----- Original Message ----- From: "Gautam Mukunda" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2004 11:55 PM Subject: Re: Double Standards on Regional Bigotry
> --- Dan Minette <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I'm not saying that Bush is a racist. He probably > > isn't. I'd put money on > > a straight up bet against him being an old fashioned > > Texas racist. But, > > Trent saying that things would have been better if > > Strom had won instead of > > Harry wasn't an accident. The only problem is that > > he got caught with the > > wrong people hearing it. > > > > Dan M. > > Sure - but the Republican Party removed him from > power, very much to its credit. Jesse "Himeytown" > Jackson is doing okay, by contrast. Al "Tawana > Brawley" Sharpton is kowtowed to by Democrats every > day. And, as I've already mentioned, Robert "White > N-----" Byrd is one of the leaders of the Democratic > Party. The modern record of the Democratic Party is > every bit as bad, despite the disgraceful heritage of > Nixon's southern strategy. I'll freely admit that the Democrats do not criticize unelected black leaders enough. In particular, I think the deference paid to Sharpton this year is disgraceful. And, Byrd did indeed join the KKK in the 40s. But, I don't remember a recent Democratic presidential candidate having focus groups to find the way to run ads that would trigger white nervousness about criminal blacks. Crime itself wasn't enough, just any old murder wouldn't do. It was the old black man raping white woman that got the good numbers in the focus group. I see no indication that Republicans are abandoning Nixon's Southern strategy. It doesn't make sense. From an economic standpoint, lower middle class whites belong in the Democratic camp. Republicans can get them by appealing to their nervousness about pushy minorities. Its not really about things like drugs or premarital sex, because that group is roughly as active as any other in those activities. There are other indications too, like opposition to bus service to the Woodlands because it would increase crime. Who seriously thinks that criminals will ride the bus from the city, rob a house blind, and take the bus home with their stolen goods? Its a code word for something else. Democrats are naturally handicapped in going for the racist vote because blacks are accurately seen as part of the Democratic coalition. Thus, it is a ripe field for the Republicans. I'm not saying that Republicans are inherently more immoral than Democrats, just that they are much better positioned to play the race card with whites. Given the fact that a subtly played race card can be the difference between victory and defeat, its hard to imagine the majority of politicians refraining from playing it for ethical reasons. So, my argument is not that Democrats don't play it as well or often as Republicans because they often can't, not because they won't on principal. You can also see the racist vote in Texas, where, in key districts, a moderate black candidate did significantly worse than a very liberal white candidate. Neither had special name recognition, but voters knew who was white and who was black. Dan M. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
