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Congratulating Myself & Horrified By It

Wednesday, September 02, 2015
This.

I can't find the exact place I wrote about this phenomenon, but I know I started talking about it a few years ago. I've thought for a long time that the conservative movement's electoral power is largely based on white nationalism. However, the "browning" of America would make this a very dangerous political strategy over the long term, not just for conservatives but for the future of American democracy. When 90% of the population is white, a moderate form of white nationalism might be consistent with democracy. However, if only 50% of the population is white, then white nationalism can easily lead to calls for disenfranchising non-whites (see: the American South, 1877-1965). The growth of Latino and Asian population in the U.S. present conservatives with the choice of either a) altering conservatism so as to moderate its white nationalism so it can win minority votes, or b) suppressing the votes of non-whites. Given the current power structure of the conservative movement & the psychological profile of its leaders, I suggested that conservatives would consciously or unconsciously select option b. I hadn't considered BooMan's "stupid party angle" - that a reliance of white nationalism would also encourage conservatives to abandon reason as well as democracy - but the basic outline of the argument is the same. Coupled with an incompetent political press corps and swing voters who don't (won't?) accept how radical the Republicans have become - well, let's just say I think we could be in a lot of trouble.
Posted by Arbitrista @ 9:40 AM

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