The Washington Post recently published an article with the shocking news that “Republicans are abandoning pluralism.” Forgive my language, but no shit, Sherlock!
Let’s take an honest look at what the MAGA cult–the 21st Century version of the Confederacy– has accomplished in its effort to remake the United States into a country dominated by White men.
Thanks largely to Mitch McConnell, the GOP successfully managed to subvert the Supreme Court–to replace dispassionate judges with submissive pawns willing to jettison constitutional precedents and eviscerate the Separation of Powers in a wholly unAmerican effort to take the country back to the days when White Christian males ruled the roost, and women and minorities were decidedly unequal.
MAGA has always been about one thing and one thing only: Making America White Again. Good people frequently express astonishment over the cult’s devotion to Trump–an odious gangster unfit for any office, let alone the presidency. What they fail to see–or perhaps resist acknowledging–is the racist basis of that support. As we’ve seen with the passage of the horrific “Beautiful Bill,” MAGA folks are willing to deprive themselves of healthcare, willing to accept a lower standard of living, willing to bend the knee to masked ICE brownshirts, if they can thereby assure themselves of the continued social dominance of men with white skin.
MAGA emerged to confront their existential dread of a society in which women, Black folks, Jews and Muslims–not to mention gay folks–could consider themselves civic equals. When rational people scratch their heads and wonder why poorer Americans are “voting against their own interests,” they fail to recognize where those interests truly lie–and it isn’t in the pocketbook issues where Democrats (understandably but erroneously) believe those interests lie. Their interests are cultural, not financial.
Only people who are intentionally blind can fail to see the anti-DEI hysteria for what it is. Efforts at equity and inclusion are seen by MAGA as an assault on their privilege. In the racist mind, equality and inclusion of the previously marginalized is simply discrimination against White guys.
The cited essay by Philip Bump includes a report I’ve seen elsewhere, about a sixth-grade teacher who had hung a banner in her classroom, one that many of us have seen elsewhere: it shows a range of heart-holding hands, each in a different hue. The banner has a single statement: “Everyone is welcome here.” As Bump notes, “It’s an anodyne sentiment, at worst, but also a celebration of multiracial community. And for that reason — and explicitly that reason, as a school official explained in an interview in March — the banner was determined to be unacceptable.”
Saying that “everyone is welcome” has become a political statement in the way that “science is real” has become one. Not because these statement themselves are political or even particularly controversial. No, they are now tainted with politics because they reject the right’s rejections of both objectivity and pluralism.
It isn’t only race, of course. Misogyny and homophobia are part and parcel of the White Christian Nationalist worldview.
Bump notes, for example, that Republican support for same-sex marriage has fallen since 2022, when most Republicans supported it. Now, only 4 in 10 do, a level not seen since 2016.
CNN released polling last month that illustrates another shift centered largely among Republicans. Conducted by the firm SSRS, the poll asked Americans whether “having an increasing number of people of many different races, ethnic groups, and nationalities in the U.S.” was threatening or enriching to American culture. Most respondents said enriching — though Republicans were about evenly split between the two.
Notably, the pollsters asked the same question in 2019. Since then, Republicans have gotten 25 percentage points more likely to say that American diversity is threatening to our culture. Among White people, the increase was 16 points.
Bump shared polling that showed Republicans much more likely than others to say that White people face discrimination.Research also shows that most Republicans don’t see discrimination as having anything to do with economic inequality. Instead, Republicans are likely to attribute those inequalities to a lack of hard work and “will power” by Black Americans.
MAGA is filled with fearful, angry people desperately clinging to the evaporating tribal privileges that Trump is promising to restore. They’ve made a lot of progress while the rest of us weren’t paying attention, and it is going to take a monumental, concerted effort to defeat them.
Too bad for us that the MAGA crowd, the Christian Nationalists, show a moral inferiority that should embarrass every white Christian male. Bad consciences coming home to roost for how people got to the top? Paranoid about the truth coming out about how these people just do not have what it takes to compete in the world?
Like Frank Zappa, I’m not black, but there are times I am ashamed of being white.
