Romney 2012: The Last Great White Campaign

[AmericanNation]

It's hilarious to see Democrats try to slander anything and everything as a racist ploy. It's even more amusing to see Democrats go "okay, some of our policies might be ethnic pandering...BUT THE EVIL GOP RUNS ADS ON OBAMA'S WELFARE CHANGES."

I like how their ACTUAL ethnic pandering is "the right thing to do"
and republicans SUPPOSEDLY doing the same thing is "an unnecessary stupid racist evil" 

This is classic projection.  They love pinning something they are guilty of on Republicans.  It makes them feel better...  less guilty.  The amazing thing is how unconscious they are that they are doing it.   

[AmericanNation]

One person who (probably) supports Romney makes a racist joke ---> Romney is waging a racist war of racism.

Cool logic bro. Tell it again.

Logic?!  Yeah what about all the other people that laughed and went right along with the joke?  What does your logic say about that?  And if someone can say this on a microphone to a crowd of people what is said in private?  What does your "logic" say about that?

Well, it was still kind of funny. Kind of racist yeah, but more of an nervous chuckle-type than gasp and head for the hills.

Anyways, that's ridiculous. Much worse things have been said about Republicans (jokingly) at Democrat rallies. This is a schoolboy argument at best.

But I guess the conclusion we should be drawing is that if a campaign that doesn't have poll-tested goodies specifically designed for every single narrow ethnic group, it is predicated on racism.

The foundation of Romney's appeal to whites is predominantly a mixture of the poor economic climate and ideological hostility toward Obama (from right-wingers to left-wingers). It's amazing how Democrats don't even know what the talking points of the other side are, but I suppose it's not unsurprising.

Some 60-70 year old woman from Arkansas tells an odd racist-ish "joke" and accordingly is forced to resign from a tea party organization.  Imagine if democrats held their members to that standard, their wouldn't be anybody left in the party.

Note: Republicans ended slavery and defeated communism(a form of slavery).  Democrats in full or in part supported both.   

[AmericanNation]

"demographic inevitability"
LOL, The democrats are turning into a 15 state party and the republicans are becoming a 35 state party.  How you translate that to some permanent political minority status is astonishing.   

"basis of externalities that we on the left might not necessarily comprehend as connected to their so-called self-interest."
I know what your thinking, but try not to fall into that trap of thinking that republican votes are against the individuals self interest.  Government dependency isn't in an individuals "interest."  It is something to avoid and stigmatize because it causes far more damage than good.     

[AmericanNation]

Massive Italian, Irish, Polish, and Germans to some extent ,etc. immigration terrified Gilded Age Republicans old English/Dutch stock for many reasons. And unsurprisingly, those groups voted about as Democrat as Hispanic voters today. Of course, the Republicans did not do them favors by being extremely anti-immigration (immigration controls acts, anti-catholicism, rum, romanism, and rebellion). Nativism is hardly new.

Of course, no one really cares today about that. Although large non-white cohorts among the hispanic immigrant community will consistently make this group more electorally challenging, it is hardly a death sentence. The idea that some new "brown America" is going to ensure perpetual Democrat governance is simply incongruent with demographic and cultural reality.

Seeing as the republican party today is massively Italian, Irish, Polish, German, eastern European, etc; new immigrants have a much higher tendency to be republicans than in the gilded age.  Look at 1st/2nd generation Asians and Indians for instance.  This "anti-immigration" thing is an old template dems are trying to shoehorn onto a party of immigrants.  If anything the current dem new england establishment has more blood on there hands than the current GOP.  How dare we insist on laws being followed or changed and international borders acknowledged and defended!! That's white nationalist fascist-ism!!  LOL.           

[AmericanNation]

Massive Italian, Irish, Polish, and Germans to some extent ,etc. immigration terrified Gilded Age Republicans old English/Dutch stock for many reasons. And unsurprisingly, those groups voted about as Democrat as Hispanic voters today. Of course, the Republicans did not do them favors by being extremely anti-immigration (immigration controls acts, anti-catholicism, rum, romanism, and rebellion). Nativism is hardly new.

Of course, no one really cares today about that. Although large non-white cohorts among the hispanic immigrant community will consistently make this group more electorally challenging, it is hardly a death sentence. The idea that some new "brown America" is going to ensure perpetual Democrat governance is simply incongruent with demographic and cultural reality.

