A party of bigots?

I have some pretty strong feelings about the racial bigotry of the Republican Party. Essentially since Richard Nixon the party has sought to exploit racial wounds in our society for cynical electoral gain. Is every Republican a bigot? Certainly not. Has the Republican Party looked the other way when a bigot appears in their midst? Most definitely.

Anyway, the death of Grand Wizard Senator Jesse Helms this weekend has given my friends in the GOP a chance to clearly and roundly reject the politics of racial division. It's an opportunity to place the politics of racism in the ground and bury them alongside Helms. An opportunity for the GOP to begin to reocncile with its past and to move the party forward.

Instead of doing that though they decided to just go ahead and celebrate the unrepentant racism and bigotry of Jesse Helms. The next time someone asks you why you think the GOP has a "bigot problem" point them to this synopsis of the coverage of Helms death from various right-wingers and party elders. They're either oblivious or they don't really care.

As for speaking ill of the dead, Jesse Helms was a public figure and as such his life and legacy are fair game for discussion. A lesser figure in the politics of hate and bigotry would not be discussed as thoroughly as Helms has been. As a leader and driver of that type of politics though one cannot have a meaningful discussion of Helms life and legacy and leave behind the ugliness of so much of his politics.