# Is the newly unapologetic racist, nativist GOP power base basically the KKK for the new millennium? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 30, 2016, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638 "2016-01-30T05:36:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638/61 "2016-02-01T20:48:16Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > [Cite](http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~marcmere/workingpapers/FelonNotification.pdf). This article, however, states that felons are disproportionately young, male, African American, and less educated than general voters, and young black males are more likely to be Democratic than the average voter regardless of criminal history. In fact, most of the research cited in the article on the political preferences of felons is not from real statistics on the felons themselves, but is merely extrapolated from the political preferences of non-felons of similar demographics. > [@](#): > > Seminal works by Uggen and Manza (2002) and Manza and Uggen (2004, 2006) find that Republican candidates benefit from criminal disenfranchisement. Uggen and Manza reach this conclusion by using data on nonfelons to fit turnout and vote choice models, and then extrapolating the probability that disenfranchised voters would support Democratic candidates if they were eligible to vote. I’m not seeing _anything_ therein indicating that people with criminal records are more likely to be Democratic than their law-abiding peers. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638/62 "2016-02-01T21:29:11Z")
> [@slash2k](#): > > This article, however, states that felons are disproportionately young, male, African American, and less educated than general voters, and young black males are more likely to be Democratic than the average voter regardless of criminal history. In fact, most of the research cited in the article on the political preferences of felons is not from real statistics on the felons themselves, but is merely extrapolated from the political preferences of non-felons of similar demographics. > > I’m not seeing _anything_ therein indicating that people with criminal records are more likely to be Democratic than their law-abiding peers. Fair enough. I’m not sure why it would even matter, what the larger point is; when it was clear that the analogy failed even if the claim were 100% true, I got lazy with digging into the analysis :). ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638/63 "2016-02-01T21:38:14Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > Why would we want to build bridges with GOP voters who are busy embracing Trump’s naked hate speech? If calling them racists hurts their feelings - good! They _should_ feel bad about applauding the new champion of the Nazi party. > > Fuck them. Let them pull themselves up by their ruggedly individualistic bootstraps and build their own damn bridges. > > Also. Contrary to what you may have read here in this thread, a simple google search will reveal that the KKK is not extinct. They have their own websites and if one wished, one could read copious statements about how excited they are to have Donald Trump advancing their ideas with such regularity. We shouldn’t be afraid to address existing racism (which yes does indeed exist), but TRUMP voters are the best prospects for the Democratic Party to fish out of the GOP in this election cycle-they are the ones who’ve seen through the naked and blatant plutocratic, economist agenda of the Republican Party. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638/64 "2016-02-01T21:46:10Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > We shouldn’t be afraid to address existing racism (which yes does indeed exist), but TRUMP voters are the best prospects for the Democratic Party to fish out of the GOP in this election cycle-they are the ones who’ve seen through the naked and blatant plutocratic, economist agenda of the Republican Party. What the everloving Christ on a Christmas cracker? I take it that if Democrats want to find the Republicans who’ve seen through the naked and blatant theocratic agenda of the Republican Party, they should court Santorum supporters? Edit: Goddammit, you’re whooshing me, aren’t you. Gotta be. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638/65 "2016-02-01T22:03:00Z")
One similarity is the fairly widespread belief among the left that the Tea Party and Trump supporters are, as the the OP thought of the KKK, a bunch of redneck yokels. This is a short sighted, though perhaps comforting belief (classism aside). Leftist intellectuals have been predicting a right wing backlash for years, but I think Chris Hedges pretty much [predicted Trump and Cruz right here.](https://youtu.be/EHnjc1gde8c?t=30m57s) > [@Chris Hedges](#): > > This populist revolt will sweep aside the Democrats and most of the Republicans. > [lists historical examples] > > A cabal of proto-fascist misfits, from Christian demagogues to loud mouth talk show hosts who we naively dismiss as buffoons, will find a following with promises of revenge, moral renewal, and new glory. Empire of Illusion was 2009. A tad cynical, but it fits. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638/66 "2016-02-01T22:28:03Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > What the everloving Christ on a Christmas cracker? I take it that if Democrats want to find the Republicans who’ve seen through the naked and blatant theocratic agenda of the Republican Party, they should court Santorum supporters? > > Edit: Goddammit, you’re whooshing me, aren’t you. Gotta be. No I’m about as serious as a human being can be. As this article notes, [TRUMP supporters are disproportionately ex-Democrats](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/31/upshot/donald-trumps-strongest-supporters-a-certain-kind-of-democrat.html) as well working-class in background. It is no coincidence TRUMP is running economically to the left of most other Republicans in the race and advancing a populist agenda palatable to the white working-class. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638/67 "2016-02-02T01:42:23Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Regarding the KKK from a non-expert historical perspective I’ve always considered them just a pack of lower class, Bible Belt white panic racists who tried to be as oppressive and terrifying as possible to black people and more recently included Jews and Catholics on their enemies list as well. That was the 20th Century KKK. The original, Reconstruction-era KKK was mostly gentry – classically educated landowning, former-slaveowning gentry. The sort whose descendants in the 1950s found expression in the [Citizens’ Councils](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens%27_Councils) or “Uptown Klan”. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638/68 "2016-02-02T01:45:44Z")
