The Republican National Committee’s racist, deceitful fundraising presentation is just the latest example of a party that seems to have lost its moral way. It has more in common with the Weather Underground or the Ku Klux Klan than the old party of Nelson Rockefeller or Bill Clements. The Hill’s Brent Budowsky puts it this way:
This poster is sick, demented and un-American in its use of fear and hate to slander President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif). It is un-American to call the nation to fear. It is un-American to call the nation to hate. It is un-American to use slander and lies to divide Americans against each other.
How dare these people wave the American flag while they dishonor our basic values with their despicable appeals to the darkest impulses of the most radical extremes.
Years ago the GOP was happy to have a superficial alliance with the radical right. In private, they ridiculed the nutballs. But, ever since Southern whites rebelled against the Civil Rights Act, the party was happy to put together a majority coalition of old-style corporatist Republicans with the white-hooded cross burners and the snake-handling fringe fundamentalists. I guess they never expected the hateful few to one day take over the party.
The GOP is a hate crime. And the question is, what are the moderate, responsible Republicans going to do about it? Gov. Rick Perry is happy to join the haters, speaking often of secession, using racist code words to attack President Obama. Perry’s handlers (they oughta be called snake handlers, too) are cynically exploiting hate and promoting violence in word and deed.
Will more mainstream Republicans repudiate the monsters in their midst? Many tell me privately that they are dismayed at what’s become of their party. They realize that the hateful gamesmanship and party dominance of the unhinged are not only wrecking their political futures, they are destroying the future of Texas.
Do they have the courage to act? We’ll have to wait and see.