Why do whites overwhelmingly support the GOP?

[Jamison]

OK, before we get into this, I'll just let you know I'm white myself, so this is not a racist post of any sort.

Anyway, I tend to see blacks and other minorities as having more "common sense" politically for supporting the Democratic party. I think they see that themselves and the country as a whole benefits more with the Democratic party in charge.

Like I said, I'm white, but I guess I'm what you'd call a "disadvantaged" white person since I'm young and part of the working poor. Lately I've found that I relate to minorities better on a personal level, and I've gained a lot of black, hispanic, gay friends in the past few years.

I just don't get other people of my race supporting Bush and his policies. Any other whites out there feel the same way I do?

[tuvor]

1. I think you have it the wrong way around.

Whites don't overwhelmingly support the GOP. However, I'll bet the GOP is overwhelmingly supported by whites.

[Jamison]

8. It really is...or at least around here.

I'm one of the few white people around here who support progressive policies. Most of my old friends who were white seemed to turn into raving freepers after the 2000 election, and especially 9/11. As a result I don't hang around those people anymore. Even though they were friends, I don't like to associate myself with people who make statements such as "All ragheads should die, nuke Iran!"

[jeff30997]

2. Would you support a party that hates you for what you are ?

All they have left are whites.

[Proud_Lefty]

4. Correction

Rich whites

[jeff30997]

13. I stand corrected

[Erika]

3. I guess you need to ask Bushies those questions.

Most democrats know why they are democrats and it has nothing to do with their skin color.

[JI7]

5. check out the Jesse Helms thread in Late Breaking News

this is similar to what i have heard other right wingers say about integration. they act like those pushing it had some evil intentions and how they just made things worse. and if not for them things wouldn't be so bad.

the thing is many have the attitude that blacks and other minorities did not have it so bad before.

that Trent Lott statement which he made many times before about how we wouldn't have all these problems if only Strom Thurmond had been elected President when he ran is another example.

[Erika]

6. Your posts remind me of a Reagan Speech

in which he said that in the 50's we had no race problems.

[evilkumquat]

9. That's Because...

...in the 1950's, "Dutch" was too busy ruining lives in the Hollywood Red Scare to notice the trouble in the South.

Evil Kumquat

[JI7]

10. i never heard about that

but i'm really not surprised that he would say something like that.

[evilkumquat]

7. So Why am I a Liberal?

I am white, straight and while certainly not rich (my two adult, two child family is crammed into a two-bedroom apartment and I cannot even afford health insurance), my immediate family has enough money that I have personally seen the financial damage the "Estate Tax" can cause upon the death of a loved one.

Despite this, I am extremely liberal, being Pro-Choice, Anti-Gun, For Affirmative Action, etc. If Garry Trudeau supports it, I probably do, too.

The best reason for the above is because of something most children know, but many adults seem to ignore: fairness. Allowing women the right to make painful, personal decisions about their bodies is fair because I do not want them making decisions about mine. Wanting the availability of hand guns to be limited is fair to everyone who is a potential murder victim and wants to stay alive. Affirmative Action is fair because without it, fat, bloated, white corporate America will continue to pick the "lighter" of two equal choices for any open position.

However, since people tend to "look after Number One", there is one very good selfish reason for EVERYONE to be Democrat/Liberal: If discrimination is allowed against one group of people, EVERY other group is a target.

Once the Neo-cons are successful banning the gays from marrying, preventing women from having abortions and the allowing Christian employers to fire atheist employees for not "followin' Jebus", who will be next? Because someone WILL be next.

THE NEO-CONS WILL NOT STOP DISCRIMINATING ONCE THEY WIN ALL THEIR CURRENT BATTLES! They will continue, because they are obsessed.

I am not married to my girlfriend, but we live together and have two kids. This offends Christian Neo-Cons, but right now, they cannot have me arrested because a) co-habitation is not-illegal, but more importantly, b) the Neo-cons are too busy going after the gays, women and atheists.

The trick is to fight them at every turn, allow them no victories. They will not give up, but at least their resources will be spread thin enough to limit the damage they do.

Evil Kumquat

[hfojvt]

12. in annoys me when a man lives with a woman and has kids with her

and calls her a "girlfriend". That seems like a rank or two below "steady" or "partner" or "significant other". A girlfriend is someone you have had two dates with, not two kids with. Or maybe I am just two tanjed old, or old fashioned.

Of course, your argument about loss of rights could also apply to gun owners. Those libruls will not stop after they take your guns away (or your HK91s, next will be the .3006). Next they will take away the nativity scene in your yard, or your right to teach your religion to your children.

Slippery slopes - like we fight them over there so we do not have to fight them over here and the domino theory.

My liberalism is on economic issues more than social issues, and I think that left-wing economics benefits everyone except the top 5% who would be prevented from exploiting/ignoring the rest of us.

[Lexingtonian]

11. you're young enough

that the phrase/concept of 'white privilege' and the whole dismal history of the whole system it encapsulates isn't obvious to you.

Or that for much of the two generations older than you, and even some amount of your own, most American white folks have such bad/inadequate educations and racism and grew up in a society without a real standard of fairness that a world without white (Christian, male, straight) privilege means there is no one who they can feel superior to and too many people they can't outrank or outcompete. The Modern global economy has exposed and scared them. Modern American society frightens a lot of them to death- they genuinely don't know how to treat people well/fairly enough to not get socially censured (i.e. status diminished) when the bar gets raised to simple decency.

The bad news about inherent unfairness is that some people do benefit from it. Most people raise their children not to be victims, but for many there's also a lesson to it all that being the victimizer is the only way to escape that dismal and painful fate.

When you get old enough, you'll see what a dump the previous generation left you (us) as a world. The good news is: they actually improved it. As have most generations. At the same time, the misery is our great opportunity- to raise Mankind higher, to better its condition. But many people are defeated by it all, unable to add much or anything, and they are afraid that changing anything will only bring more of the difficulty into their own lives- we call them conservatives, and they spend their time deflecting misery on others.

[Broken_Hero]

14. I'm white and NA...

I'm white and Native American (Haida). I think the main reasons why the minorities of this country are more likely to be associated with the democratic party, is primarily because: The GOP looks down on the minorities, its because of welfare, and food stamps, that our country is going down the toilet, and the thought that all minorities are lazy, and are just looking for handouts.

I think the minorites are easier to get along with becauswe we are diversified, we all have gone through some life changing things, that maybe, perhaps some of the white counterparts haven't had to deal with. My wife was just saying tonight, that she feels more comfortable around the Gays and Lesbians of her job, than the rest of the coworkers that surrond her, and yes, she works for Walmart's home offices, so go figure.

I don't know why, its that way, but in my experience its the same thing, i feel more comfortable, find more progressive thought within the minorities, than the white counterparts. I'm not saying all whites are GOP, but it sure seems to me that a lot of whites do vote GOP.