Tag: racism

Warning signs of mass violence – in the US?

The following article by Max Pensky, Co-Director of the Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention, Professor, Department of Philosophy, Binghamton University, State University, of New York and Nadia Rubaii, Co-Director, Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention, and Associate Profession of Public Administration, Binghamton University, State University of New York was posted on the Conversation website August 21, 2017:

Protesters with opposing views face off at a ‘Free Speech’ rally in Boston. AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

There are those who say that comparing President Donald Trump’s rhetoric to that of Adolf Hitler is alarmist, unfair and counterproductive.

And yet, there has been no dearth of such comparisons since the 2016 presidential election. Many commentators have also drawn parallels between the conduct of Trump supporters and Holocaust-era Nazis.

The comparisons continue today, and Trump’s comments in the wake of the Charlottesville attack show why. The president’s reference to violence on “both sides” implies moral equivalence, which is a familiar rhetorical strategy for signaling support to violent groups. His comments give white supremacists and neo-Nazis the implied approval of the president of the United States. Continue reading “Warning signs of mass violence – in the US?”

Just How Many Neo-Nazis Are There in the U.S., Anyway?

The following article by Julia Flasphaler was posted on the AlterNet website August 16, 2017:

Credit: Youtube screencap / Vice News

Neo-Nazis suddenly seem highly visible following this weekend’s Unite the Right riot in Charlottesville that left counter-protester Heather Heyer dead. The protest was largely void of Klan hoods, suggesting that neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan are feeling more emboldened. With the renewed visibility of these groups, many may be wondering: How many people do hate groups count as members, and where are these groups located?

Data from the Southern Poverty Law Center suggests the number of hate groups is currently near the country’s all-time recorded high, in 2011. The SPLC reports that as of 2016, there are 917 active groups. (That’s 100 fewer than the 1,108 groups reported in 2011.) The SPLC’s hate map identifies groups by tracking their publications and websites. Of those 917, more than 90 are neo-Nazi groups. California has the highest number with 79, followed by Florida with 63 and Texas with 55. Continue reading “Just How Many Neo-Nazis Are There in the U.S., Anyway?”

Racism and Tax Inequality?

The following article was posted on the TrumpAccountable.org website August 18, 2017:

Recently fired adviser to the President Steve Bannon likes it when progressives talk about racism because it distracts them from Trump’s core message of economic, nationalistic populism. “I want them to talk about racism every day,” Bannon told The American Prospect earlier this week. “If the left is focused on race and identity, and we go with economic nationalism, we can crush the Democrats.”

Indeed while much of the country processed and litigated Trump’s controversial comments on Charlottesville, Republicans were meeting at Rancho del Cielo, Ronald Reagan’s country home, to honor Reagan’s 1986 tax reform success and continue building momentum for tax reform in Congress this fall.

There seem to be two ways of looking at this:

  1. Distraction – While Trump distracts the country with controversial statements about racism that embolden white supremacists, tax and policy wonks in the White House and Congress can quietly meet to craft tax legislation that will in all likelihood increase the deficit while also giving enormous tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans.
  2. Lost Allies – Trump is imperiling his legislative and domestic agenda by supporting white supremacists and throwing rocks at Republican members of Congress who call him out on his unpresidential behavior. When he needs Lindsey Graham (R-SC) or Jeff Flake (R-AZ) to help him pass controversial legislation, he may find himself with another Obamacare-McCain moment.

We see both narratives playing themselves out in the media and discussed ad nauseum with cable news panelists across the country.

It may be that the “Distraction” narrative, which seems to play into Bannon’s strategy to get the left to focus on race, is the operating plan. However, that means that there has to be reasonable confidence that Republicans can cobble together a tax plan that the public will support and that enough Republicans can support. With the failure of Obamacare repeal and replace legislation, this may be a taller order than they can deliver.

A Reuters piece on the meeting at Rancho del Cielo on Wednesday, for example, lead with the headline “Republicans Offer Few Tax Plan Details at High-Profile Event.” Every time they offer tax plan details the media and special interest groups likely to be affected by tax code changes launch a blistering PR effort. It’s shaping up like the Republican’s ill-fated answer to Obamacare: a plan crafted by a select number of Republicans in a back room with no bipartisan or popular support.

View the post here.

CAP’s Neera Tanden Reacts to Trump’s Latest Comments on Charlottesville

The following statement was posted on the Center for American Progress was posted on their website August 15, 2017:

Washington, D.C. — Neera Tanden, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, released the following statement in response to President Donald Trump’s latest remarks regarding the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia:

Progressives in this country have one aim: to expand the circle of equality and opportunity in America.

