I’VE MENTIONED A FEW TIMES IN THIS SPACE that I’ve spent the last 30 years transitioning from a rock-ribbed conservative Republican to the kind of sensible, level-headed liberalism that would have been recognizable to FDR or Harry Truman. A big part of that had to do with my sense that the Republican Party spent that time completing its own transition — from a fairly broad-based coalition to a party based on the racial grievances of Southern whites.
Consider the idea of “small government.” When conservatives complain about “big government,” they aren’t talking about cutting defense spending, eliminating agricultural subsidies, or stopping funds for bridges to nowhere. It’s always about ending entitlement programs that benefit “those people.” No, not Social Security payments to elderly white people or veterans’ pensions — but “those people.”
It is worth mentioning that the political party that used to talk that way was the Democratic Party before Lyndon Johnson. The Democrats used to be an odd coalition of Northern liberals and southern conservatives, mostly due to certain historical anomalies, chief among them acknowledgement that the hated (by the white, Southern power structure) Abraham Lincoln had been a Republican. A factor in the passage of the New Deal legislation of the 1930s was that Southern congressmen were assured that black people wouldn’t benefit.
Now, before anyone accuses me of throwing around inflammatory terms, let me define what I mean by racist. When a lot of people hear the word “racist” they think of extremist examples of that category — Klansmen, Neo-Nazis, Christian Identity Movement types and so on — who structure their entire lives around hate. While these people do exist, and while I take seriously the legitimate threat they represent to our society, for the most part they don’t live in mainstream society — in part because they are that paranoid about the possibility of interacting with other races.
The bulk of racist actions have always been committed by “decent people” who would never think of donning a white sheet, but have no hesitation about disenfranchising blacks in more subtle, legal ways. These ways are no less socially corrosive than burning a cross in someone’s yard.
I’ve told the story here in this space before of a neighbor in Richmond who bought a house in the (white, middle-class) El Cerrito hills, only to have the house bought out from under him by his prospective neighbors to prevent a black family from moving into their neighborhood. That’s the kind of racism I’m referring to in this piece.
Of course, racism works as an electoral strategy for the Republicans. It is an effective means of preventing things like single-payer health care and other European-style, social-democratic policies. I’d go so far as to say that, were the right deprived of this tool, single-payer health care, government-provided child care and other social policies that Europeans take for granted would already have been enacted in the U.S.
Lee Atwater himself explained the “Southern Strategy” that has been the backbone of conservative politics since the passage of the Voting Rights Act. Speaking to Alexander P. Lamis, author of the book “Southern Politics,” in the 1990s, Atwater said, “As to the whole Southern Strategy that Harry S. Dent Sr. and others put together in 1968, opposition to the Voting Rights Act would have been a central part of keeping the South. Now (the new Southern Strategy of Ronald Reagan) doesn’t have to do that. All you have to do to keep the South for Reagan is to run in place on the issues he’s campaigned on since 1964 and that’s fiscal conservatism, balancing the budget, cut taxes, you know, the whole cluster.”
Questioner: “But the fact is, isn’t it, that Reagan does get to the Wallace voter and to the racist side of the Wallace voter by doing away with legal services, by cutting down on food stamps?”
Atwater: “You start out in 1954 by saying, ‘N—-r, n—-r, n—-r.’ By 1968 you can’t say ‘n—-r’ — that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states’ rights and all that stuff. You’re getting so abstract now (that) you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is (that) blacks get hurt worse than whites. And subconsciously maybe that is part of it. I’m not saying that. But I’m saying that if it is getting that abstract, and that coded, that we are doing away with the racial problem one way or the other. You follow me — because obviously sitting around saying, ‘We want to cut this,’ is much more abstract than even the busing thing, and a hell of a lot more abstract than ‘N—-r, n—-r.’”
Am I saying that all conservatives or Republicans are racists? No — the majority of Republicans I know personally do not merit that description, and I personally know some Democrats who do.
That said, here’s something I have yet to hear any conservative of national consequence say: “Of course racism is a big problem on the right. It is everywhere in comboxes on rightist blogs, in the electoral strategy of the Republican Party, and so on. We Republicans must make it clear that we reject this rubbish and that it will not be tolerated in the ranks any longer.”
That would be a very simple thing to say, and would be morally praiseworthy. Why is no one in the leadership of the Republican Party saying anything like that?
As I said earlier, racism works as an electoral strategy for Republicans. That they do so benefit is indisputable, and the institutional right’s use of this strategy stands in the way of lots of progress on race — and much else — in this country.
Matt Talbot is a writer and poet, as well as an old Benicia hand. He works for a tech start-up in San Francisco.
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Matt:
Bless your heart. I can hear your typical Repub responders gnashing their teeth in the wings already. Thanks for the historical perspectives also to know that Democrats are NOT free from racial biases as well. If Christ returned tonight, riding on the bus to get home, he would not be impressed with us, Or would Ghandi, Mother Teresa, or a few dozen others. We have miles still to go before we sleep. Keep your periscope up, I always enjoy your perspectives.
Peter Bray, Benicia, CA
I can’t believe what I just read. This article is despicable. I am a small government, Republican. To be described as above is beyond contempt.
Mr. Talbot .. Shame on you.
