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GOP official apologizes for Obama chimp email

What is being ingored in the discussion but is also manifestly being demonstrated by this discussion is that there exists in American politics a very intentional and deliberate strategy on the part of the right wing to remove the topic of RACISM and any subsequent discussion of RACISM from the table. This is being done as a tactic of self preservation for the right wing itself. The word has gone out for some time now to right wingers all across the land spread by conservative and libertarian think tanks, spokespersons and office holders. Here is but one example but a prominent one

Articles & Commentary

The idea on its face is that 'conservatism is not the same as racism". And indeed, that can be true in some instances. But what is also true is that American conservatives have historically lined up on the opposite side of the Civil Rights community - African Americans and other minorities - in opposition to policies that they advocate.

The word has gone out to conservatives, libertarians and others on the right side of these issues that you need to effectively neutralize the strong stigma of the charge of racism because it prevents those on the right from saying what they want to really say about many issues near and dear to them.

We see that right here where the usual suspects feel it necessary to attack Democrats from past history (FDR in the Thirties) when current Republican transgressions (the Obama chimp parent picture) are being discussed.
We see it when some here attempt to get off the defensive and go on the offensive changing the subject from the sins of the right (racism and discrimination) to the policies favored by the left (affirmative action).

It is important to see this for what it really is. This is merely a tactic in a war of ideology. Its goal is to remove the charge of racism from our society in order to provide a clear and unobstructed path for the right to pursue their more nefarious goals of repealing much of the progressive reform of the 20th century.

Articles & Commentary

Are you sure that's the link you meant to post? It makes Conservatives look good and liberals out to be race baiters if not racists.
There is power in the accusation of racism against conservatives, one that liberals understand well. In an April 2008 post on Journolist, a private online community for liberal journalists, academics and activists, one writer proposed a way to distract conservatives from the campaign controversy surrounding the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama's pastor. "If the right forces us all to either defend Wright or tear him down, no matter what we choose, we lose the game they've put upon us," Spencer Ackerman wrote. "Instead, take one of them--Fred Barnes, Karl Rove, who cares--and call them racists."


Joe Biden, a Delaware Democrat, after all, who described presidential candidate Obama as "the first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy." If a conservative politician had offered such an opinion, his or her career might have ended; Biden was rewarded with a spot on Obama's ticket


in the 2008 campaign, conservatives were at least as roused by Obama's ties to the white former radical William Ayers as the black Jeremiah Wright, both of whom seemed to make a living out of damning America.
Liberal interpretations that portray modern conservatism as standing athwart the "rights revolution" of the 1960s are hard pressed to explain the growing number of minority and female candidates favored by the conservative rank and file. Marco Rubio, Nikki Haley, Susana Martinez, Brian Sandoval, Tim Scott, Ryan Frazier, Raul Labrador and Jaime Herrera are GOP nominees for the Senate, governorships and the House because Republican voters preferred them over their white opponents. Allen West in Florida and Jon Barela in New Mexico were the consensus GOP choices to run for competitive House seats. Many of these candidates are well-positioned to win their races and help change the public face of modern conservatism.
The old conservatism-as-racism story has outlived all usefulness and accuracy. November might be a good time to start a rethink.
 
… there exists in American politics a very intentional and deliberate strategy on the part of the right wing to remove the topic of RACISM and any subsequent discussion of RACISM from the table. This is being done as a tactic of self preservation for the right wing itself. …

Here's why: it's just about unavoidable that racially insensitive or outright racist comments will occur within the Republican party because as it turns out it's membership is just about all white.

“The Republican Party today is first and foremost a political entity dominated by white Americans. Eighty-nine percent of rank-and-file Republicans are non-Hispanic whites, leaving just 5% who are Hispanic (of any race), 2% who are black, and 4% of other races.” — Frank Newport, GALLUP, “Republican Base Heavily White, Conservative, Religious

The Republican party by beating down on racist charges now is seeking to inoculate itself against the inevitable lapses that will come almost certainly at inopportune moments in the not-too distant future.
 
Mathews is obsessed with race, and in my opinion, he is your typical liberal. :)
Chris Matthews on Obama State of the Union address: 'I forgot he was black' (video)
Chris Matthews is an individual. He represents himself. You should meet more liberals.