Continue reading “CAP’s Neera Tanden Reacts to Trump’s Latest Comments on Charlottesville”

Study Shows: It’s The Racism, Stupid

The following article by Cynthia tucker Haynes wit the Andrews McMeel Syndication was posted on the National Memo website JUly 14, 2017:

Credit: Reuters

The scariest thing about Donald Trump’s presidency isn’t the steady stream of outrageous lies cascading from his White House or the cavalcade of offensive and ill-informed tweets, or even the clear nepotism and suggestions of corruption. His campaign’s possible collusion with Russia isn’t the most frightening thing. Nor is his reckless bluster toward North Korea and Iran.

The scariest thing about Trump’s presidency is that millions of voters continue to support him no matter what he does, continue to believe him no matter what lies he tells, continue to pardon his every transgression, no matter how dangerous or treasonous. (A June Associated Press-NORC poll shows that 75 percent of Republicans still approve of the job he’s doing.) If this great democracy is lost, history will show that the seeds of its demise were embedded in the troubling appeal of its 45th president. Continue reading “Study Shows: It’s The Racism, Stupid”

The Racist Origins of Private School Vouchers

The following article by Chris Ford, Stepenie Johnson and Lisette Partelow was posted on the Center for American Progress website July 12, 2017:

Credit: AP Photo  A schoolteacher teaches music to the first class for black children since 1959, when schools closed in Prince Edward County, Virginia, as a protest against desegregation, July 1963.

About three and a half hours southwest of Washington, D.C., nestled in the rolling hills of the Virginia Piedmont is Prince Edward County, a rural community that was thrust into the history books more than 60 years ago when county officials chose to close its segregated public schools rather than comply with court-mandated desegregation following the landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision.1 Like many public school districts in the South during the Jim Crow era, Prince Edward County operated a segregated school system—a system white officials and citizens were determined to keep by any means necessary. The scheme they hatched was to close public schools and provide white students with private school vouchers.

Fast forward to 2017: President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos have championed a plan to provide federal funding for private school voucher systems nationwide, which would funnel millions of taxpayer dollars out of public schools and into unaccountable private schools—a school reform policy that they say would provide better options for low-income students trapped in failing schools. Their budget proposal would slash the Education Department’s budget by more than 13 percent, or $9 billion, while providing $1.25 billion for school choice, including $250 million for private school vouchers.2 Continue reading “The Racist Origins of Private School Vouchers”

Racism motivated Trump voters more than authoritarianism

The following article by Thomas Wood was posted on the Washington Post website April 17, 2017:

A voter casts a ballot in Georgetown, Wis., on Nov. 8, 2016. (Nicki Kohl/Telegraph Herald via AP)

During the 2016 presidential campaign, many observers wondered exactly what motivated voters most: Was it income? Authoritarianism? Racial attitudes?

Let the analyses begin. Last week, the widely respected 2016 American National Election Study was released, sending political scientists into a flurry of data modeling and chart making.

The ANES has been conducted since 1948, at first through in-person surveys, and now also online, with about 1,200 nationally representative respondents answering some questions for about 80 minutes. This incredibly rich, publicly funded data source allows us to put elections into historical perspective, examining how much each factor affected the vote in 2016 compared with other recent elections. Continue reading “Racism motivated Trump voters more than authoritarianism”

Party of Trump Alive and Well in Minnesota

Minnesota Republicans following GOP nominee’s divisive lead

Osmek, DavidMinnesota Republicans continue to follow Donald Trump’s divisive lead by embracing his ignorant and detestable rhetoric.  In a week where the GOP presidential nominee is trying to pivot away from past offensive statements on race, immigration and religion, Minnesota Republicans are feeding off of the toxic culture he has created. 

This week, Republican State Senator David Osmek echoed the dystopian vision of the GOP standard bearer on an appearance on the AM 1130 Morning Show when talking about education:

“Boy, those schools are just doing a crack job aren’t they? Whoops, I shouldn’t use crack and schools and Minneapolis because frankly there’s probably a lot of it there.” [TCNT Morning Show, Monday 8/22/16] Continue reading “Party of Trump Alive and Well in Minnesota”

GOP Racist Messaging

Screen Shot 2015-11-23 at 9.27.43 PM“Yesterday the Minnesota 7th Congressional District Republican Party posted the following statement on their Facebook page: “MN #‎DFL now propose a “special session” to deal with their self-created “#‎Negroproblem”.

 You don’t have to look far to find ignorant hate speech masquerading as acceptable party messaging.  However, this is not the first time the Minnesota Republican Party and their affiliates have posted racially insensitive material.

“The GOP is clearly out of touch on issues of race here in Minnesota and around the country.  Regrettably these comments have become commonplace in the Republican Party  and it should be no surprise that they are now an accepted and normal part of their conversation.

 While our community is still struggling with the death of a young man and trying to find answers for his family, the Republican Party of Minnesota decided to chime in with racist and bigoted comments. There is absolutely no place for this kind of ugly language in our state and we call on Chairman Downey to apologize to the people of Minnesota for the racist and bigoted comment from the Minnesota 7th Congressional District Republican Party.”