Seeing as the republican party today is massively Italian, Irish, Polish, German, eastern European, etc; new immigrants have a much higher tendency to be republicans than in the gilded age.  Look at 1st/2nd generation Asians and Indians for instance.  This "anti-immigration" thing is an old template dems are trying to shoehorn onto a party of immigrants.  If anything the current dem new england establishment has more blood on there hands than the current GOP.  How dare we insist on laws being followed or changed and international borders acknowledged and defended!! That's white nationalist fascist-ism!!  LOL.           

The Arizona "immigration" law has little to do with immigration and mostly to do with giving police a blank check to discriminate against anyone who doesn't look "muhrican". If Brewer had sent the national guard to the border, that would be something, but pulling over Mexicans doesn't solve any problems. Unless of course your goal is to get the old, kinda racist GOP base in AZ to turn out and vote for you. Let's not forget the AZ republicans ran up a huge deficit and had no one to blame but themselves...so they blamed the Mexicans. What group are the GOP going to pick on next when the economy goes sour?

I don't like populism in all it's forms, but right wing populism is especially dangerous.

Umm you have to admit:
1) educating, providing hospital care, policing, providing "safety net" benefits, etc to a horde of illegal immigrants has a cost associated with it.   
2) If the federal government did it's job of protecting Arizona from all these problems and costs(per their duty outlined in the constitution, law, etc), then their would be no basis for the law. 
3) given 1&2 are true, than your assertion that the law is race based doesn't hold any weight in the face of the legitimate real reasons.

This isn't right wing populism.  If anything the GOP is focused on the most boring and least populist issues.  The fact that the issues are important and a significant chunk of the country is beginning to recognize the importance doesn't make it "populist" it makes it an "adult conversation." 

Frankly I'm in shock how lunatic racist the leftist media has been the last few days.  I would have to assume this originated in a democrat talking point or something like that.  I'm guessing this thread appeared as a result of these developments.  MSNBC pumps this racist propaganda and than cuts out showing all the minority speakers at the convention.  They cut away from prominent minority speakers in order to talk about how racist republicans are... how disgraceful can you be?       

[AmericanNation]

Umm you have to admit:
1) educating, providing hospital care, policing, providing "safety net" benefits, etc to a horde of illegal immigrants has a cost associated with it.   
2) If the federal government did it's job of protecting Arizona from all these problems and costs(per their duty outlined in the constitution, law, etc), then their would be no basis for the law. 
3) given 1&2 are true, than your assertion that the law is race based doesn't hold any weight in the face of the legitimate real reasons.   

Considering that the main reasons we've restricted legal immigration well below the levels they would otherwise be is racism and/or chauvinism, then yes, the law is race based.  The idea that the main reason illegal immigrants come here to live off the government safety net is hokum.  They come here for jobs, which is why illegal immigration has plummeted the past few years.

The easiest solution to the illegal immigration problem is some combination of more aggressively going after those who would employ them and/or increasing the levels of legal immigration.  I.e., decreasing the demand for immigrant labor or increasing the supply.  All laws like SB 1070 are likely to achieve in the long run is adding to our law enforcement budgets, much as our futile war on drugs has.

You're calling Ted Kennedy a racist?

[AmericanNation]

Umm you have to admit:
1) educating, providing hospital care, policing, providing "safety net" benefits, etc to a horde of illegal immigrants has a cost associated with it.   
2) If the federal government did it's job of protecting Arizona from all these problems and costs(per their duty outlined in the constitution, law, etc), then their would be no basis for the law. 
3) given 1&2 are true, than your assertion that the law is race based doesn't hold any weight in the face of the legitimate real reasons.   

Considering that the main reasons we've restricted legal immigration well below the levels they would otherwise be is racism and/or chauvinism, then yes, the law is race based.  The idea that the main reason illegal immigrants come here to live off the government safety net is hokum.  They come here for jobs, which is why illegal immigration has plummeted the past few years.

The easiest solution to the illegal immigration problem is some combination of more aggressively going after those who would employ them and/or increasing the levels of legal immigration.  I.e., decreasing the demand for immigrant labor or increasing the supply.  All laws like SB 1070 are likely to achieve in the long run is adding to our law enforcement budgets, much as our futile war on drugs has.

You're calling Ted Kennedy a racist?

Chauvinist in his case.  Besides the racist arguments for restricting immigration are the chauvinist ones of deliberately trying to keep the national labor supply constricted so as to raise wages.  But that only works well if you have tariffs high enough to keep out goods from lower wage countries with a surplus of labor.

I think most people are screwed up on immigration, but most republicans(or at least a plurality) would be in favor of reforming the messed up Kennedy immigration laws so as to expand the amount of legal immigration.  Democrats always oppose that in favor of some amnesty program proposal. 

Generally:
Republicans want immigrants to work and earn citizenship.
Democrats want illegal immigrants to be citizens and not work. 

