“You Made Your Bed; Now Lie in It”

Many Republicans in modern America cringe as each new Trumpism is lambasted by the media, and associated with them and their beliefs. Though some approve of The Donald’s unique manner of campaigning, many others lament that this man is being showcased to the world as a representation of their party’s ideals.

But Trump’s raucous and radical candidacy has been in the making for a long time (over 50 years), and perhaps has come to symbolize the idea of the Republican Party that some Americans seem to hold. In fact, McAdam and Kloos provide us a very detailed timeline of just how the Democratic Party basically switched places with Lincoln’s party. Specifically, the GOP is now associated with racially conservative Southern whites, whereas the opposite was true between Reconstruction and 1960. In the 1960s, as the moderate Republican platform began to blend heavily with the Democratic platform, as liberal Republicans began to lose their Congressional seats, and as the Democrats became increasingly associated with the Civil Rights Movement, Republican strategists believed they had to “tap into a conservative majority” in order to “ensure GOP control of the White House for years to come” (113). So they decided to take advantage of the proponents of the white backlash movement that had become disenchanted with their traditional Democratic politicians, a move that continues to haunt the Republican Party.

Flash forward to today. Media outlets assert claims such as, “Republicans rationalize their belief that people of color are inferior,” and suggest that racist ideals have been passed down through generations along with Republicans ideals, as if they constitute some sort of inseparable package (Ehrenfreund 4). Regardless of the side of the aisle on which you sit, this is a dangerously incendiary statement to make about an entire political party. The choices that helped the Republican leaders of yesteryear consolidate votes and take control of the South have begun to plague the modern party, a party consequently unable to shake labels of racism and elitism. That today’s elections are heavily influenced by race is undeniable, and we are shown the clear evidence in these articles. But that the Republicans of the 1960s-1970s were so easily able to exploit issues of race speaks more to the enduring legacy of racist tendencies in America than it does to the fact that Republicans are inherently racist. It’s extremely vital to remember the course of history when discussing modern issues. That being said, today’s Republicans are just going to have to lie in the bed made by their past party members, unless they can find a way to fundamentally shift public perception.