Question for conservatives. When listening to Obama spew his rhetoric are you thinking about his skin color?
Here's Mathews admitting that is what he thinks about, well, except for that hour where he "forgot":roll:

Not sure I'd go as far as calling that racist, but it sure is an obsession with the color of a persons skin.

Like I said, he represents himself.
 
Here's why: it's just about unavoidable that racially insensitive or outright racist comments will occur within the Republican party because as it turns out it's membership is just about all white.

“The Republican Party today is first and foremost a political entity dominated by white Americans. Eighty-nine percent of rank-and-file Republicans are non-Hispanic whites, leaving just 5% who are Hispanic (of any race), 2% who are black, and 4% of other races.” — Frank Newport, GALLUP, “Republican Base Heavily White, Conservative, Religious

The Republican party by beating down on racist charges now is seeking to inoculate itself against the inevitable lapses that will come almost certainly at inopportune moments in the not-too distant future.

I was reading an article (I wish I could remember where) about how the Republican Party might start losing many more elections in coming decades since the minority population is growing and generally Democratic. Oh well.
 
I was reading an article (I wish I could remember where) about how the Republican Party might start losing many more elections in coming decades since the minority population is growing and generally Democratic. Oh well.



So are you saying that minorities don't want to vote for white people? And who is getting called out as racist? :doh
 
Here's why: it's just about unavoidable that racially insensitive or outright racist comments will occur within the Republican party because as it turns out it's membership is just about all white.

So...being white makes one more prone to being racially insensitive and outright racist?
 
The fact that we're talking about it means that it is a reality.


Reality is that which exists. Ideas exist...in our minds. For example, a lie is real, but what the lie says exists, however, is not real. For example again, the idea of a unicorn is real, but unicorns are not. Ideas are real.


1. If race is genetic, how it is not real?
2. I'm not confused. Race describes the divisions of human beings into groups sharing certain somewhat arbitrary physical characteristics. Culture describes the pattern of living within a particular society or population. Both are created by human beings - race is created by attributing meaning to physical features and culture is created by living together. Both influence each other.
3. I think you're confused.

Again, you think you're educating me, but you're not. I also never said anything about "race existing due to cultural identity" so I don't even know what you're talking about.


Pretty much:




Actually the racial divide has gotten better as evidence by...everything.


Umm...yes you can. Let me show you: "there are many different races that human beings recognize and all of them are equal because physical characteristics are insignificant".


Umm...no. But thanks for playing.
I dont understand the relevance of your little "reality" shindig. Reality is the facts and the concept of race does not match the facts.

"1. If race is genetic, how it is not real?"
OMG you are so fustrating, the misconception of the thing we call "race" tries to be based on genetics. Race is NOT real, you can see every color of skin on the melatonin rainbow. It's stupid to identify yourself on the basis of physical characteristics, these differences are arbitrary and should be recognized as such by the government. If i had your head i would be a white supremacist, but im not i think there is no such thing race just racist people that try to make it a reality.


it was just a general non-serious hypothesis that i had thinking that liberals are racist, but you are definitely making it more and more convincing to me that your ideology toward this issue is based on racism.

Your way of thinking just divides and slows the progress of humanity.
 
Actually I think he's saying the majority of minorities don't want to vote for Republicans, since he clearly is talking about the Republican Party. But nice Sharptoning of his post.

And what he says is true. The majority of minorities aren't likely to vote for Republicans. The fallacy some people make is in thinking that said fact means Republicans don't care about minorities or are racists for not actively courting minorities through race based recruitment.
 
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So are you saying that minorities don't want to vote for white people? And who is getting called out as racist? :doh

What are you even talking about? I'm saying minorities don't generally vote for Republicans - which is a fact. You do realize that there are white Democrats and that minorities generally vote for them?
 
The fact that we're talking about it means that it is a reality.


Reality is that which exists. Ideas exist...in our minds. For example, a lie is real, but what the lie says exists, however, is not real. For example again, the idea of a unicorn is real, but unicorns are not. Ideas are real.
Okay, you do not make sense....
I say racism does not exist.
You say racism is an idea... i agree
You say ideas are real... depends what you mean by "real" real as it is in your head, yes. Real as in it is based on actual scientific evidence, not necessarily.

