Republican's heritage?

[The Backlash Cometh]

If you had to trace the lineage of a standard Republican, what would it be? I never quite thought along these lines until an article came out claiming that Republicans tend to be more prejudiced. Can we assume that they're from Anglo races? Scots, Welsh, Nordic countries, Germans come to mind? Anybody have an article on the subject in their archives?

[newscott]

1. No way to tell mostly.

My wife has the perfect Pilgrim linneage to be a staunch conservative. She's exactly the opposite.

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. I have a great friend who can also trace her family to the Mayflower

and she's anything but Republican.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. Same here

eom

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. Republicans came to be a political party in 1854

They were anti-slavery, as were most German immigrants at the time; many of their descendants, especially in the Midwest, remained Republican for at least a couple of generations. The GOP was also the party of the Union, and many, if not most, Union soldiers returning from the War were Republicans or became one (John A. Logan of Illinois was a Democratic Congressman before the war; after the War, in which he became a general, he was a GOP Congressman). I think the racism and bigotry associated with the GOP came into the party ca 1964, after the mass exodus of the Dixicrats from the Democratic Party. Interestingly enough, this was about the same time that liberal Republicans (yes, there were such critters at one time; Chuck Percy of IL called himself one)started quietly to move towards the Democratic Party. In my own family's case, my grandparents were Republicans, my parents switched allegience at or after 1964, and their children are strong Democrats.

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. With what we're hearing about the Snow guy, I think we need to tie

it in. These people have white supremacist inclinations. They may not realize that they share the same convictions, so maybe we should find a way to point it out to them?

[TheWraith]

8. An excellent summary. NT.

[Ecumenist]

5. I've got most all of the lineages you list

And I'm caramel in colour... My Husband is German and Czech and he'a as far from some of these types as it's possible to be. No, I thnk that we'll be able to trace their lineage to the troglodyte line.

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. Maybe I should ask, what is the lineage of a white supremacist?

[Ecumenist]

9. You know, that might be an idea...

I happen to think that racism is a mental illness, PERIOD. I also disagree with people who say that black, brown, yellow, red, etc, can't be racists.. B&LLSH*T! Rather than the lineage, I think the question should be what pathological pattens are present in persistently idiotic racist's families?

Other than that, I agree with you and think it's a VERY important thing to try to examine things like this in the hopes that maybe, someday, there'll be a way to head this kind of thing off by teaching and demonstrating that there's nothing to be afraid of, as I feel that racists have a HUGE amount of fear that pervades their lives.

[TheWraith]

10. I'm not sure it matters, really.

I couldn't tell you worth a damn what my ancestry is. I'm whitish colored (although I'm immune to sunburn--hmm), my name is generic enough that it could have come from most of Europe, and my only known distant relations are Kentucky rednecks.

Likewise, I doubt most Americans have a clue where their ancestors came from, unless they have some specific touchstone. Bigots probably would be the same way. As long as they're nice and pale, it doesn't matter whether their ancestors were English, German, Irish, or whatever. The irony is that most of them were probably discriminated against by the locals when they first came to the US--now their decendants have become the discriminators.

[The Backlash Cometh]

11. It matters in this way:

They find each other through common bonds. For example, I see a lot of the Scots popping up whenever I see a political power ring. The families which seem to be pushing the Republican agenda locally, have Scottish names. And I've seen the same names on a national level, too.

Now, I'm sure you can't generalize about all Scots, but you can be assured that those that do share the same political beliefs use their common bonds to bring them closer together. Other people may share the same bonds, but if they have different political inclinations, it excludes them from the club altogether.

Take the Bible for instance. The Republicans have successfully used the Bible as a magnet to attract their faithful. Around that one common bond, they have built a remarkable political army. Now, there may be other people who don't share their values or their political inclinations that still read the Bible, but it's the whole package that makes the Republican.