Don't the Repubs call THEMSELVES a "White Christian Party"?

[Nimrod]

Correct me if I'm wrong. They don't use those exact words, but they're against affirmative action, they hate gays, they snub minorities, tell women to obey their husbands, they want to build a Berlin wall between the US and Mexico, and can't finish a sentence without mentioning God, Jesus, and Traditional Family Values at least six times each. We had an inaugural prayer rather than an address for hell's sake.

Sounds like they're proud of their white Christian party. So what's the big deal about Dean congratulating them on it?

[AValdoux]

1. The party platform

Doesn't the party platform included language stating establishing the US as a 'christian nation'?

AValdoux

[supernova]

2. They do, but they hate to be called out on it

:D

It bursts their bubble that life really isn't a level playing field for most of us. It bursts their bubble that maybe they are the beneficiaries of centuries of the system being tilted in their direction. It bursts their bubble that maybe they really didn't work as hard, or "pull themselves up by their bootstraps," as much as they think they did.

[RaleighNCDUer]

8. I always thought it kind of funny that those who insist that people

pull themselves up by their bootstraps usually wear loafers.

[MemphisTiger]

3. I know the talk about how this is a Christian nation

[oc2002]

4. the thing is, Dean did not even call them that in a derogatory way..

..Dean said he himself is a white Christian when he called them that.

I do not get what is all the hoopla about nothing here.

[Nimrod]

6. Indeed

The vast majority of politicians of any stripe are white Christian males. Can't seem to get elected dogcatcher if you're not at least Christian, white, and male (in that order).

It's a question of separating your personal bullshit from your work bullshit. The KKK Grand Wizard could be president for all I care as long as he didn't perform in office as if he was the KKK Grand Wizard.

[ugarte]

5. They have bumperstickers calling the G.O.P. "God's Own Party"

They leave out the "white" part, but that's kind of taken for granted.

[KharmaTrain]

7. Who Uses The Term "Christian Nation"???

I'm not talking only the bible thumpers, but I hear it regularly on the floor of the House...supposedly this country is based on "Christian" or "Judeo-Christian" principals...as though that's some copyrighted design. Or they're claim that the country's founders were Christian, thus because they were justifies Repugnicans from taking it five steps beyond...mixing flag and cross.

It's the true Elephant in the tent...Dr. Dean just said it. I've never heard Repugnicans discuss the rights or beliefs of other religions. It's time to stop ignoring the obvious.

Does this mean Democrats aren't Christian because Dean said Repugnicans are? Democrats who buy into that might as well just ask Ken Mehlman when's their first day at their new job.

[WalrusSlayer]

9. That's what I liked about Dean's "attack"

One on hand, it implies that being a "White Christian Party" is a shortcoming, but at the same time is defensible as being merely an observation. Yet repubs feel compelled to defend themselves (and surprisingly, they seem to be taking the bait). But they have a problem:

1) It's true
2) They themselves have in the past admitted it's true
3) It has been a historical selling point for the party

So now, with one single soundbyte, repubs have found themselves wrapped around the axle. Sounds like a classic Rovian "attack their strengths" strategy to me. And we all know what a losing strategy that has been.... :eyes:

[Lone_Wolf]

10. They constantly invoke God, Jesus... etc. into their speeches...

I really despise them for their holier-than-thou, sanctimonious B.S. It's about time somebody turned this into a liability against them... Dean is 100% right that Repukes are a group of people that don't like diversity. What he said was more diplomatic than what I would have called them: bigots.

[MountainLaurel]

12. Like a secret code

I remember a few times where Bush made comments in his SOTU speeches that were obviously shout-outs to his fundie base -- references to hymns that you generally only hear in fundamentalist churches, or biblical quotes about "infidels."

[tnlefty]

11. "We're the party of the white male" is what I hear proclaimed

loudly and proudly by the repugs around me.

[Igel]

13. It depends what you mean by the ambiguous "the Repubs".

Do you mean the set of all republicans?

Do you mean the leadership?

Do you mean the platform at the last election?

Do you mean the set of republicans that you've seen in person and/or on TV?

Because those are all rather different things, and what's true for one isn't necessarily true for the other.

I've known republicans of black African, Vietnamese, and Chinese descent. I've known repubs that were Xian, repubs that weren't Xian, and Xians that weren't repub. I've know members of minorities that were dem, but against affirmative action; I've known gay repubs; and I've known some Muslims that hate gays and repubs to the same extent; and I've even had the misfortune to talk to dems in one or two minority groups that said some truly racist things about members of other minority groups.

If what Dean meant was that the repub party is less diverse than the dem party, he should have said it. But stating the fact wouldn't be news, now would it; it was precisely the reaction caused by his over-the-top hyperbole he wanted, wanting to offend people, and he got what he wanted. I personally don't see a reason to complain about him getting what he asked for; however, defending his hyperbole as literal truth is asking for additional problems.

[Karenina]

14. You're correct, but cowed.

Dems must be "perfect" (and get NO *MEDIA ATTENTION) and Repukes can scream whatever vitriol they want (with 24/7 media backup).

[RaleighNCDUer]

15. As mentioned in another thread,

When this vastly diverse 8% of the republican party holds to policies that uniformly support a white christian establishment, despite their own individual backgrounds, then yes, you can say that the republicans are a white christian party.

And as the extremists consolidate their power they will, eventually, purge the blacks, asians, hispanics, catholics, jews and whatever other misguided fools who are in their party, and bring the party into accord with the demographics of the KKK, from which they sprang.