"Don't be fooled by anyone on the right distancing themselves from Laura Ingraham. By and large (with exceptions of course) the core animus of he GOP these days is "white cultural angst". We used to call it "racism"."
A dear friend of mine, who is a Republican, took some umbrage to the tweet.
So I have decided that I would like to elaborate so that it is clear what I mean, why I believe it, and also, what I don't mean.
What I don't mean
I expect that if what I say later contradicts these assertion of what I don't mean, that my readers will call me out. Please do!
1) All Republicans are racists
2) All Trump supporters are racists
3) I hate Trump supporters
4) Trump supporters are by and large, bad people
What do I mean and why do I believe it?
In my view, Laura Ingraham perfectly captured the key sentiment driving support for Trump among white working class Americans. She is not the first to say it nor note it. Recall, this is what she said (referring to Ocasio-Cortez): "Nevertheless, she's kind of right in a general sense, because in some parts of the country, it does seem like the America that we know and love doesn't exist anymore. Massive demographic changes have been foisted upon the American people, and they are changes that none of us ever voted for, and most of us don't like. From Virginia to California, we see stark examples of how radically, in some ways, the country has changed. Now, much of this is related to both illegal, and in some cases legal immigration that, of course, progressives love."
This is a pretty damn good explanation of why "Make America Great Again" so strongly resonates with Trump's base. It also cuts right the heart of what many call "White Cultural Angst".
Here is Pat Buchanan recently :
"Half a century ago, Houari Boumedienne, the leader of a poor but militant Algeria, allegedly proclaimed at the United Nations: 'One day, millions of men will leave the Southern Hemisphere to go to the Northern Hemisphere. And they will not go there as friends. Because they will go there to conquer it. And they will conquer it with their sons. The wombs of our women will give us victory.' This is the existential crisis of the West. Thus, Trump seeks to build a wall, turn back the intruders, and bring Vladimir Putin back into the Western camp, where Russia belongs."
Kind of the same message, no?
But is it really the "animus" of the Trump GOP? I believe it is. First, let's looks at what some researchers have found when studying his base:
This study found that the second biggest single predictor of Trump support (the first being identification with the Republican Party) among white working class Americans is Fear of Cultural Displacement. There are of course, lots of reasons why someone may identify as a Republican, and I would love to have understood the interaction of Fear of Culturial Displacement with Identification with the Republican Party. But in any event, the study provides inductive support for my hypothesis.
Here is another study that supports my hypothesis as well. Indeed, this latter study concludes that Trump support stems from the perception that the dominant groups (whites, males, and Christians) are losing their status of dominance.
And Trump plays this card, over and over again. The issue with immigration isn't that they are "illegal", it's that they threaten our culture and our safety. You should fear them! Worse, they are "breeding" and "infesting" us. They are wrecking the culture in the UK. Muslums and MS13 are coming to impose Sharia law and rape your daughters! Booga!
But it's not just Trump, he just notched it up. The GOP has been playing this card to its advantage since the 1960's. A little history for you on something often referred to as the Nixon Southern Strategy (I admit, this is a misnomer because it didn't originate with Nixon). Read the Wiki article if you have time. The gist of it is, white people in the South will switch away from the Dems and to the Reps because the Dems are aligning with black people. Here is a real quote from a Nixon strategist from 1970: "The more Negroes who register as Democrats in the South, the sooner the Negrophobe whites will quit the Democrats and become Republicans. That's where the votes are. Without that prodding from the blacks, the whites will backslide into their old comfortable arrangement with the local Democrats."
Read that again. And again.
Now, why do think Trump and Republicans take so much phony umbrage with BLM and Black athletes who protest racial injustice? It's not to get black votes.
And now, the GOP has new non-white villains to work with: Hispanics and Muslims. Ain't it great?
They are playing this game because it works. Racism doesn't bother party strategists because it works. Plain and simple.
The dictionary provides a definition of "animus" as I intended it: purpose; intention; animating spirit.
I believe the animating spirit of the GOP is now white cultural angst. It certainly isn't any of:
- Fiscal responsibility
- Small government
- State rights and local control
- Personal morality
- Ethics in government
- Sticking up for the little guy
- Supporting democracy around the world and standing against dictators
And I don't feel the need to explain why I consider it just a nice way to say racism.
As for my disclaimers? I will add the following if you think I have contradicted any of them.
I can say that the GOP is racist without saying that all Republicans are racists. And not all racist views are conscious. Probably most are not. Most Trump supporters obey the law, love their children, say "hi" to their neighbors, will return a wallet if they found one. And most probably don't consider themselves to be "racist".
But if you are a Trump supporter, I implore you to this do much introspection.
Can you honestly say that Trump and the GOP are not stoking and exploiting white cultural angst? And if not, why are you OK with that?
Because if you are not, but are silent on the matter because you want lower taxes and whatever else GOP rule does for you, you are complicit.
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