Republicans and Racists Are Synonyms and Have Been for Decades

Born in 1946, there have been 14 presidents who directly affected my life and the lives of my generation. All but one were white men. Of these white men, five were well-known racists: all but one were Republicans. Harry Truman was the only Democrat during my life who was racist and anti-Semitic. The others were Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and, of course, Donald John Trump.

Why is this important? Americans claim that the United States is the greatest country in the world. This is impossible when it is also the most racist country in the free world. The Constitution is invalid if complete equality and the rights of all Americans are denied.

Since Reagan, the Republican Party has been obvious about the fact that they support white nationalism. Immediately after his inauguration, Reagan declared war on women, the working class, and minorities. When he embraced a single religion, denying the validity of all others, he violated the first amendment.

Post-Reagan, the Republican Party in name only has only become worse. Special interests own the United States of America. All men are not “created equal.” Only the super-rich enjoy the benefits of the Constitution.

Although the truth about racism and the Republican Party had existed in the shadows for decades, with Trump as the leader of white supremacists, these hate groups are openly a part of mainstream American politics in the 21st century. These are “Trump’s people,” and the new voter base of the right-wing.

In August of 2017, Neo-Nazi groups attended the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. As expected, violence erupted and a 15-year-old woman was murdered. After the tragedy, Trump stood before the television cameras and confirmed his support of violent, white supremacist groups as he stated his own beliefs in just seven words: “There were good people on both sides.”

Some Americans claimed to be surprised that Trump is a racist. They have not studied his family history. After Trump’s father paid for his diploma from Wharton, he repaid father Fred by working in his business, renting high rise apartments in New York. One of the instructions Trump received was very revealing. If a Black man or woman filled out an application, the rental agent was required tol place a large red “C” at to top. It is a fact that the vast majority of prejudices are baseless. They are passed down to children by their parents.

Republicans in the Senate proved once and for all that theirs is the party of racism during the hearings for Ketanji Brown Jackson conducted to vet her for a seat on the Supreme Court. Her excellent record could not become a reason to deny confirmation, so they switched to attacking her for being a Black woman. Cruz, Blackburn, and others questioned her about Critical Race Theory, which is under attack by racists and bigots across our nation.

Here in Nevada, one of our gubernatorial candidates is Paul Laxalt. His entire campaign is based on a promise to prevent teaching anything about CRT in our schools if he is elected. “Racism, and bigotry have arrived in America. They are wearing a cross and waving a flag.” “The truth lives here.”

Op-ed by James Turnage

Sources:

CNN: Three years later, Charlottesville’s legacy of neo-Nazi hate still festers; opinion by Roberta Kaplan and Deborah Lipstadt
The Center for American Progress: How White Supremacy Returned to Mainstream Politics; by Simon Clark
Politico Magazine: How White Nationalists Learned To Love Donald Trump; by J.M. Berger

Featured and Top Image by U.S. National Archives Courtesy of Picryl – Public Domain License
Inset Image by U.S. National Archives Courtesy of NARA Archives – Public Domain License
Second Inset Image Courtesy of Anthony Crider’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License