The KKK (and their ilk) is alive and well and inhabit the Republican Party.

[Cyrano]

No, not every member of the Republican Party is a racist. But (with no scientific proof to back me up) I believe that, what we used to call the KKK, (as well as other white supremacist groups) have found a home in the Republican Party.

They just refer to themselves by different names such as Citizen's Councils, militia men, and you name it. But anyone who doesn't recognize them for what they are is either a fool or a knave.

And I include Dick Cheney, and many others in the current administration, as well as conservative members of congress and Republican appointed judges of racism in the first degree. (I would includ W. in this statement, but who in the hell knows what goes on in that man's excuse for a mind.)

Where's my proof? Start with New Orleans. Then look at funds that have been cut over the past six years for inner city schools, programs to help the poor pull themselves out of poverty, the slashing of food stamps for the needy, and so many other cuts that have been made by these bastards that have considered themselves unanswerable to anyone over the past six years.

And yes, it does go farther than just racism. These people have declared war on behalf of the "Haves" against the "Have Nots." So virtually anyone who is poor, or at the bottom of the middle class has fallen victim to these swine. But it's my belief that blacks have borne the brunt of this despicable attack against the helpless.

I also believe that the majority of blacks "get it" and will always vote against Republicans. But somehow, too many poor whites continue to vote against their own interests because they buy into the ten tons of crap that Republicans dish up every election cycle.

[AspenRose]

1. When David Duke was running for office as a republican

the GOP didn't want anything to do with him. *wink, wink*


But how many years ago was that....

I think they would have kept him in the party if he had been more subtle with his racism.

[Prophet 451]

2. Both agree and disagree

I'm sure there are a great many racists in the Republican party but I'm not sure whether Cheney and co are amongst them. Their primary concern seems to be class and money. Admittedly, since black people are statistically more likely to be poor, it often looks like the same thing but I honestly think it's money rather than colour that they're concerned with.

[HappyWeasel]

9. It is REALLY hard to know....you are probably right.

The GOP has a hard right element of 15% of the population( think nuts like Coburn, Inholfe, De Mint, mayyyybbeee Brownback, but he is probably just some rabid anti-choicemethfiend), the next 15% are just religious and anti-social nuts who may or may not honestly be "Not racist" (I think the Bush Admin are the left edge of this group...must Republican congressmen are here...think Enzi, Thomas,Kyl,Hatch, Bennet,Thune, Bond,Hutchinson, Craig and Crapo are probably on the right end of this group) and the next 10 are those who are the party-line but willing to "make a deal"(Smith,Warner,Coleman,Mc Cain before he became a little shit,Hagel?) and the next 10% are the moderate, secular republicans like Specter, Snowe, Collins...and even Lisi Murkowski and maybe even Stevens(though he is still an idiot). I would also put DeWine,Lugar and Vionovich Republicans that are moderate to slight left, but are considered rw ideologues because they are such "big babies" about abortion. At either rate, but secular libertarian moderates and pro-government conservatives should be won so we can turn our 2004 minority of 47-49% into a 54-55% majority (we should be able to win Iowa,Ohio,Colorado and New Mexico and Nevada too if we lose Wisconsin) and be able to gain maybe to gain 10 more seats in the house and 2 or 3 more in the senate)

[AndyA]

3. That's why I just get get black Republicans. It just doesn't make sense.

Like J.C. Watts of Oklahoma. I mean really, J.C., WTF? :wtf:

And the Log Cabin Republicans. Add them to the GOP = DOES NOT COMPUTE.

People are dumb. Idiots. But look at what that's done for Dubya.

[HappyWeasel]

11. I can understand black republicans...they would be dems, but are you typical Tony Dungy, Alan Keyse

and Clarence Thomas. They may or not hate themselves, but they are especially "big babies" about abortion... but I cannot understand gay republicans.

What is interesting though is how a lot of rabidanti-choicemonsters are stepping up recruiting in the inner city. this time in 2005, I would say that this would be the end of the Democrats unless they found a new base that doesn't include banning abortions or the needs of poor minorities that don't like them anymore. But because of the overt racism since then, I am pretty sure that the worst that is going to happen is that those whose votes are thrown out won't vote anymore.

[Rosemary2205]

4. I wonder how many of the poor actually vote

I don't think the poor are voting against their own interests. I don't think very many of them are voting at all. I offer only anecdotal evidence to my claim.

The county I live in is generally on the lower middle class side and very well integrated - not just black and white, but we have a strong population of hispanic and asian also. The precincts in the county that trend more middle/middle class have a much higher voter participation rate than the poorer parts of the county. In one town in particular, more than 65% of it's residents live below the poverty level. Thier voter participation level in 2004 elections was under 10% of eligible adults.

I have heard similar stories from other areas of the country. I really get the sense the poor are just not voting.

[HappyWeasel]

18. Exit polls show that though the less money, the less republican...

but not by much...

[DUgosh]

5. I believe it's called the Republic Party now

[k_jerome]

6. lol. nt.

[HappyWeasel]

19. Yeah, they call us the "Democrat" party and "democrats".

We should call them "Republics", "freepers" and the "Republic Party".