Your example, "the idea of a unicorn is real, but unicorns are not. Ideas are real." fails
we are replacing race with unicorn

the idea of race is real, but races are not. Ideas are real.
people definitely have the idea, but it is a misconception, a fallacy when applied to the real world when every human being is born with equal rights.
 
Actually I think he's saying the majority of minorities don't want to vote for Republicans, since he clearly is talking about the Republican Party. But nice Sharptoning of his post.

And what he says is true. The majority of minorities aren't likely to vote for Republicans. The fallacy some people make is in thinking that said fact means Republicans don't care about minorities or are racists for not actively courting minorities through race based recruitment.

Yes, I agree with you for the most part. I don't deny there is some component of racial/ethnic tension, but I wouldn't deny that existing for either party. On the other hand, Republicans have at least desired more minority affiliation...but might not get it because policy positions may be significantly different from the community.
 
Yes, I agree with you for the most part. I don't deny there is some component of racial/ethnic tension, but I wouldn't deny that existing for either party. On the other hand, Republicans have at least desired more minority affiliation...but might not get it because policy positions may be significantly different from the community.

I made a long post about this in another thread and why I think minorities generally vote Democrat, and why minorities may be unlikely to vote for the Tea Party. I figure many of the reasons are similar for the Republican party in regards to the latter explanation. Here's the general summary of the reasons I felt it was likely you'd have blacks, which make up the largest minority, voted Democrat and I think some of it would apply for other minorities as well:

So, in general summary, my thoughts....

1) The after affects of the civil rights era
2) The prominence of left leaning black political organizations
3) The higher reliance on services supported by Democrats and opposed by Republicans
4) The perception, right or wrong, that the Democrats are more in touch with issues important to blacks
5) Conservative ideology making identity based recruitment less frequent than on the opposite side

I think all those things largely play into why many of the majority of the African American population tends to vote Democrat.

Click the arrow to get the more in detailed quote. I just didn't want to repost the whole long post into this thread.

I think you're right in that the Republicans definitely desire minority votes. The difference is they want minorities to vote for them because they agree with Republican ideals, not because they're tailoring specific policies to "benefit [minority x]". ie, they want a minority to vote for them because the minority thinks that their policies will help them, not because the minority thinks they're making policies that are aimed specifically to help that minority.
 
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I dont understand the relevance of your little "reality" shindig. Reality is the facts and the concept of race does not match the facts.

"1. If race is genetic, how it is not real?"
OMG you are so fustrating, the misconception of the thing we call "race" tries to be based on genetics.
I'm frustrating? You're the one who said:
celticwar17 said:
Like many, you seem to be confusing between culture and "race"... "race" is genetic, and culture is NOT necessarily so...
Don't say it if you don't meant it.

Race is NOT real, you can see every color of skin on the melatonin rainbow.
Race is real as an idea. It is not real as a human characteristic.

It's stupid to identify yourself on the basis of physical characteristics, these differences are arbitrary and should be recognized as such by the government. If i had your head i would be a white supremacist, but im not i think there is no such thing race just racist people that try to make it a reality.
Sure it's stupid. People still do it and ignoring that fact doesn't help anyone.

it was just a general non-serious hypothesis that i had thinking that liberals are racist, but you are definitely making it more and more convincing to me that your ideology toward this issue is based on racism.
What issue and what ideology? I don't even know what you're talking about.

Your way of thinking just divides and slows the progress of humanity.
Please explain how acknowledging that people have racial identities and that racism exists "divides and slows the progress of humanity"? Would you have me close my ears whenever someone says "black" or "white"?
 
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Okay, you do not make sense....
I say racism does not exist.
You say racism is an idea... i agree
You say ideas are real... depends what you mean by "real" real as it is in your head, yes. Real as in it is based on actual scientific evidence, not necessarily.
I mean real as in, it exists in our minds. Ideas exist in our minds, objects and entities exist outside of them.

Your example, "the idea of a unicorn is real, but unicorns are not. Ideas are real." fails
we are replacing race with unicorn
That example works perfectly actually. The idea of race as a natural division is real, but race as a natural division is not real. The idea of a unicorn in nature is real, but a unicorn in nature is not real...

people definitely have the idea, but it is a misconception, a fallacy when applied to the real world when every human being is born with equal rights.
Sure, I'd prefer a world where no one thought in terms of race.
 
