Conservative opinions on race in America, and the so called "race card", are flat-out wrong.ÿ The "race card" is a right-wing myth designed to hide the truth about how the modern-day Republican Party has exploited racial divisions to quietly and methodically gain power.ÿ In addition to invoking the so-called "race card" in order to cover themselves, Republicans also speak about affirmative action being "reverse discrimination", and point to their having appointed token minorities to positions of power as a way of diverting attention away from their dismal record on race relations.
ÿPresident Bush is the most recent example of Republican deceit on commitment to racial equality.ÿ Granted, President Bush's Cabinet has more minorities than any other in history, but appointing a few black and brown faces to prominent positions is nothing more than smart politics.ÿ Republicans show a false commitment to diversity to win votes, but fail to honor their vows once elected.ÿ Another Republican, Richard Nixon, proves this point.ÿ Reaching out to minorities voters with talk of national unity on one hand, he won the South on the other by running on a "states' rights" platform which, in the 1960s, was code for being anti-civil rights. ÿ
ÿWill Haun asserts that in the 1920s, Democrats used "racist platforms" to maintain power.ÿ This is irrelevant because neither party was concerned with civil rights before the 1960s.
ÿLiberals make light of race as a way of celebrating diversity and maintaining unity.ÿ Our school, which commemorates the holidays of many different cultures and religions, provides a perfect example of the liberal view on race.ÿ Conservatives, on the other hand, use race to turn people against each other and consolidate power.ÿ
ÿWill Haun provides a perfect example of how conservatives use race to divide people, because issues of poverty and entitlement cut across all races.ÿ Poverty is not a black issue, but conservatives point to blacks and other racial minorities when talking about poverty because they provide convenient scapegoats.ÿ If anything, the poor in America are the least likely to have a "what's in it for me?" attitude.ÿ They are the hardest working people in America, and simply want a chance to advance themselves.ÿ
ÿLiberal philosophy acknowledges that everything is interconnected.ÿ When the poorest and least educated among us commit crimes, it hurts everyone because our taxes rise in order to pay prison costs.ÿ Liberals also believe that it is not wrong to require those who have more to pay higher taxes.ÿ Everyone must pull the weight they are capable of pulling.
ÿConservative philosophy, which says it values an "equal playing field", is inherently unequal.ÿ By supporting a limited government that mostly stays out of people's lives, conservatism ensures that people never receive the resources they need to do better for themselves.ÿ Racism has a 200-year legacy in America, and race has an effect on everything in this country.ÿ One only needs to compare the swiftness of governmental response to two disasters, 9-11 and Hurricane Katrina, to see this.ÿ With 9-11, the government responded quickly to an unforeseen crisis that involved the conservative, white-collar financial sector.ÿ With Hurricane Katrina, the government responded sluggishly to a developing crisis that had the poor and racial minorities in the crosshairs.ÿ Race and economic status indisputably had an impact on the response of the government.ÿ By refusing to acknowledge the role that race plays in America, conservatives automatically support inequality.ÿ Simply ignoring a problem does not fix it.ÿ
ÿConservatives seek to maintain their position of power at the expense of the many by slashing social services and destroying the safety net that the New Deal created.ÿ This is blatantly obvious with Republicans pushing to abolish affirmative action and privatize Social Security.ÿ Conservatives are able to do this by dividing Americans along lines of race and class.ÿ By playing the race card, Republicans are able to make average Americans spend more time fighting each other than fighting bad government policy.
People on the bottom of American society are doing everything they can to improve their lives.ÿ The right wing, by preaching "personal responsibility" and "hard work", is merely telling the poor to keep doing what they've already been doing.ÿ This turns inequality into an ideology.ÿ
Inspiration to leave a life of poverty behind comes only when those on the bottom have the tools they need to do better for themselves.ÿ Conservatism does not provide these tools.ÿ The lack of progress on issues of race and poverty in America is due to conservatives encouraging division.ÿ When conservatives accuse liberals of dividing America based on race, they are merely trying to justify the Republican Party not doing its part to combat racism and inequality.ÿ Conservatives, not liberals, deliberately got America stuck in the mud of racism to gain political advantage.ÿ Smart conservative Republicans, like Will Haun, know this...yet they have the audacity to play innocent?
Robert Idlett is a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, and one of the Eagle's columnists from the Left.
