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Originally Posted by maximusveritas
I'll refrain from discussing it after this, but I do disagree. Sure it pisses people off, but it's still certainly worthy of discussion. There's no way to prove it, but there's no way to prove that racism is still pervasive either. That's just your opinion and it would be just as easy to say that racism is now virutally non-existant (in fact, many Republicans make that very argument). This is just a consequence of racism having been forced underground.
However, by looking at the history of race and politics in the South, you can clearly see that it is the Republican Party that has catered to and drawn in the racist elements of the past. That's not in dispute. The only question is whether it is still going on. In my opinion, the Southern Strategy is not dead, as Ken Mehlman would have us believe. Check out Lee Atwater's comments on the use of code words to continue the racial division of the past while pushing a new "Northern Strategy". What I've said is not controversial. There is plenty of scholarship on this topic.
Perhaps I did mis-use the term "GOP base", but I'm not even sure if that phrase has an official definition anyway, so I don't see why people are getting hung up on it except as a diversion from really discussing this issue.
As far as Marvelous Marv's comments about the Democrats doing the same thing with African Americans, I agree. Look at Hillary Clinton's controversial remarks on MLK Day. Even they can't afford to be open about it anymore.
Even though all that is related to the topic at hand, it is a bit off-point, so I'll drop it.
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I think the problem with what you are saying about a "GOP base" is that it is like saying the Democratic base is ultraliberal communists who burn SUV dealerships and believe anyone who says the words "US military" in a positive tone is a babykilling imperialist.
I personally believe racism DOES still exist, mostly because it is impossible to eliminate something like that while we are all still human. However, I don't think that it exists to the extent many would like us to believe.
It can definately cross party lines as well. In Maryland, as an example, the Democrats have spent forty years telling the black voters in Baltimore and PG County that they are the party for them, when the highest office held in the state's history by a black person is our Republican Lieutenent Governer, who is also running for Senate against two Democrats: a white guy the party is backing, and a black guy they are trying their damndest to ignore.
The point is, it is both parties that are using minorities for thier own purposes, so to single out the Republicans is to show extreme bias in thinking.