Old tapes unearthed of racist comments by Ronald Reagan

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/07/ronald-reagans-racist-conversation-richard-nixon/595102/

So it looks like the republicans savior was racist after all!

How do you know all of them, personally?

Paul Krugman:

Over the years there have been many, many angry declarations from conservatives that Reagan wasn't a racist. They were all beside the point; what mattered was that he exploited racism, ruthlessly.

As it turns out, however, he *was* a racist

This party is who we thought they were.

He did say 'party', and yeah the party is. Are there individual Republicans who aren't racist? Absolutely. But the party itself has proven time and again its primary concern is white anglo saxon protestants.

@br0kenrabbit:

Its asinine to generalize like that. Entire would equate to everyone involved in the party.

The party itself can have intrinsic values that not every member shares.

Just look at Christianity. X-D

@br0kenrabbit:

The party is the people within it. Its still calling them all racists.

The party is a conglomerate, true. But the fact remains the party is racist because enough of that conglomerate are, it doesn't take every one.

@br0kenrabbit:

Still doesnt matter.

Then why argue about it? Seems counterproductive to argue a point of something that you think doesn't matter.

@br0kenrabbit:

Because i find it unlikely that they are all racist. Like i said its an asinine thing to say.

You really don't retain what you read, do you?

That was not what was said...………...

@LJS9502_basic:

Yes. The republican party. Thats everyone involved, my friend.

@heirren: If you want to claim that everyone involved in a party shares their intrinsic values, so be it. But a party that actively works to undermine minority voting rights is racist.

A racist old president in the early 80's? Who would of guessed.

@mattbbpl:

You dont know the inner-politics that occur. These are still citizens. So calling the party racist, you are also calling them racist, as US citizens. Now lets say you think they are racist, but a week later something happens or a chouce is made which makes you think otherwise. So now you no longer think they are racist but it was people within that "racist" party thst were there all along that made you think this? So these racists are no longer racists? (I could probably word this better.)

Saying such means change is not possible.

Had to rush for the democratic debate.

Republicans, democrats...theyre all clowns.

most people already knew about consciously, but many people didn't really thought about it. Like for me, for example, I learned about Ronald Regan in class and I compared his policies with Trump and got a matching order. So, this not a surprise for me.

I'm not familiar with the rules that kept this under wraps for decades, but why? Too damaging to know he said some racist stuff?

@heirren: I know the party is racist. They intentionally lower the voting power of minorities, and thus they're a racist party.

You're the one saying that all members of a racist party are racist themselves. Not me.

'“Last night, I tell you, to watch that thing on television as I did,” Reagan said. “Yeah,” Nixon interjected. Reagan forged ahead with his complaint: “To see those, those monkeys from those African countries—damn them, they’re still uncomfortable wearing shoes!” Nixon gave a huge laugh.'

Oh shit, Reagan might drop in presidential historical ratings after this.

@mattbbpl:

The party is the people within it.

Or are you saying the ideals the party was born from are racist? In essense if you join the republican party you somehow magically become racists? Something isnt adding up.

I mean, he was a rich old white guy born in 1911.

It's like discovering water is wet.

Then you're right, those people are racist.

@mattbbpl:

I never said that they were.

You're arguing that calling the party racist is the same as calling everyone in the party racist because the party is the people.

A party that systematically works to lower the voting power of minorities is racist. Full stop. If we accept your proposition that:

Then those people are racist because intentionally and systematically lowering the voting power of minorities to boost the power of the majority voting block is sure as **** racist.

@mattbbpl:

Still doesnt matter. The KKK is racist. That is what they stand for. You mean to tell me that the republican party is a racist cult? Arent there people of various ethnic groups within this party?

...

Minorities cant vote?

Who would've guessed that a race-baiting president was actually racist?

Republicans have been intentionally working to strip away minority voting power via multiple mechanisms as part of a coordinated effort at both the state and national levels for years. The Hofeller files took the last remaining bit of ambiguity out of the situation.

AOC is right again............she took heat for calling Reagan racist a few months back and now, what do you know? LOL

Reagan seemed more racist than even Nixon here.

