who appeals to racist sentiments with racist arguments. The harm to the country — measured in division and fear — is the same, whatever the inner workings of Trump’s heart.

No, Trump’s attack on Judge Gonzalo Curiel was not different in kind. But for Republican leaders, this much was new: Since Trump now owns them, they now own his prejudice. Sure, Trump has gone nativist before, but this time it followed their overall stamp of approval, given in the cause of Republican unity. Trump must have known his attack on Curiel would humiliate the GOP leaders who have endorsed him, and he did it anyway. Trump is taking away the option of wishful thinking. Republicans have clung to the hope that Trump might find unsuspected resources of leadership; lacking that, to the hope that he might be co-opted; and lacking that, to the hope of laying low and avoiding the Trump taint. All delusions. Having tied themselves to Trump’s anchor, the protests of GOP leaders are merely the last string of bubbles escaping from their lungs.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-party-of-lincoln-is-dying/2016/06/09/e669380a-2e6b-11e6-9de3-6e6e7a14000c_story.html

[notadmblnd]

1. Well they're in good company because so is the party of FDR.

[Warpy]

2. Trump rages like this a lot

Just ask them in Scotland. He's petty, mean spirited, thin skinned, and vindictive.

However, people are paying closer attention to it now that enough morons have voted for him in the primary to threaten the power elite with his actual candidacy.

The Republican Party has had racism, sexism and bigotry as invisible planks in their platform since Nixon got in with his southern strategy. As long as those planks remained invisible except by shrugs, winks, and USSC judges hostile to the Civil Rights Act, everything was copacetic and they could pretend to be inclusive.

That's the only thing that has changed. The planks are now there for even the most self deluded to see quite clearly since they've been Trumpeted so loudly with no contradiction from the halls of GOP power.

[Protalker]

3. 3 out of 4 Republicans don't see Trump on judge racist

He is in Virginia and the crowd is all white. Does that look like the America you live in? II'm white but my world is full of diversity.

[Night Watchman]

4. No

The party of Lincoln is dead, and has been so for decades!

[unblock]

5. the parties largely switched places, the key turning points being the elections of 1896 and 1968.

the electoral map from 1896 is interestingly almost the reverse of the electoral map these days.
mckinley(r) won california, oregon, and all of the new york/new england and the midwest.

[MichiganVote]

6. I care that Trump is a racist and sexist. I care very much.

[pansypoo53219]

7. it USED to be the party of lincoln. its the party of ayn rand/reagan/newt/grover torquiest.

and fux gnewz. and the kock bros & their cabal.