# Blacks and the GOP **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 13, 2010, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057 "2010-06-13T22:53:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057/101 "2010-06-15T20:40:32Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Probably due to the fact that so much higher a percentage of blacks are dependent on welfare (cite) than whites. In other words, any specific black person in the US is much more likely to be on welfare than any specific white person. This sort of inference doesn’t seem to work the same way for other types of comparisons, though. For instance, [blacks and Hispanics have higher obesity rates than whites](http://obesity1.tempdomainname.com/subs/fastfacts/Obesity_Minority_Pop.shtml), but media narratives about obesity don’t present their subjects as overwhelmingly black or Hispanic. For whatever reason, blacks are disproportionately associated in the media with welfare and crime much more than with certain other social phenomena that also disproportionately affect blacks. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057/102 "2010-06-15T21:34:38Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Thanks, y’all. Another thing I forgot to mention is that Republicans tend to be more socially conservative, so on average they have a more negative view of certain non-traditional social or cultural phenomena like rap music and single motherhood that are disproportionately associated with black people. This contributes to the “Republicans are anti-black” perception. Well they may be onto something with rap music, hip hop on the other hand seems to be more constructive. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057/103 "2010-06-15T21:35:43Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Probably due to the fact that so much higher a percentage of blacks are dependent on welfare ([cite](http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/indicators08/ch1.shtml)) than whites. In other words, any specific black person in the US is much more likely to be on welfare than any specific white person. > > Regards, > Shodan Again, how is this a racist construct if the majority of welfare recipients are white? President Clinton signed the welfare reform act into law. He did this with public support. How is it a racist construct for Reagan to suggest it and not so for a Democratic President to enact it? ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057/104 "2010-06-15T21:36:24Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > It isn’t “crime,” it’s a focus on crime being committed by black men in urban areas, as in the case of the outsized concern about crack cocaine use disproportionate to anything else, except the skin color of the average user. And isn’t “welfare,” it’s fear of “welfare queens,” who live in the inner city, don’t work, and pop out kids to get more money. Even though, even before welfare reform, the vast majority of those on welfare work. > > In short, it isn’t the issues themselves, about which reasonable people can disagree. Its the GOP’s treatment of the issues using racialized stereotypes and championing policies that have little relationship to some consistent principle (such as reduced spending, or reducing the incidence of crime), but plenty of relationship to racial groups. Why do we look at videos of carjacking and say “yep those black guys are cirminals” and then we look at guys like Bernie madoff and Frank mozillo, we don’t say “yep those rich white guys are criminals”? Bernie madoff and Frank mozillo might be particularly extreme examples but street crime seems to be more correlated to poverty than to race. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057/105 "2010-06-15T21:39:57Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > They have a negative view of those things BECAUSE they are associated with black culture. > > Country music is no more morally responsible than rap, but conservatives don’t bitch and moan about that. Sure it is. I’m not a fan of country music but country music doesn’t glorify violence or denigrate women nearly as much as rap. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057/106 "2010-06-15T21:43:20Z")
Witness the almost routine “Here’s your religion of peace!”-type posts. How often does a crime by a person of Christian background result in a “There go those Christians again!” reaction from mainstream society? ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057/107 "2010-06-15T21:48:04Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Yes, mythical. No such creature ever existed. Its not that they didn’t exist, its that they were about as relatively common among welfare recipients as folks who lost the family farm because of the estate tax among estate tax payers. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057/108 "2010-06-15T21:53:14Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I have an older friend who works as a school nurse in a poor district. One of the questions often asked by young girls is how to get family aid money. This is not something that happened in the past tense, it continues to this day. You could not be more wrong. I don’t know if being a woman on welfare makes you a welfare queen. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057/109 "2010-06-15T21:53:57Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Witness the almost routine “Here’s your religion of peace!”-type posts. How often does a crime by a person of Christian background result in a “There go those Christians again!” reaction from mainstream society? The “religion of peace” posts are directed at violence that was specifically committed in the name of Allah which is a distinction to crimes committed by Muslims NOT done in the the name of Allah. The Christian equivalent would be someone killing an abortion doctor because of their beliefs. If there are more posts regarding Islamic acts of violence it’s because there are more Islamic acts of violence. