Republican Party Must Confront The Bigotry Within Its Ranks

 (Cartoon is by Bill Day at cagle.com.)

In spite of a few "Uncle Toms" like Ben Carson, the Republican Party is almost exclusively a white party. This is hurting them in national elections, and some of the party leaders know this. They have expressed a desire to reach out to minority voters, but to their dismay, many of their candidates continue to disparage minority groups. They reach out instead to the bigots in the party base -- and there are many of them these days.

Here's an excellent column on this GOP problem. It is by Gromer Jeffers, Jr. in The Dallas Morning News:

If they really want a more inclusive party, Republicans need to adhere to Aesop’s old moral: You are known by the company you keep.

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump encountered controversy at a New Hampshire rally last week when he didn’t correct some rube who stated that PresidentBarack Obama was a Muslim. Perhaps the most corrosive part of the man’s statement was that America had a Muslim problem, a clear attack on the nearly 3 million peaceful Muslim residents of this country.

The contention that Trump need not correct any imbecile who gets up at his rallies misses the big picture. For whatever reason, some conservatives have created safe havens for idiots and bigots to thrive.

On Sunday, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, another top GOP candidate, said on NBC’s Meet the Press that he would not want a Muslim president.

“I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation,” he said. “I absolutely would not agree with that.”

Ted Cruz, the U.S. senator from Texas, said Carson’s remarks were against the spirit of the Constitution, which bars a religious test for office.

But Carson, who trails only Trump in nationwide polls of Republicans, is likely to get support from those with anti-Muslim views. From his perch, Carson gives credibility to people who fear or dislike law-abiding Muslims.

Republican leaders are mindful of the impact that some of their followers, and the rhetoric they spew, have on the party’s long-term future.

In a report given to Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus about why the GOP lost to Obama and how it could improve, it was made clear that the party was not inclusive and risked being left behind by young voters, Hispanics, Asians and others in the coalition put together by Democrats and Obama.

The GOP nominee that year, Mitt Romney, said those in the country illegally should “self-deport.”

Trump has ratcheted up the tone, angering many Hispanics by calling for the construction of a wall on the country’s southern border. He also said Mexico sends murderers and rapists to the U.S.

To be clear, there are legitimate reasons for Republicans to advocate tough immigration policies. And much of the world is trying to come together to stamp out terrorism perpetrated by radical Islamic jihadists.

But the way some candidates frame these issues turns off many voters and attracts supporters who are uninformed and looking to discriminate.

History shows the phenomenon is not exclusive to Republicans.

Before and after the nation’s civil rights movement, the Democratic Party was home to segregationists, bigots, Klansmen and the extremely intolerant. Some elected officials, like Sen. Strom Thurmond, migrated to the GOP because of objections to civil rights legislation.

Robert Byrd, the long-serving Democratic senator from West Virginia, started a local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan as a young man and became a top leader. Later in life, he apologized.

The American electorate is evolving. As the last two presidential elections show, non-white voters from all kinds of ethnic and social backgrounds are influential. Younger voters have different views than their older counterparts on numerous issues, including gay rights.

If Republicans want the party to remain relevant to a cross-section of voters, they must protect their brand.

That means rejecting the bigots, extremists and kooks.

Let them start their own party.

(Cartoon is by Daryl Cagle at cagle.com.)