A single thread snaps easily; a cable made of threads endures.
America will not be great until it lives up to its premise of offering equality of opportunity for all people. Until then, we who are white need to have an asterisk next to our achievements, like Maris got when he broke Ruth’s record. (Not that Maris deserved that asterisk.)
I have witnessed a lot of “inertia
“ increasingly prevalent among white people since the year or so since George Floyd’s murder. It’s like if one writes a check for $1000 – we’ve done enough.
Systemic issues like Racism- 400+ years- necessitate Sustained- sometimes complex efforts . Racism seemingly remains a “Black and Brown Problem “. Note: Rape similarly remains a “women’s problem “.
I’m not even getting to the Republican voters.
In 2020- Far too Many Latina/os saw themselves as “white”. Black Men increasingly voted for Trump. Why- presume we will have 2026 elections nationally or if we do, the Supreme Court won’t- delay if not deny- valid protests to totals. Hitler never ran in a fair election after 1933! Trump’s own words deny the need for a successor. SNCC and CORE speakers and MLK spoke of it being time:circa 1965-1968 for white people to DO the Work in the white community- we’ve only had 50 years-to get started- some groups- WMRJ.org – White Men for Racial Justice, SURJ, CWC, AWARE-LA (part of SURJ)- among white spaces- Reverend Barber, Loretta Ross among Black Lead- multi-racial spaces.
Ooops- 2024 not 2020- elections
One point of contention with the post: I believe the cultural issues spewed by Republicans are a distraction or a shiny thing that ignites an emotional rage deep inside all racists. Even those sitting on the edge have those tendencies. This distraction allows the oligarchs to steal us blind and keep us divided. Cultural issues are often characterized by division – a strategy of divide and conquer. If I can convince you that brown immigrants and black Americans are taking away your American Dream or consuming your taxes, then I have your attention and will be allowed to inflict pain on the culprits.
Madam Lindsey Graham was tasked with manipulating the numbers on the Senate version of the OBBB to make it look much better than reality. This will eventually break down under analysis. If you live in rural Indiana, you most likely are a racist, but will that matter when your local hospital closes and moves three counties away? Will your hate for blacks and browns matter when they raise property taxes on your home?
This is where the masses’ ignorance comes into play. It doesn’t take five minutes on Fox News to see how they twist the truth to fit a racist and ignorant-based narrative – emotions, emotions, emotions!
One of the hard asset managers I follow posted economic graphs showing what has happened to the American Dream of owning a home. It’s virtually impossible for young people trying to pay off student loans, credit cards, car loans, and rent, as it consumes almost 50% of their monthly income. So, who is driving up demand? Investors who have access to credit from the banks. It’s just another scenario of the rich getting rich and the poor getting screwed. It’s also what drove the Mamdani, the socialist, to win in New York’s gubernatorial race. Socialism is the solution to the Gilded Age of Robber Barons 2.0.
Sad, but true. Last week I took my new roommate church with me. I was a little worried about how she would be greeted. I knew the rector would be okay, since she’s married to a kind, generous black man. I’m pleased to say that she was very well received. In fact, people were coming up to introduce themselves and welcome her.
This is what ought to be. Acceptance and welcome are a big part of being a Christian. Too many people just don’t get that. That’s one reason I think church leaders need to be more engaged in this fight. Right wing preachers don’t have any problem castigating leftist Commies. I know this because I had to share a room in a rehabilitation center with a Creflo, Joyce, and Joel and their ilk lover. I got a good look at their version of Christianity. It wasn’t pretty.