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057/110 "2010-06-15T21:55:06Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Generational transfer of social dependency on government programs. Are you suggesting that poverty doesn’t cycle from parent to child? Tehre is definitely generational dependency on welfare and the majority of those are not black (they might be disproportionately black) but that was not the pitcure taht was painted. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057/111 "2010-06-15T21:58:22Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > You are accusing Reagan and/or the GOP of being racist and that is a complete load. Given the number of white people on welfare the logic of using “code” to garner votes would be political suicide. oddly enough a lot of those folks don’t consider themselves parasties but the single black mom on welfare… she’s a parasite ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057/112 "2010-06-15T22:00:24Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > it’s nonsense to paint the Republican party with a racist broad brush. Well not all republicans are racists but they are the ones that leave the light on for the racists. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057/113 "2010-06-15T22:01:34Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > He may be suggesting that Hispanics will become Republican voters as soon as they realize where their true interests lie. I was suggesting why hispanics seem to vote republican despite the republican stance towards people with brown skin. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057/114 "2010-06-15T22:05:06Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > I was suggesting why hispanics seem to vote republican despite the republican stance towards people with brown skin. Being anti illegal immigrant is not racist. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057/115 "2010-06-15T23:02:50Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > Well not all republicans are racists but they are the ones that leave the light on for the racists. It’s interesting that Democrats would continue to stereotype Republicans in this manner. The last time a Klan member tried to run in the GOP he was chased down the street with pitchforks and torches. That is in contrast to a still sitting Democrat who was a high ranking member in the Klan. I don’t know how much more “code” you can get running for office in the state of Virginia than someone who went over 14 hrs straight filibustering the civil rights act of 1964. When you look at the voting record for that vote it was overwhelmingly Republicans who voted it into law with an 82% Senate vote and 82% House vote versus a Democratic vote of 69% in the Senate and 63% in the house. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057/116 "2010-06-15T23:54:54Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > I was suggesting why hispanics seem to vote republican . Why would you think they do? [Some data fer ya.](http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1024/exit-poll-analysis-hispanics) Over 2-1 for Obama in 2008. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057/117 "2010-06-16T00:02:10Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > The last time a Klan member tried to run in the GOP he was chased down the street with pitchforks and torches. Are you referring to David Duke? He was elected to the House, got over 43% of the vote in his Senate race, and 32% for Governor. Where do you see pitchforks? Or do you mean Pat Buchanan, who’s won multiple primaries while preaching nativism along with isolationism? > [@](#): > > That is in contrast to a still sitting Democrat who was a high ranking member in the Klan. Are you referring to Robert Byrd? A **low** -ranking member, who repudiated it and apologized long ago, like many young-idiot members who grew up. But you knew that, of course … right? Just like you knew about GOP Senate **Leader** Trent Lott and the “Council of Conservative Citizens”, aka the Klan **today**. Or Strom Thurmond, for years the GOP’s Senate President Pro-Tem who carried several states running for President on a segregation platform. You knew about him, too, right? The list is long, need you be reminded? > [@](#): > > I don’t know how much more “code” you can get running for office in the state of Virginia than someone who went over 14 hrs straight filibustering the civil rights act of 1964. Well, looks like you don’t even know the difference between Virginia and West Virginia, Nor are you aware of the great shift in attitudes, and party alignments, caused by that very act and by the GOP’s retaliatory Southern Strategy, as seen here: > [@](#): > > When you look at the voting record for that vote it was overwhelmingly Republicans who voted it into law with an 82% Senate vote and 82% House vote versus a Democratic vote of 69% in the Senate and 63% in the house. You claim to be “interested”, but not interested enough to acquaint yourself with the relevant basic facts. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057/118 "2010-06-16T00:05:49Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > Being anti illegal immigrant is not racist. The Republican exploitation of the issue is patently racist, and is the 21st Century version of the Southern Strategy. “Illegal immigration” is code for Hispanics in general. It is not use by demagogues to refer to Canadians. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057/119 "2010-06-16T00:06:58Z")
What? You haven’t even heard of any of the rallies demanding a militarized wall along the 49th parallel to keep out the damn snowbacks? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057/120 "2010-06-16T00:09:18Z")
In 1964, the “left/right” identifications of the parties were the reverse of what they are now. _Conservatives_ opposed the Civil Rights Act. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-the-gop/543057.md?page=7)