are republicans racist?
first of all, yes, republicans are racist.
It wasn’t government spending the Tea Party opposed, it was government spending on “losers,” imposed by the party that the “losers” had brought to power.
here’s the thing, though. this isn’t news to anyone. so adam serwer just kind of dances around calling republicans racist when they prove it every single day. adam’s “losers” are people of color, disabled people, queers, and other marginalized groups. that’s nuance. and people pick up on that.
but here’s the other thing. conservative people in hard-hit areas will protest that they aren’t racist, and bristle at the accusation when they’re just trying to stay afloat. and they aren’t all wrong. saying “republicans are racist” is a straw man. those people who buy into the arguments made by news anchors and conservative politicians don’t necessary pick up on that nuance. that stuff liberals like to label as a dogwhistle? not everyone recognizes that, even people who recognize what “losers” in adam’s article means.
the problem is the politicians who do understand all that nuance yet continue to espouse those views. those are the racists. the homophobes. the ones who want to oppress women. lindsey graham, mitch mcconnell, and yes, the president. (among many, many others.)
that doesn’t mean avoiding confrontation when someone is repeating dogwhistle points, whether they pick up on the nuance or not. but it does mean certain targets are more worthy of having time devoted to tearing them down. bullies like graham et al respond to two things: being ignored or a stronger bully. they are too high-profile to ignore, of course.
being a stronger bully than powerful politicians means utilizing extreme tactics. press should not be so polite to the president. (and constituents should never cease harassing their corrupt elected officials.) part of that is not holding back on calling the president and the rest of these republican representatives out for the racists/ableds/bigots they are. so adam serwer, just say what you mean.