@mattbbpl: Imagine that, somebody on the left calling everybody on the right racist, very original and creative...yawn...

Big deal - as if no one ever talks or thinks inappropriately about *insert topic here*. Acting on or legislating said beliefs is another matter.

@texasgoldrush: She’s also an idiot who doesn’t know anything about WW2 and cries for photos in parking lots.

@mattbbpl: Requiring basic ID to vote isn’t racist. It’s common sense.

So now it’s acceptable to be racist and shrug it off because it isn’t being acted upon or legislated. It’s a good thing that legislation from racists will be labeled racist so we can all know not to pass it.

@mattbbpl:

Sounds a bit like paranoia.

Hey Mirko, how about a cup of coffee?

@heirren: @MirkoS77: But it is being acted upon.

Here's a living list of known voter suppression efforts in the US. For the purposes of this discussion, you'd want to focus on 2006 and beyond as that's when the planning for Project REDMAP began in earnest. Hofeller was a key architect of that effort, and those efforts continued up until his death, at which point tens of thousands of documents detailing his work were inherited by his daughter.

These documents are an ongoing story, as details about their contents get revealed through the discovery phase of various related lawsuits. The census question was the first one on the docket, so information that the GOP was using it to limit representation of minority districts came out early. More recent revelations from the files center around racial gerrymandering. For example, the maps he used contain his raw data and the algorithms he used to create the districts:

Chen said he found Hofeller manually entered “%18_ap_blk” into the mapping software’s formula box of nearly every draft that Chen said he analyzed. This formula, the political scientist explained on Tuesday, was used to calculate and track how many African American citizens were of voting age in each district.

Though racial gerrymandering was the focus of many previous lawsuits against the state, it is the focus on partisan gerrymandering that sets this specific case apart for the rest.

The files are so spot on that the defense has resorted to ridiculous defenses like the following:

Chen testified that Hofeller’s files contained racial data, although under cross-examination from GOP lawyer Thomas Farr, Chen conceded it’s technically possible Hofeller could have used one hand to cover up part of the screen while drawing the maps so he couldn’t actually see the racial data.

Republican legislative leaders, who are the main defendants in the lawsuit, have also previously said Hofeller’s personal files only reflect his hobbies, and not any official work he was doing for the state.

The entire thing is a farce.

This entire thing started because someone claimed that the party being racist was the same as every member of the party being racist. The party is definitely racist. When the party stops being racist, I'll stop calling it racist.

As for every member being racist, I concede that a racist party doesn't mean every member is racist. Some members may be racist, some members may merely be OK with supporting racist policies to get their tax tax cuts, and other members may be too oblivious to even know racist policies are part of the party.

Even if we concede that (and I don't), what about the other actions?

If you go along with racism it doesn't say well about you.

Simplistic reading and understanding of a complex idea...……..

@mattbbpl: @LJS9502_basic:

I agree. That holds true for many things.

I stand by what i said, though. We do not know all the inner politics. Regardless of the outcome, and for sake of discussion lets say there are racist doings within that party, as long as there are those working against it or opposed to the outcome, you simply cannot call the party, as a whole, racist. America is still a democracy(lol i think).

Very simple.

Is the fundamental nature of what the republican party stands for racist? Or, are there a selection of individuals within the party--with power--racist? Theres a big difference between the two.

Say there is corruption within the a law enforcement agency. If you know a few police officers or detectives that actually do honest work based on what the department is meant to do, does that make these police officers corrupt?

@heirren: All I wanted was an admission that the party is racist and that it can be called racist without calling every member racist.

We are now in agreement.

LOL

All this coming from the party of slavery.

Southern Conservative Democrat Party that became the Southern Conservative Republican Party?

The people who would still be in the "party of slavery" would be Republicans. Same goes for the KKK, which is they the KKK are currently right wing and not Democrats.

@mattbbpl:

Nope. I think you agree with me, though.

The problem with the party as a whole is that even if they are not racist themselves they are doing nothing to say it's wrong. And for that they are accountable. It's not a positive trait to keep your mouth shut while these ideologies are becoming the norm.