Nabb1: He said that it was a "tendency" amongst Republicans to do that.

Well, it wasn't exactly outright slurring a black guy, but Trent Lott didn't resign because he got bored with the job you know.

A lot of people feel that there's a pattern of racism in the Republican party. Their current xenophobic stance on immigration probably isn't helping any.

Nabb1: Personally. I think Trent Lott saw the writing on the wall involving his brother-in-law's bribery of judges and got out before the heat came down.

So he bailed 5 years before the heat came down? Haha, color me skeptical ;)

Everyone knew what the macaca flap was about, just like everyone knew what Lott meant when he spoke at Thurmond's party. Hell, it was a huge applause line - "We wouldn't have had all these problems over the years" if we'd voted for the segregationist. Most everyone knows that if the right was really all about leading the crusade against illegal immigration they'd be for instituting reforms at a corporate level. A lot of the conservatives on Fark back that plan, but you don't hear much of it elsewhere.

The fact is that the elephant in the room is the right wing establishment's racism, and the way that their base has at the very least let it slide and in some areas encouraged it. Hell, it's why CNN and Fox fall all over themselves asking whether or not we're ready for Barack Obama to be president.

I dunno. I'd guess Obama probably does look down on the hard Christian right, for what it's worth. A lot of us on the left do. They bear a lot of responsibility for where we're at today in this country I'm afraid.

albo: the opposition on this issue is the one defining it as racism. so even in cases, such as my own, where it's an argument about policy, not race, i can't win: the people on the other side of the issue have already defined my position for me. now, is that realy fair or honest?

I don't know how else to think when I read news stories about how concerned people are about whether or not the Mexicans are corrupting our traditions and refusing to learn the language. "Speak English or go home" seems to me to be xenophobic if not outright racist, yeah.