From which today’s [Council of Conservative Citizens](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Conservative_Citizens) is institutionally descended, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638/69 "2016-02-02T01:54:56Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Well when Trump becomes the next Hitler, I will humbly accept your “I told you so”. No such thing. Hitler had Plans. YUUUUUUUGE [Plans](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Germanic_Reich)! Trump lacks Hitler’s imagination. He doesn’t really know what he wants, apart from being president. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638/70 "2016-02-02T02:00:05Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > No. The new KKK call themselves white nationalists, and they hate both parties. There are still some “Klan” organizations around . . . but, I’ve read that nowadays, other WNs view them as rather silly and dated. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638/71 "2016-02-02T02:08:20Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I doubt many things. > > The Klan is dead. White Supremacism is dead. Defunct. Pushing up daisies. Taking a dirt nap. In short, it’s gone for good and never coming back. White **racism** ain’t. In practice, [even white **separatism** ain’t.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Searching_for_Whitopia) > [@astorian](#): > > Problem is, groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center rake in big bucks by proclaiming daily that the Klan is bigger and more dangerous than ever. They lie because they know they’d be irrelevant if they didn’t. Cite for their lies? The SPLC covers [hate-groups](https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/groups) in general (including black nationalists, the Jewish Defense League, sovereign citizens, etc.). They don’t overemphasize the Klan, and I know not a single instance of their exaggerating the size of any. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638/72 "2016-02-02T02:20:31Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Sorry, still not buying it. The only way to argue that white supremacism is still Ialive and powerful is to redefine the term to include almost anything white people do. > > Lynchings don’t happen any more. Cross burnings don’t happen any more. Anti-black hate crimes are rare. > > You should be HAPPY about that. Why aren’t you? Everyone but the WNs is happy about that. It is possible to be happy smallpox and polio are no longer with us without relaxing about AIDS, Ebola, Zika, bird flu, etc. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638/73 "2016-02-02T03:06:59Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Everyone but the WNs is happy about that. It is possible to be happy smallpox and polio are no longer with us without relaxing about AIDS, Ebola, Zika, bird flu, etc. And to extend the analogy even further, just because one person (someone like **astorian** ) isn’t at risk of contracting polio doesn’t mean another person (someone who is not white) enjoys the same low risk. It is easy for those outside of the hot zone to be cavalier. They aren’t the ones being hurt. People who support Trump don’t see themselves ever being the ones being thrown on the other side of the wall he promises to build. They believe their skin color, religion, and cultural backgrounds will protect them from his wrecking ball. I almost hope he becomes president so these fools will learn how much he cares about the “common” man. ---
**Author:** ![Hank\_Beecher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hank_beecher/32/7275_2.png) [@Hank\_Beecher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hank_Beecher)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638/74 "2016-02-02T05:19:16Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > They believe their skin color, religion, and cultural backgrounds will protect them from his wrecking ball. No, they believe their _nationality_ will keep them on the right side of the wall. Pan-racial nationalism is more and more of a thing, and Trump has tapped into it. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638/75 "2016-02-02T12:25:03Z")
> [@Hank\_Beecher](#): > > No, they believe their _nationality_ will keep them on the right side of the wall. Pan-racial nationalism is more and more of a thing, and Trump has tapped into it. Ask a Muslim American if they think their nationality will keep the on the right side of the wall. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638/76 "2016-02-02T12:38:04Z")
To be fair, I don’t think Trump is really a racist. Racists think they’re better than other people based on the color of their skin. Trump thinks he’s better than _everyone_ based on the fact that he’s Donald Trump. He’s perfectly happy to exploit racism and racists for his own benefit, of course, just as he’s happy to exploit everything else to that end. He’s The Donald. ---
**Author:** ![Amara\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7993a0/32.png) [@Amara\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amara_1)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638/77 "2016-02-02T17:00:15Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Ask a Muslim American if they think their nationality will keep the on the right side of the wall. To expand on monstro’s comment, ask any Indian American (many are Hindu or Christian) if they think that their nationality will keep them on the right side of the wall. There are quite a few Mexican Americans who also feel that their nationality will not keep them on the right side of the wall. ---
**Author:** ![irae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f0a364/32.png) [@irae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irae)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638/78 "2016-02-03T19:30:32Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > The Klan is dead. White Supremacism is dead. Defunct. Pushing up daisies. Taking a dirt nap. In short, it’s gone for good and never coming back. Maybe just pining for the fjords? ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638/79 "2016-02-03T19:58:29Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > To be fair, I don’t think Trump is really a racist. Racists think they’re better than other people based on the color of their skin. Trump thinks he’s better than _everyone_ based on the fact that he’s Donald Trump. > > He’s perfectly happy to exploit racism and racists for his own benefit, of course, just as he’s happy to exploit everything else to that end. He’s The Donald. No racists think people of their race are superior to those of other races. This is independent of whether or not they think they themselves are the best ever. Trump clearly believes the latter (or at least plays that game openly). That doesn’t mean he’s racist or not racist. It’s other statements he makes which indicate racism. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638/80 "2016-02-03T20:00:07Z")
> [@Amara\_1](#): > > There are quite a few Mexican Americans who also feel that their nationality will not keep them on the right side of the wall. Probably including even Tejanos, etc., whose families were living in (what is now) this country before the Mexican-American war. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-newly-unapologetic-racist-nativist-gop-power-base-basically-the-kkk-for-the-new-millennium/744638.md?page=5)