When David Duke the former Grand Wizard of the KKK encouraged his radio audience to vote for Donald Trump this past Wednesday, he (Duke) opened a proverbial can of self-righteous indignation out of which poured hypocrites from both sides of the aisle. The comments first reported by BuzzFeed News quote Duke saying, “Voting for these people, voting against Donald Trump at this point, is really treason to your heritage.” Heritage he says. Well since you brought that up let’s talk about the recent heritage of the Republican Party.
But first a little background. Immediately following Duke’s statement republican presidential candidates Senators Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas called on Trump to condemn Duke along with Duke’s past association with the KKK. Apparently Cruz and Rubio, hoping to capitalize on the better angels of their respective supporters nature as well as Trump’s supporters, are suffering from an acute case of selective amnesia.
If memory serves me, I seem to recall that the so-called evangelical conservatives that Cruz believes he represents support (as history shows) much of what David Duke represents. Ask yourselves who carried out the lynchings in the south for so many years…only then they referred to themselves as “God-Fearing Christians.” You know it’s true. I mean we are talking about heritage right? And as for Rubio, he and his supporters are hell bent on repealing Obamacare. So much for love for your fellowman that you would prefer seeing them die rather than provide them access to affordable healthcare. May as well hand out infected blankets. Heritage right?
Republican strategists filled the airwaves over the weekend shaking their respective “we are the world” fists while spewing disingenuous platitudes about the ruination of the party of Lincoln and Reagan courtesy of the hate speak of Trump and now Duke. Really? Let’s take a walk further down heritage lane shall we? Remember this 2013 gem posited by Iowa Republican Congressman Steve King referencing Mexican immigrants, “they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’ve been hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert.” Last time I checked King is still a Congressman. In fact, King won re-election in 2014 with nearly 62% of the vote. So much for the better angels of conservative voters nature.
Last but not least, let’s go back even further and talk about the crown prince of courting racist votes, the late Lee Atwater. Atwater served as adviser to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush and chairman of the Republican National Committee and is remembered for among many things his (Atwater) Southern Strategy in which he explained how republicans could win the southern racist vote without sounding racist themselves. The following represents a small portion of Atwater’s strategy.
You start out in 1954 by saying, “Nigger, nigger, nigger.” By 1968 you can’t say “nigger”—that hurts you, backfires. So you say stuff like, uh, forced busing, states’ rights, and all that stuff, and you’re getting so abstract. Now, you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is, blacks get hurt worse than whites.… “We want to cut this,” is much more abstract than even the busing thing, uh, and a hell of a lot more abstract than “Nigger, nigger.”
So much for republican cries that the KKK and Trump are ruining the party of Lincoln and Reagan. Heritage would suggest the party was ruined a long time ago. Time to fold that hand guys. No one’s calling your bluff.
Written by Jay Arrington, Featured writer for the Maryland Daily Examiner
For information regarding the Maryland Daily Examiner, contact Reggie Kearney, Editor in Chief.
To hear the entire Atwater interview visit, http://www.thenation.com/article/exclusive-lee-atwaters-infamous-1981-interview-southern-strategy/
But first a little background. Immediately following Duke’s statement republican presidential candidates Senators Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas called on Trump to condemn Duke along with Duke’s past association with the KKK. Apparently Cruz and Rubio, hoping to capitalize on the better angels of their respective supporters nature as well as Trump’s supporters, are suffering from an acute case of selective amnesia.
If memory serves me, I seem to recall that the so-called evangelical conservatives that Cruz believes he represents support (as history shows) much of what David Duke represents. Ask yourselves who carried out the lynchings in the south for so many years…only then they referred to themselves as “God-Fearing Christians.” You know it’s true. I mean we are talking about heritage right? And as for Rubio, he and his supporters are hell bent on repealing Obamacare. So much for love for your fellowman that you would prefer seeing them die rather than provide them access to affordable healthcare. May as well hand out infected blankets. Heritage right?
Republican strategists filled the airwaves over the weekend shaking their respective “we are the world” fists while spewing disingenuous platitudes about the ruination of the party of Lincoln and Reagan courtesy of the hate speak of Trump and now Duke. Really? Let’s take a walk further down heritage lane shall we? Remember this 2013 gem posited by Iowa Republican Congressman Steve King referencing Mexican immigrants, “they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’ve been hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert.” Last time I checked King is still a Congressman. In fact, King won re-election in 2014 with nearly 62% of the vote. So much for the better angels of conservative voters nature.
Last but not least, let’s go back even further and talk about the crown prince of courting racist votes, the late Lee Atwater. Atwater served as adviser to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush and chairman of the Republican National Committee and is remembered for among many things his (Atwater) Southern Strategy in which he explained how republicans could win the southern racist vote without sounding racist themselves. The following represents a small portion of Atwater’s strategy.
You start out in 1954 by saying, “Nigger, nigger, nigger.” By 1968 you can’t say “nigger”—that hurts you, backfires. So you say stuff like, uh, forced busing, states’ rights, and all that stuff, and you’re getting so abstract. Now, you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is, blacks get hurt worse than whites.… “We want to cut this,” is much more abstract than even the busing thing, uh, and a hell of a lot more abstract than “Nigger, nigger.”
So much for republican cries that the KKK and Trump are ruining the party of Lincoln and Reagan. Heritage would suggest the party was ruined a long time ago. Time to fold that hand guys. No one’s calling your bluff.
Written by Jay Arrington, Featured writer for the Maryland Daily Examiner
For information regarding the Maryland Daily Examiner, contact Reggie Kearney, Editor in Chief.
To hear the entire Atwater interview visit, http://www.thenation.com/article/exclusive-lee-atwaters-infamous-1981-interview-southern-strategy/
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