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In reply to the discussion: DU POLL: Do you think the GOP is morphing into some form of the KKK, Nazi Party, Supremacist Power or [View all]Jim Lane
(11,175 posts)The people running the Republican Party are cynically exploiting the simpletons who blame all their problems on the blacks, or the Muslims, or the gays, or the feminists.
The nomination and election of Trump constituted a small bump in the road for the GOP's corporate paymasters, but they're coping. Think of all of Trump's faux-populist promises: border wall? Not built. Muslim ban? Thwarted by the courts. New and better health care for all? Not even tried. Now think of what he has gotten done: huge tax cut for the rich? Check. Evisceration of environmental protections? Check. Right-wing ideologues given lifetime appointments to the courts? Check.
In other words, Trump has not significantly advanced the agenda of bigotry, but he has significantly advanced the agenda of greed.
The OP mentions the KKK and the Nazis. There was also the National Party (South Africa). The difference is that all three of those organizations had leaders who genuinely believed in and prioritized the racist goals. In the contemporary GOP leadership, there are certainly some sincere racists, but most of them are just using racism as a political device.