Please explain how acknowledging that people have racial identities and that racism exists "divides and slows the progress of humanity"? Would you have me close my ears whenever someone says "black" or "white"?
No, but i would prefer our government to NOT recognize racial divides and later culture will follow afterward.

"Race is real as an idea. It is not real as a human characteristic."
EXACTLY, because your idea of race is instead a CULTURE( a culture that labels group differences on the basis of skin instead by the content of their character)... race doesn't exist in the real world, and a neutral institution should not recognize it!
 
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I mean real as in, it exists in our minds. Ideas exist in our minds, objects and entities exist outside of them.


That example works perfectly actually. The idea of race as a natural division is real, but race as a natural division is not real. The idea of a unicorn in nature is real, but a unicorn in nature is not real...


Sure, I'd prefer a world where no one thought in terms of race.

Wait wait wait.... who will ever debate whether the idea of race exists or not?! That is absolutely obvious. We are discussing that the laws of our society should not be based on this "idea" of race because it is inherently prejudicial.

And i don't agree with your opinion on racial divide as grown stronger in the last forty years... that's kind of laughable.
 
i think quotas and affirmative action are just as racist. "oh don't worry black, we dumbed down teh standards for you"... If I was black I'd be highly offended of being viewed that way.

As much as I'd like to see affirmative action done away with, IMHO, I believe it remains the only tool minorities have to "level the playing field" for entrance into educational and career fields minorities have been historically blocked from admission or acceptance to. Let's be honest if we can: segregationist ideals that foster cultural separation and inequality have been woven into the fabric of our legislation and "standard of living" for over 150 years. It started with the Constitution itself and continued until the Civil Rights Act was passed in the mid-60's. But even after its passage there were still local and state initiatives that prohibited minorities from taking up residence in mostly all-white neighborhoods, denied them adequant, if any, community services or proper protection and even kept many potential minority entrepruneurs from becoming members of our nation's free enterprise system.

If we're going to have this kind of discussion, we need to be honest about it and not tip-toe around it. Racism in America does exist even today. In some instances, it's very much "in your face", i.e., AZ immirgration reform or the all-out misguided hatred of American Muslims, but I think if people would just stop being so pissed off over the racial rhetoric and just talk to one another maybe, just maybe this nation can someday set such things as affirmative action or even indefinite aid to Native-American Indians aside and treat people fairly and equally. It's the only way racism dies out. But first it starts with White America admitting to their wrong-doing, to which, some states like NC has acknowledged after years of denial.

I was proud of NC's legislature for admitting their part in fostering racism because now residents of that state can being the process bettere race relations (which I'm sure they're well on their way towards doing).

Personal Note: Yes, I'm bumping that thread because I think it's a very relevent topic to discuss particularly now! Unfortunately, it seems people are too afraid to touch the subject. Why?
 
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What in the sam hill are you babbling about? :lamo

Your strong reaction to the tactics of the extreme right being exposed and called out. But then you knew that all along or otherwise you would not have bothered to post.
 
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Yes, I agree with you for the most part. I don't deny there is some component of racial/ethnic tension, but I wouldn't deny that existing for either party. On the other hand, Republicans have at least desired more minority affiliation...but might not get it because policy positions may be significantly different from the community.

You know, the crazy thing is prior to 1940 Blacks voted Republican until their racist cat was out of the bag...Blacks began to see how Republicans were undermining them, using white business leaders to do their "segregationish" dirty work for them and then conservative Republicans would use "plausible deniability" to say they weren't fostering such separatist ideas. Once minorities saw Democrats were willing to atleast help them become part of mainstream America just a little, they began to vote the Democrat ticket and really have never looked back since especially when it was a southern Democrat who enacted civil rights legislation. And now look at what's happening in our current national politics?

We have folks even on this board making the broad claim that most minorites are lazy, good for nothing, don't want to work, can't hold a job, are drug addicts, convicts, alcoholics, rabble-rousering troublemakers who are nothing more than a blite on society, a drain on the national economy and basically the scum of the Earth. These very same notions were espoused throughout this nation's history, but no one wants to acknowledge that much of what is now manifesting itself today in Black and Hispanic communities TODAY can be traced back to local, state and federal laws that were intended to purposely keep minorities from "fitting in".