Don’t sugar coat it. Call them what they are i.e. RACISTS!
im working with the age group 20 to 50 mainly. topics, whatever funny they find on u tube, usually poking fun or fingers at the libs. the fact here also is that many grew up isolated from reality. everything is a game or who cares. being 70 ive been watching,and living in the ditches of the working class. since its been 40 years since any real move for wages has even moved, theres a failing of knowlege on what is a living wage, and why should we care. a typical pick apart of my conversations. since many feel that they are destin to live out any job wage as set in stone. no one ive spoken with here in NoDak ever asked where is the money? instead they are beaten back and made to accept. under lining those terms, they havent a clue either. we didnt foresee how after the civil war to bring in a vast new working class, the black person,would have expanded our working class economy and our main streets. instead rude bigots got most of the ink while their families taught the newbies how to hate.
the republicans of todays congress are hand selected like a cut of meat. they belong to the heritage found, or they dont run.the policy of this is, white first, and get all the money any way we can. the disfunction rose best for them when they decided to curtail the civics we all had in school, and seems i cant find anyone here in NoDak that ever even heard of such a subject.
we lost the art of teaching for democracy. teachers hired to be a staunch critic of knowlege of this subject, bred the negitive minds we are now dealing with.
the lilly white world of today , is the cancer of our democracy.
weve left our kids at home to be taught,by the freedom of whatever.
where we scolded the government of this decades ago, we are the
primary fault of this mess. if you have no time to teach your kids how and why
and what it means, dont have them. the ones who do, thanks, and those
who teach your kids to hate, yea, we had that conversation, and i said it to
them. your teaching your kids to hate.
seems ag secty brooke rollins (politico)said we can find work for the medicade bunch who dont work, in the fields. o.k. send her a bolo, and give her the first whack at cutting celery in 100+ degree heat,trim it and place it for the whole row. i bet she wouldnt last 5 cuts.. bitch..
I’m not a historian, and can’t place a finger on the time that it happened, but Lincoln’s party, has abandoned everything it once insisted it stood for, Sherlock.
Even the “Grand Old Party” was a lie when that phrase was brought out, when the party was new.
Family values, fiscal responsibility, law and order, etc. have been abandoned in the quest to continue to feel superior.
The Revolutionary War was largely financed by Robert Morris a…wait for it…a Jew.
In 1682, a cemetery was put together in lower Manhattan for Portuguese Jews. It is still there, on James St. So, Jews were here long before 1776, and there was no MTG to bitch about Jewish lasers.
People of all faiths, colors, and backgrounds have long shaped the country, and multiculturalism, pluralism, is part of what has helped us slowly approach real GREATNESS.
Then along came Trump, master manipulator and grifter par excellance.
As far as I know it has been said that the populace of the United States will increasingly become less white. This statement whether true or not seems to have unearthed a group of white people who are afraid of colored people. I don’t know the origin of this statement. I don’t know if they fear colored people will do to whites what has been done to their races by our white ancestors. Personally I would like to have more faith in overall mankind than that.
Many religious people are ripe for submissive ways and self-sacrifice to an authoritarian influence. The Church has promulgated by brainwashing parishioners from vulnerable childhood that a soul has to follow/submit to the teachings of the Church or be lost to tortures of hell for eternity. That engrained belief takes a lot of painful work to overcome/mature out of.
The cult of trump and Maga have similar characteristics that sponsor exclusive beliefs to differentiate and separate anyone who won’t give unconditional support to its leader. Being on the Maga bandwagon backed by POTUS, Congressional & SCOTUS power is causing a sense of infallibility in their ranks. Their sense of superiority and privilege is misguided and Un-American in the truest sense.
Maga now has some legitimate power to carry out its narrow, shortsighted and corrupt agenda but the majority of Americans want to keep their personal freedoms to build and maintain their Lifes. It’s time to continue to speak up and resist.
Thanks to Shelia and commenters for doing that.
America has always had this ambiguous relationship with multiculturalism. Beyond our treatment of the nations that were already here and our bringing over boatloads of Africans, the immigration that made this country what it is has always had its naysayers. Even Ben Franklin complained about the influx of Germans into Pennsylvania.
During the height of immigration from the mid nineteenth century into the early twentieth century, we embraced the “Melting Pot” model where everyone changed their names, language, dress, and learned to cook “American” food. This is in contrast to the “Gumbo” model, where each ingredient is recognizable (Black History Month, AIPAC History Month, etc.), but blended together makes something great.
Beyond all of that, the Democrats moved away from being the party of FDR on economic issues (especially messaging), and this gave the MAGA/Fox News liars a great scapegoat – the Other.