Congress candidate ad "Make America WHITE Again." Is this racism Trump's fault

[ProudModerate2]

Background : A Congressional candidate running in Tenn put up a large billboard alongside the highway with "Make America WHITE Again." The billboard depicts images of only white folks enjoying the freedom in America.

Question Is this blatant racism Trump's fault ?

Vote and discuss.
Full story on WaPo. Link : https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/06/23/make-america-white-again-a-politicians-billboard-ignites-uproar/

[This account no longer in use.]

We get it, ProudModerate. You don't like Trump.

[Penelope]

Partially Trump's fault in that he encouraged it. But I think it is becoming clear that racism and nationalism have been festering in the US and indeed many western nations for some time.

[Santander]

Where is the "This is a publicity stunt and not racist" option? The (fringe) candidate who made this made the sign specifically because he knew it would get attention. If you actually listen to his interviews, he's actually rather articulate, and it is clear that he means "white" in cultural, rather than racial, terms.

[President Johnson]

It is racist and disgusting!

But it's not TRUMP's fault when his slogan gets perverted. TRUMP never said or meant this. The opposite is true: He frequently talks about African American youth and their strugles on the labor market. That doesn't sound like a racist. All Big Don wants, is put an end to illegal immigration and get rid radical islamic terrorism.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

of course. this is exactly what the stubby-fingered rapist has been campaigning on the whole time, only in blunter words.

[Intell]

No.

[Fuzzy Says: "Abolish NPR!"]

It is racist and disgusting!

But it's not TRUMP's fault when his slogan gets perverted. TRUMP never said or meant this. The opposite is true: He frequently talks about African American youth and their strugles on the labor market. That doesn't sound like a racist. All Big Don wants, is put an end to illegal immigration and get rid radical islamic terrorism.

I'd like to hear from folks as to why immigration laws that were lawfully passed should not be fully enforced.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I blame Rutherford Hayes. If we hadn't ended Reconstruction, this country might be so farther along by now.

[Simfan34]

I blame Rutherford Hayes. If we hadn't ended Reconstruction, this country might be so farther along by now.

Amen! But Andrew Johnson deserves even greater blame.

[Xing]

It's not Trump's fault that racism exists, but he's definitely made it more acceptable for people to be open about their racism.

[Crumpets]

Let's dispel with this fiction that subtle racism is somehow better than overt racism - they both have the same end result. Trump may have allowed this candidate to be overt in his racism, but he was a racist all along and would govern the same way.

[ProudModerate2]

Where is the "This is a publicity stunt and not racist" option? The (fringe) candidate who made this made the sign specifically because he knew it would get attention. If you actually listen to his interviews, he's actually rather articulate, and it is clear that he means "white" in cultural, rather than racial, terms.

And this is why he only includes white-skinned individuals in the images on his ad.
OK .... got it.

[Fuzzy Says: "Abolish NPR!"]

It's not Trump's fault that racism exists, but he's definitely made it more acceptable for people to be open about their racism.

Open about their racism how?  Really, a fringe candidate for Congress resorting to racist shock value isn't anything new.

What people are saying, in fact, is that you cannot advocate enforcement of our immigration laws as currently written without being racist.  That begs a question about our current system of immigration laws.  Are our current laws racist in nature?  If so, how so?  It also begs the question of whether or not America can EVER, under ANY circumstance, restrict immigration of ANY group based on the national interest.  I'm not talking about how we treat American citizens and folks legally residing in the US; I'm talking about anyone in the Great Anywhere who might decide to emigrate to America, and believes that democracy is morally reprehensible. 

[skoods]

I voted partially because the racism was always there but it was just subtlety perpetuated through laws and not by outright saying racist things.

Now that Trump has proven you can win in certain demographics by being racist, it makes sense that those running in conservative, rural areas would just take the veil off and go "full racist."

[Mister Mets]

Didn't this idiot run on a similar campaign in a pre-Trump election?