I can make an argument for the republican's desire, but I can't justify the democrat's.       

[AmericanNation]

Generally:
Republicans want immigrants to work and earn citizenship.
Democrats want illegal immigrants to be citizens and not work. 

I can make an argument for the republican's desire, but I can't justify the democrat's.       

Because your "Democratic" desire is a strawman.

The idea that the reason illegal immigrants want to come here is to live high off the hog off of our safety net programs is pure hogwash as the last few years should have made abundantly clear.  They come here to find jobs.

I never said they wanted to.  The list of expenses is real.  That doesn't have anything to do with the general desires of the democrats anyway.  I'm afraid that's a false strawman call. 

[AmericanNation]

This might be the first election which doesn't have a racist element.  If Obama loses, it won't be because he's black.  If Romney wins, it won't be because he's white.

So just because he loses for other reasons means there is no way there is any racial element?  Says who?  What is with the unsubstantiated pronouncements?

The country suddenly became racist in four years?  The same group that selected him, rejected him, if he is rejected.  Obama wins or loses re-election based on his job performance.

Your non sequiturs are getting old.  That's why no one takes you seriously.

This might be the first election which doesn't have a racist element.

Did you see this...

The plant, oh sure.

Gee, I wonder if anyone suggested she was in the wild by reptiles. 

I love how you guys always have an excuse for this type of behavior and can follow it up with a wink.  Stay classy.

You would probably ignore this racial crap if you had fabrications thrown at you constantly.  The interesting thing is that I've noticed teenagers make fun of this imagined racism stuff all the time.  It makes sense when you think about it, they know they aren't racist, their parents aren't, their friends aren't, their teachers aren't, almost nobody they know or have ever met under 60 years old is, so when someone makes a flimsy claim they just laugh at it without flinching. 

[AmericanNation]

You would probably ignore this racial crap if you had fabrications thrown at you constantly.

You mean fabrications like Republicans support Voter ID laws because they'll stop rampant voter fraud rather than because they'll impact Democratic-leaning voting groups most?

I don't have first hand experience across the country, but I know voter fraud is a problem in Milwaukee, it is a problem in Chicago, and it was a problem in Racine this June.  Yes, democrats are the party that benefits from voter fraud, so they will be negatively effected if it is curtailed, but that isn't a reason to allow them to continue breaking the law.     

[AmericanNation]

You would probably ignore this racial crap if you had fabrications thrown at you constantly.

You mean fabrications like Republicans support Voter ID laws because they'll stop rampant voter fraud rather than because they'll impact Democratic-leaning voting groups most?

Chillax. Here's Nate Silver explaining why chillaxing is good. Voter ID law doesn't make a huge impact.

The more likely political calculus is that considering 70-75% of Americans support Voter ID laws, the Republicans know that pushing it is a political winner, largely because Democrats do not chillax and find themselves acting very angrily on the more unpopular side of the issue.

It's popular because their isn't any downside and their is an upside.  
Less fraud and more confidence in the process vs. ??

We had voter ID for 1 election before it got tied up in a court injunction and the democrats were combing the state for someone who had been "disenfranchised" because they didn't have an ID.  They couldn't find a single person.  One guy had an ID, but refused to vote 'in protest' LOL.

 I heard one state had a provision in the law for the theoretical people in the state that would have an actual problem voting, that the polling place could take a picture of them and allow them to vote.  Not sure how you could object to such a common sense measure.  

[AmericanNation]

I don't have first hand experience across the country, but I know voter fraud is a problem in Milwaukee, it is a problem in Chicago, and it was a problem in Racine this June.  Yes, democrats are the party that benefits from voter fraud, so they will be negatively effected if it is curtailed, but that isn't a reason to allow them to continue breaking the law.     

LOL, are you making a point?  I've always said voter fraud has been next to impossible to prove, but a democrat DA not charging (which is different than not finding evidence btw) anyone (also very difficult to find the anonymous people who walked in and actually committed fraud because they successfully commited fraud) is SHOCKING!!!  I am shocked, shocked! to find gambling in this establishment. 

I like your pointing hand thing though. 

[AmericanNation]

Dems lost on all the "major" issues, but tricked people with their embarrassing pandering.  Free birth control shouldn't trump the economy, but Chicago found a way.  It will be interesting to see how the D's play this.  You can't keep the base of the party happy (lunatics) and do the much needed work on serious issues.  This incompatibility inevitably leads to a breakup of the coalition to some extent.  The only way to win 'competence credit' is to enact a minimum 80% R economic plan, which poses more political issues in 2014-2016.