Historically, Republican attacks on "the welfare state" after the civil rights protests of the 60s and 70s were propagated by their leadership from Barry Goldwater to Richard Nixon to Ronald Regan. The white majority's perception of expanding social welfare programs is mirrored in today's undercurrent of racist dialogue led by Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul.
Take a look at the GOP candidates' racial rhetoric and the imagery they've spoon-feed the American people:
- Newt Gingrich's assertion that he would go to the NAACP, if invited, to talk about why the African American community should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps. (He makes constant reference to President Obama as the "Food Stamp" president.)
- Gringrich offered belittling comments about poor kids lacking role models with a work ethic, bashed the unionized janitors in public schools, and offered his proposal to use school children as janitors. his comments were met with loud support from his audience. (Well, why not. He his several of the right wing themes: anti-business legislation like the child labor laws, public sector unions and lazy "urban" kids.)
- Gringrich's standing ovation from the South Carolina GOP audience when he responded to Juan Williams question about this view being insulting to all Americans, particularly to black Americans with "No, I don't see that,".
- When Rick Santorum, in a discussion about Medicaid in Iowa, said: "I don't want to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money." (He later denied that his remarks were aimed at blacks.)
- Ron Paul chose the South Carolina Statehouse grounds, surrounded by Civil War icons and the Confederate battle flag, to talk about states' rights to possibly ignore federal laws they don't like, which includes civil rights and voting laws.
- Mitt Romney called the AZ "papers please" law a model for the country and added Kris Kobach, architect of two of the strongest immigration crackdown laws in the country, as a key staffer in his campaign. He also stated his opposition to the "Dream Act" which would allow illegal immigrants brought to the U. S. as children to earn leagl status if they went to college or joined the military.
Now that Mitt Romney is finally sewing up the nomination, passing his rivals and their collective ugly racial politics, it time to "pivot" from these clearly extreme right-wing positions in order to garner support from moderate Republicans and Independents for the general election. Pivoting is not new to Romney who changes his position on issues with each swing of the wind. Just watch Mitt run.
0 comments:
Post a Comment