Bizarro World
Well, I didn't finish that PDF on racial resentment I mentioned yesterday. So y'all get a break from my analysis of white studies today.
I've been too distracted to think about that much anyway. I'm worried about the future of the Republican Party.
The Class of '94 rode into power on a wave of Angry White Male resentment of Black progress (they said it themselves, so I don't have to mince words). And now we're seeing racialism creeping back into the party's platform.
We've been seeing it for a while, actually. It started with Clarence Thomas's appointment to the Supreme Court. I was amazed. I could have come up with hundreds of white men, top of their Ivy League class, that were more qualified than Judge Thomas. Almost a dozen off the top of my head. They had much Judge Thomas did not and does not; but the Judge was the same race as the Justice who retired.
Well, I decided it was something like a sacrifice in chess; give up ground because it establishes your control of the vectors along which you will attack. And I was confident my assessment was correct. Republicans continued their rock-ribbed resistance to any program or idea that addressed the specific issues of Black folks.
Recently though, beginning with the Party's caving in to Black indignation over Trent Lott's praise of the old Dixiecrat platform…no, you're right, a lot of white people objected too…yes, I agree, white people's opinions were far more influential in that decision than Black folks. Okay you're right, the Republicans didn't move Lott for the benefit of Black folks.
But they pulled out all the Black spokesmen, like white people aren't good enough to explain Lott's outburst away. Like no one would believe a white guy. I was offended. Deeply offended.
And now look. Aren't there any white guys in Illinois that can beat Obama while representing the Republican platform? And why are so many of the Party's stars endorsing a newcomer like Dylan Glenn instead of a qualified, proven candidate like Lynn Westmoreland?
Are we saying the Republican Party needs Black people? What will that mean for a party whose core came to them on a wave of Angry White Male resentment of Black progress? How can they claim to be against special treatment for minorities when they have these special programs to attract them? They HAVE to be making promises to Black people. Because if they're not it wouldn't make sense for Black people to join up! How will white people react when they realize what's going on?