[HappyWeasel]

7. That is totally true.

I think our course of action is to go after moderate working class and poor republican votes. That's what we did in 2006 and we won. The key is to be able to be more open minded on certain issues while still being able to hold your ground. For example, letting some pro-life people into the party without putting Roe at risk. We must be able to do this while still being able to hold onto the rich and upper middle class vote (cosmopolitian business people and those who are willing to vote against their economic self-interest in exchange for more social tolerance) while being able to somehow guarantee health insurance and alternatives to homelessness/euthanasia at the onset of "geriatricism" for all americans. This looks like I want my cake and to eat it, too...but the key to conservative republican big-business pro-church-state-merging success lies in the fact that they have been having their cake and eating it too...and they probably would have continued to have gotten away with it but for Katrina, Iraq and the "partying", especially after 9/11 had basically gave them a permanent mandate to a constant 51% of the american people. The next 18 months is crucial. If they manage to win in Iraq or successfully accuse our folks of a major scandal or failure, they will not only regain the mandate that they have had, but they will have the moral authority to invade Iran, reinstate the draft, overturn Roe( and Griswald for that matter), Brown and Lawerence,slow scientific progress and "cash in" the entire federal civilian infilstructure...and just generally create an isolationist, primitive and fuedalistic state....depending on how the dynamics of this situation, will turn the USA either into a pre-xaoping China or will take the USSR lead and dissolve with the exception of a heartland core.
However, if Bush stays below 45% or the same or gets impeached, we may have the momentum to claim a new democratic majority for the next 15 to 40 years.

[In Truth We Trust]

8. Racists are ignorant fucks and/or divide and conquer machiavellian oligarchs.

[HappyWeasel]

10. I dunno, in Gingrich and Rove's party, they have been one or the other...

but, they seem to overlap more and more.

[SemperEadem]

12. they also refer to themselves as christians

that's what makes them a scary fraud. they are about enforcing caste in this country.

[Initech]

13. The KKK morphed into the Christian Coalition

It's pretty well known that Jerry Falwell is a white supremacist (check the Wikipedia article on the Christian Coalition if you don't believe me).

[Buzz Clik]

14. Where does Robert Byrd fit in this equation? Zell Miller?

[Cyrano]

17. The safest place to put Zell is in a Hannibal Lector type cell. Robert Byrd, on the other hand,

was definitely a member of the KKK at one time. But his actions of the past 30 or 40 years have demonstrated that he long ago gave up on sheets and burning crosses.

Perhaps someone on DU has the data to back up whether or not the majority of blacks vote for Byrd in West Virginia. But it's my guess that Byrd has gotten the black vote for many decades now.

[Buzz Clik]

25. Points well taken. However, when it comes to the Black vote in WV, ...

... there's not much to go on. West Virginia isn't exactly a "Black Friendly" state. If I recall correctly, the only state with fewer Blacks than West Virginia (3.2%) is Hawaii (2.3%).

By no means do I blame Byrd for that, however.

[Madspirit]

15. I believe that, what we used to call the KKK

**I believe that, what we used to call the KKK, (as well as other white supremacist groups) have found a home in the Republican Party.**



"Used to"? I'm not going to stand up, hunt down the new phone book and see if it's still the case but last time I checked, (within the last year), we have a Klan Klaven right here in Austin, Texas. Austin, though Texas, is one of the most progressive cities in the US. It has always and without exception, carried the Democratic candidate in the presidential election. Still, other parts of Texas can leak in and they don't hide what they are. My town has The Knights of Camellia, a Klan Klaven, listed right in the phone book. The KKK still holds rallies all over the US. People who tell themselves these groups are a thing of the past are taking naivete to a dangerous level.

...and yes, go read at Coultergeist's site, (I stole "Coultergeist" from one of you). Many RWers are very close to those politics and some probably are ex-Klan or Klan type groups. Some may still be in the Klan and just keep it closeted. Lots of those people share the ideology of the KKK, all of them to some degree, imo.

It's a dangerous time in this country. Right-wing fundies, Coulter's minions and their ilk, blatant hate groups emerging every day and the same ol' same ol' like the KKK, still around and mighty and also people claiming to be liberals while telling us to "lighten up and get a sense of humor" about these things. It's just not funny and someone like me, a middle-aged lesbian in a neighborhood in Austin Texas, has a lot more to fear from these folks than we do from Osama or Sadam.

...and so do you.

Lee

[Cyrano]

22. You're right. There are still many who declare themselves part of the KKK.

But it's my guess that many more have hidden their sheets somewhere in the trunks of their cars and try to pass themselves off as something they're not. Trent Lott is a good example. I believe that he was (and is?) a member of some group called the "Citizen's Council" or some such thing. It was still the Klan hiding behind some vague title.

[Madspirit]

23. Isn't it funny...

I almost feel safer with the ones in robes who list themselves right in the phone book. At least then I know who to be leery of. The closeted bigots are, in their own way, scarier.
Lee

[nashville_brook]

16. this is (part) of the message of Bowling for Columbine

and... right you are.

[Helga Scow Stern]

20. Derrick Jensen makes a good case for this....

in his book The Culture of Make Believe.

[The Night Owl]

21. Tom Tancredo... The darling of racists in America...

http://www.splcenter.org/intel/news/item.jsp?aid=79

[DIKB]

24. The KKK is experiencing a surge of support and popularity

by becoming vocal about "illegal immigration." They're eye-to-eye with the repukes on this. The idea of the two groups being intertwined is a mixed bag. Sure it makes the bigoted, racist undertones of the repukes more obvious to the average joe, and will drive away decent people. I'm just scared to find out how many people would embrace it and make the repukes just that much more like the Nazis. As if they aren't FRIGHTENINGLY Close Enough ?!?!?