[ProudModerate2]

It's not Trump's fault that racism exists, but he's definitely made it more acceptable for people to be open about their racism.

Open about their racism how?  Really, a fringe candidate for Congress What people are saying, in fact, is that you cannot advocate enforcement of our immigration laws as currently written without being racist.  That begs a question about our current system of immigration laws.  Are our current laws racist in nature?  If so, how so?  It also begs the question of whether or not America can EVER, under ANY circumstance, restrict immigration of ANY group based on the national interest.  I'm not talking about how we treat American citizens and folks legally residing in the US; I'm talking about anyone in the Great Anywhere who might decide to emigrate to America, and believes that democracy is morally reprehensible.  resorting to racist shock value isn't anything new.

You say "a fringe candidate" "resorting to racist shock value isn't anything new."
You are right, it is not new. Trump has been, and will continue to use racism and bigotry in his campaign as "shock" value in his hopes of maximizing the "white" vote.

And once again, the labeling of "racism and bigotry" to trump, do NOT simply come from a policy of trump having/wanting a strong protected border control policy. Stop trying to make this as the major link. Maybe in your own head it helps you to support trump, and block/ignore the true reasons of trump's racism/bigotry, but it's not working on the rest of us.

[Kingpoleon]

Yes, ProudModerate. Trump probably financed the billboard and blackmailed this candidate into signing it.

[RaphaelDLG]

Where is the "This is a publicity stunt and not racist" option? The (fringe) candidate who made this made the sign specifically because he knew it would get attention. If you actually listen to his interviews, he's actually rather articulate, and it is clear that he means "white" in cultural, rather than racial, terms.

Oh, okay, then that's totally fine then, nothing problematic about that at all

/s

[Xing]

It's not Trump's fault that racism exists, but he's definitely made it more acceptable for people to be open about their racism.

Open about their racism how?  Really, a fringe candidate for Congress resorting to racist shock value isn't anything new.

What people are saying, in fact, is that you cannot advocate enforcement of our immigration laws as currently written without being racist.  That begs a question about our current system of immigration laws.  Are our current laws racist in nature?  If so, how so?  It also begs the question of whether or not America can EVER, under ANY circumstance, restrict immigration of ANY group based on the national interest.  I'm not talking about how we treat American citizens and folks legally residing in the US; I'm talking about anyone in the Great Anywhere who might decide to emigrate to America, and believes that democracy is morally reprehensible. 

It's not just this member of congress. I'm involved in the educational field, and many  teachers are experiencing some of their students discriminating against their peers and using incredibly hurtful language in a way that they haven't seen recently.

How is it justified to target a religious group, though? Why should all Muslims be discriminated against because of the actions of a few? Imagine if 20 American terrorists organized an attack on a foreign country. Would that country be justified in banning ALL Americans from entering, simply because of what some extremists did? There's a reason why we have a screening process in place, and people can't simply waltz into this country and stay as long as they like. In fact, the immigration system here is quite strict compared to other countries. We can't use a mind reading device that picks up on any potential anti-American sentiment.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Someone might want to break it to him that George Washington, "the father of our country", had 318 black slaves.

[Lexii, harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy]

Where is the "This is a publicity stunt and not racist" option? (...)it is clear that he means "white" in cultural, rather than racial, terms.

what is "cultural whiteness"?

[The Mikado]

I'm pretty sure the Rick Tyler for Congress ad is the Rick Tyler campaign's fault.

[Badger]

Where is the "This is a publicity stunt and not racist" option? (...)it is clear that he means "white" in cultural, rather than racial, terms.

what is "cultural whiteness"?

A nice way of being overtly racist while trying not to sound REALLY racist .

[ProudModerate2]

Someone might want to break it to him that George Washington, "the father of our country", had 318 black slaves.

He probably knew this, and included the image of Washington on the billboard, because of that fact.
(i.e. Maybe he is OK with the concept of having slavery again.)