The GOP may be the conservative party, but it’s also the party of bigots. For proof, look no further than state Rep. Skip Stam. Yesterday on the floor of the House, Stam compared homosexuality to incest and pedophilia.
You would think party leaders like Thom Tillis would be falling all over themselves disavowing the statements and chastising Stam. But alas, that’s not the case. If any of Stam’s Republican colleagues had a response, it was quiet enough that nobody heard it.
As society becomes more tolerant and more diverse, the Republican Party, particularly in the South, provides a safe haven for bigotry and homophobia. They are quickly becoming the party of straight, white people. And there will be a political price to pay.
Last week, Thom Tillis got slammed for a statement he made a few years ago in which he said John Wynne, said that the tape was “gotcha politics” and that the reaction was overblown. He should have been right. However, as long as the GOP refuses to quickly, publicly and harshly condemn bigoted remarks, they are not going to get a pass on what should be minor blips.
What’s ironic about that episode, is that Tillis was right in his analysis. The state is becoming more diverse. More than half of the newcomers to the state in the past decade were non-white. The Hispanic population was virtually non-existent in the 1990 census but made up 4% of the state in 2000 and 8% in 2010. Being a monolithic, homogeneous party is a losing proposition in the long run.
But let’s get something straight. Republicans are not all bigots and homophobes. In New York last night, a GOP congressman who endorsed gay marriage fended off a primary challenge from his right flank. Unfortunately, here in the South, Republicans have decided it’s better to tolerate bigotry than alienate their base.
That’s another deal with the devil. Instead, what they need is a leader who can forcefully articulate a conservative vision while just as forcefully denouncing the bigots in their midst.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
I appreciated your noting the NY primary as an example of there indeed being decent GOPers. I was born, raised, educated and employed in New York for 56 years, mostly in its upstate areas near Albany, Syracuse and Rochester. For a good chunk of my voting-eligible years there, I was a registered Republican, mainly because I and many others like me there felt they COULD be. We were fiscally conservative, although unlike today’s TPers and arch-conservatives, we did not see any logic, wisdom, or benefit in shutting down the government, or closing agencies wholesale, or “starving” public programs that helped fellow citizens in need.
At the same time, we were moderates on the social policy side of things, and the NYGOP tent allowed for that. Whether or not one supported aspects of gay rights, or food stamps, or Medicaid, or unemployment benefits, or environmental protection was left to one’s personal principles/beliefs and to one’s consideration on a case-by-case basis.
I understand that this was all pre-2006, before the truly great polarization between conservatives and liberals came about, before names like RINOs or Libtards were hurled around. But it appears there is still room in NY for a GOP politician to develop his/her own platform, and not have to only choose from the TP or ALEC or religious right menu. Not so in the Tarheel State…….
That’s the most frustrating part. The vast majority of Republicans that I know are good and decent people. They just don’t speak up. It’s advantageous for them not to. In the absence of true leadership, people will listen to whomever is the loudest.
I disagree. It’s been my overwhelming experience that if you scratch the surface of a Republican 9 times out of 10 underneath what you find is a racist homophobe.
The vast majority are decent to their friends but consider people they don’t know less than human and are perfectly fine letting children starve to death, veterans wander around homeless and regard any dollar ever given in taxes as theirs forever, just like the Goblins in Harry Potter.