How are we … As a society … Suppose to have legitimate debate?
Mr. Talbot, as a self described liberal … Do you not see your hypocrisy? Are you not what you accuse?
I see a bigot. Pure and simple. Close minded, prejudiced, bigot.
Matter: Touche! (Or as the leftists prefer: To Che!!)
For the record, Social Security is not an entitlement. It is a small savings program. You put in and when you get older you take out. I don’t know about you Matt but I don’t want entitled people dipping into that well that didn’t pay in. If you want to talk about it as some protected white guys club, you need to get your facts straight. It is bad enough that we have illegals, (trespassers into our country) that are getting federal tax returns to the tune of tens of billions of dollars every year. Yet they never paid into the system. That is just plain wrong and it is your party that is not only allowing it but encouraging it.
Much of the progress that has been made in the area of race in this country has not been at the hands of the democrat party. Things have gotten worse ever since we got the guy in the white house who was supposedly going to end racism in America. Things are going in reverse. Look around and look at the national news. It is so obvious it is pathetic!
If we are not going to be Holdarian cowards by speaking out on issues of race, let’s also discuss the other side of the equation; the democrat side.
Since at least the failed ‘War on Poverty’ the Democrat Party has told black American’s that they cannot succeed because of institutionalized racism. Thus the only way for Black America to achieve success is through Democrat sponsored programs of various types, the message being: Vote for us and you get the goodies.
The vast majority of Blacks vote Democrat, how many do so for the above reason is difficult to ascertain. But that message is the one sent and the one received by many.
Consider this: What is one of the most damaging things one black can say to another? The answer is: “Acting white”.
And what does “acting white” often mean: getting a good education, respecting people, not claiming victim status and working hard.
I have news for many, if that is “acting white” then the vast majority of Blacks and all the ones that I know, are guilty as charged.
The answer to race issues lies not in ending racism, it is in rising above it. The answer is not in being told “you can’t” it is being told “you can”. It does not lie in victimhood, it lies in achievements and in encouraging the same.
The real ugly side of racism is not in the use of ugly words, it is in fostering blame and pandering for votes to perpetuate a failed system.
Clarification, the sentence: :The answer to race issues lies not in ending racism
Should read: The answer to race issues lies not in ending individual racism…
Matt,
It may not be that the right is more racist. But, there seems to be in-place certain constructs of rightwing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation. This has been confirmed in several studies in the field of political psychology. The theories go that conservatives are prone to accept, defend, justify, and rationalize existing social arrangements and to resist attempts to change the status quo, however well-meaning those attempts may be. The two core values that are proposed to separate the right from the left—traditionalism (or resistance to change) and acceptance of inequality—are indeed correlated with one another, and they are generally (but not always) associated with system justification, conservatism, and right-wing orientation.
I don’t accept and argue with your definition of conservatism being subjugated to anti-change or resisting change. Quite the contrary!
For 50+ years it has been the status quo that social justice and anti-poverty programs have been the sole domain of government. The common mindset has been ” only government programs and spending” can solve these problems. This is the status quo. Any change from this common thinking is “radical”.
Well, conservatism challenges that status quo! New thinking and ideas regarding market based solutions to solving poverty, reinvigorating the education systems, empowering individuals, and opening up opportunity for anyone who seeks growth is the new radical direction! All this can be accomplished without government control! Move beyond the status quo. Think about new solutions!
But liberals are tied to the same mantra of the 1960’s …. Government solves all problems. That, to me, is tired and old and needs changing. Why do liberals hang on to such old and stale ideas that have proven to fail?
Let me be clear, it is not my definition. I am merely a messenger. A messenger of information that came from published studies.
However, I will say that I would not limit these constructs merely to the realms of governing and economics.
Studies and proposed theories, that is all they are. Not anything based in fact or data; more someone’s published opinion. There is a big difference between the two. We all have opinions.
http://youtu.be/pWdd6_ZxX8c
“Studies and proposed theories, that is all they are. ”
Which one in particular?
Yes.
A bunch of this terminology can be firmly or loosely applied. When it comes to equality or inequality, there seems to be a big difference between the left and the right. You say we are comfortable with inequality. I say it exists and you are never going to change that. We need great minds like scientists and inventors, but the world needs ditch diggers and brick layers too. The big difference between the lefts view of equality is they want to create equal outcomes. One person works hard and gets ahead while another person who does not work hard should have the same outcome. That is socialism at it’s best. It doesn’t work. On the right, we strive to create equal opportunity but each individual has to do their own work to get ahead. Thomas, you do your work right? I did my work.
The systems of entitlement we have in this country today are ruining society. I look around everyday and see a bunch of self-minded, narcissists. They don’t care about anyone but themselves. They can crash into your car at the parking lot and walk or drive away without giving it another thought. They don’t care to take the time to park between the white lines out of the concern for others that might want to park because it is just too inconvenient to be bothered with such trivial details. They will cut in front of you in line and it just goes on and on. It wasn’t like this when I was growing up. A lot has changed and not for the good. If you want to hold on to some traditions, how about respect and love for others, love of country, doing good and looking out for others. Those are some tough traditions to argue with.
“terminology can be firmly or loosely applied.” Agreed.
outstanding comment