Newt Gingrich's poverty code

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Newt Gingrich's Poverty Code
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Even the Republican Party doesn't use blatant racism these days. But ever since their "Southern strategy" of deliberately wooing white racists succeeded so well - and, coincidentally, drove African Americans and other traditional supporters from the GOP - they've been very good at coded language.

This works even in the general election, since blacks are less than 13% of the population and it's still easy for white people - especially elderly white people - to think the worst of racial minorities. (Look at the widespread hysteria about Barack Obama.)

But right now, Newt Gingrich is attempting to appeal to the Republican base. And they know exactly what he means, since they're primed to hear that message.

White racists are the Republican base these days - white racists and religious fundamentalists and fearful old people. The GOP's Southern strategy took all the old Dixiecrats from the Democrats (good riddance, I'd say) after the latter passed the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which ended government-sponsored segregation. Republicans deliberately wooed white racists for political advantage, and they were wildly successful at it.

At first, I'm sure Republican leaders just thought to use those people. They used coded language on the campaign trail and just threw them a bone occasionally. But this ended up working too well. Plus, it drove from the party non-racists and other moderates. So now this is the Republican base. These people control the Republican Party. And no party leader dares make them unhappy.

More to the point, at least in this case, these are the people who most reliably vote in Republican primaries. These are the people who'll be deciding the next Republican presidential nominee. Do you wonder why the Republicans running for president are such a pathetic bunch of loons? This is why. This is what the GOP has become these days.

Anyway, I like Larry Wilmore here. "So, his plan to fix America is for black kids to start cleaning toilets? ... This is unbelievable, Jon! He wants to give kids jobs by firing their parents from one of the few jobs they can get to support their kids!"

"Yup, dream big, black people! Hey, you don't have to be a pimp, prostitute, or drug dealer. You can clean up people's shit!"