Republicans hate race. Race has been bad for the GOP ever since Republicans passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. See, Lyndon Johnson was a Democrat, and he proposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Most Democrats violently opposed the bill. But most Republicans supported it. The bill passed, of course, and it survived many Supreme Court challenges.
The Civil Rights Act’s aim was to wring racist behavior out of American life. The bill tried to finish what the Civil War started and complete tasks left undone by Reconstruction. No one believed a law could end racism, but a law could clamp down on behavior that hurt blacks in material ways.
So Republicans championed both the Civil War and the Civil Rights Act. Now you understand why African-Americans see Republicans as their best friends in Washington. Oh, wait.
And that’s why Republicans hate race. Republicans fought a war to end slavery. They punished former slave owners for generations. They passed a huge Civil Right law in 1964 over endless filibusters from Democrats Strom Thurmond and Robert Byrd. Yet over 90 percent of blacks vote Democrat.
Republicans are like a beta male husband. They say they like shopping. They make good money. They say all the right stuff. They pretend to like Real Housewives shows. They shave their chests. Then their wives run off with the HVAC repairman across the street.
That makes Republicans hate race. That’s why Republicans like John Kasich and Marco Rubio and even Newt Gingrich get all lathered up whenever Trump mentions Hispanics or Muslims. Republicans don’t understand the psychology of race. They follow a simple rule: when race comes up, say nice things about black people and pretend you didn’t hear the question. Oh, and if it’s a Hispanic question, say something nice about the Latino Bush kid. Then mention how distraught you are that Muhammad Ali died, just in case.
Republicans hate the truth about race, because they actually know the truth. But they’ve imposed rules on themselves that prohibit them from speaking the truth. The truth about race scares the hell out of Republicans. But the truth will set you free.
Trump breaks the Republican rules on race. He doesn’t pander to Muslim judges or Hispanic judges or anybody else. He treats everybody the same, insulting Muslims and Hispanics, Irish, and Norwegians. His attacks focus on the individual regardless of race, sex or religion. He’s an equal opportunity insulter.
Every thinking person knows it’s possible for Trump to get an unfair trial from a Muslim judge. Everyone knows, too, that he could get an unfair trial from a German or Irish judge. A lot of people have axes to grind on Trump, and there are many, many unfair judges.
When Trump gives honest, accurate answers to questions about Muslim judges, Republicans panic. “He told the truth! Who authorized that man to tell the truth?”
But the truth will set you free.
The truth is, Democrats have almost destroyed African-Americans with damaging policies that deny people the dignity of work. Everybody wants to work, and work is essential to thriving. But Democrats won’t let blacks work, and Republicans are too beta-male to say it. And it’s possible for a Muslim judge to treat a white billionaire unfairly. Unfairness is a human trait, not an Anglo trait.
But Republicans hate it when you tell the truth and when you treat everyone the same. So do Democrats.
And that’s the truth.