I'm not trying to be militant. I really am not. I just want folks to understand how we got to this point - the truth about it - and then maybe, just maybe we can all work to do what's right to turn this racial issue around.

I truly believe we're ALL connected and the only way we not only make this country the greatest country on Earth but retain its #1 standing is to work together. To that, racism - this US -vs- THEM mentality - has to die out.
 
So are you saying that minorities don't want to vote for white people? And who is getting called out as racist? :doh

Actually African American have been voting for white folks in large numbers most of their lives. They have had precious few opportunities to vote for anything else beside those on lower down ballot local offices. And even then that is usually limited to those in large urban centers like big cities African Americans know a whole lot more about a life time history of voting for Whites than Whites do about voting for people of color. Barack Obama is just the period at the end of a very long sentence and even then he is of blended ethnicities

The State Rep I am chief of staff for represents a district 85% African American. He is not.
 
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No, but i would prefer our government to NOT recognize racial divides and later culture will follow afterward.

"Race is real as an idea. It is not real as a human characteristic."
EXACTLY, because your idea of race is instead a CULTURE( a culture that labels group differences on the basis of skin instead by the content of their character)... race doesn't exist in the real world, and a neutral institution should not recognize it!
I'm glad we agree that race is real...as an idea. Also, stop telling me what my idea of race is. My idea of race is not culture. My idea of race is that it is a socially constructed division of humanity based on physical characteristics. People who identify as a particularly race have culture, but culture and race are separate ideas.

Wait wait wait.... who will ever debate whether the idea of race exists or not?! That is absolutely obvious. We are discussing that the laws of our society should not be based on this "idea" of race because it is inherently prejudicial.
You just did. You said that race wasn't real. Except it is real...as an idea....which we now agree on.

And i don't agree with your opinion on racial divide as grown stronger in the last forty years... that's kind of laughable.
Ummm...I thought that was your argument. I argued that racial divide has grown weaker...Whatever.
 
Your strong reaction to the tactics of the extreme right being exposed and called out. But then you knew that all along or otherwise you would not have bothered to post.

Again, what are you babbling about? The link you posted revealed how wrong the tactics and falsehoods are that the left is using to paint republicans as racist.

The real racist are the liberals and their hatred for black conservatives.


Black Caucus Wasn

When newly-elected Florida Republican Rep. Allen West joins the Congressional Black Caucus, there are likely to be some smiles and backslaps as the group welcomes a rare black Republican. But the caucus wasn’t always open to GOP views. Ron Christie writes in his new book, Acting White, that as a rookie black House staffer working for a Florida Republican congressman in 1991, he was ripped by Democrats. He reveals that Rep. Maxine Waters, currently facing ethics charges and a former caucus chairwoman, called him to her office after their first meeting to bark: “You are a sellout to your race! White people work for Republicans. Not African-Americans! You’re nothing but an Uncle Tom!”
 
I'm glad we agree that race is real...as an idea. Also, stop telling me what my idea of race is. My idea of race is not culture. My idea of race is that it is a socially constructed division of humanity based on physical characteristics. People who identify as a particularly race have culture, but culture and race are separate ideas.


You just did. You said that race wasn't real. Except it is real...as an idea....which we now agree on.


Ummm...I thought that was your argument. I argued that racial divide has grown weaker...Whatever.

saying that race exist as any idea doesnt mean anything applied to any of my claims. I dont know why you would bring up the "thought" of race exist's... Of Course it does, tis why we are discussing it.
 
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saying that race exist as any idea doesnt mean anything applied to any of my claims. I dont know why you would bring up the thought of race exist's... Of Course it does, tis why we are discussing it.

I didn't bring the thought that race exists. You did when you said this:
What you define as reality, is NOT reality, race is not a reality...
That was you making its reality an issue, not me.
 
I didn't bring the thought that race exists. You did when you said this:

That was you making its reality an issue, not me.
It's not... its not in reality... meaning the physical world, not the mental one.
just like a unicorn, its not based in reality, it is based in fiction
 
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