Carl J. Wenning, communications manager, McLean County Republicans | Carl J. Wenning
Carl J. Wenning, communications manager, McLean County Republicans | Carl J. Wenning
As a rather outspoken Communication Manager for McLean County Republicans, I’m used to getting “hate mail” from progressive Democrats. One of the most common accusations I hear is that conservative Republicans are racists or haters – bigots – because they oppose illegal immigration. Also cited as evidence is the undeniable fact that many conservative Republicans oppose the Black Lives Matter movement, the DEI agenda, public education’s 1619 Project, reparations for slavery, affirmative action, and the LGBTQIA+ movement. It would seem, at least on the face of it, that progressives have a solid case for their claim that conservative Republicans are either racist or haters, and perhaps both. But do they?
Conservative Republicans, despite appearances, claim that they are liberal-minded or, in other words, neither racists nor haters and certainly not bigots. Just how is it that conservative Republicans can oppose all the aforementioned supposedly anti-bigotry movements and yet claim they are not bigots? Based on reason, it only makes sense that conservative Republicans are either liars, lunatics, or liberal-minded! Let’s consider these three possibilities.
Are conservative Republicans liars?
First, allow me to state unequivocally that most conservative Republicans do, in fact, oppose illegal immigration, the Black Lives Matter movement, the DEI agenda, public education’s 1619 Project, reparations for slavery, affirmative action, and the LGBTQIA+ movement. Conservative Republicans would never admit to something false, especially if doing so would show them in a poor light. There would be no motivation to do so - quite the contrary! So, they must not be liars. Now, if they claim not to be bigots while opposing these anti-bigotry movements, then they must be lunatics.
Are conservative Republicans lunatics?
This question supposes that conservative Republicans sincerely believe they are liberal-minded but are mistaken. That claim is more difficult to dislodge because they must justify rejecting supposedly anti-bigotry movements. I will address each of the aforementioned movements in summary form. To do anything less would require a book.
How can one oppose anti-bigotry movements unless one is bigoted?
That’s an excellent question and one worth investigating. Can conservative Republicans make the case that opposition to these anti-bigotry movements is not based on racism and hate? They certainly can and do, and here is a summary of their arguments dealing with the aforementioned anti-bigotry movements one at a time.
Why do many conservative Republicans oppose illegal immigration? There are many reasons. First, we are a nation of laws, and laws must be observed if we are not to become a lawless society. Second, border security is national security; an unrestricted flow of foreign nationals is a foreign threat against which we have a right to defend ourselves. Unrestricted, undocumented aliens are flooding into our country to promote the exploitation of workers, job loss for American workers, human trafficking, the sex trade, and support of gangs and drug cartels. It protects us from the smuggling of drugs such as fentanyl, which is killing upward of 100,000 Americans each year. Illegal aliens are bankrupting the American welfare system, ruining our education and healthcare systems, and resulting in additional polarization within our country as immigrants are not assimilated but retain their languages, cultures, and foreign allegiances. None of these are for the common good, and more are, in fact, immoral. Anyone who supports, defends, or promotes open borders is doing something morally culpable. Rational people will oppose illegal immigration.
Why do many conservative Republicans oppose the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement? Again, there are many reasons for this stance, too. The BLM movement is inherently hostile to law enforcement. It demonizes police and disregards the fact that the great majority of law enforcement officers serve, protect, and defend their communities. People who oppose the police often do so because they see the law enforcement community acting more forcefully in communities of color. The fact of the matter is that police do spend more time in these communities because there is more crime there. There is more black-on-black crime; there is more poverty and less education, both of which are associated with higher crime rates. There is more school truancy, drug use, looting, robbery, property destruction, and gang activity. Police profiling tactics that target crime and which have proven to be effective are seen as racist. The fact is that such methods are used because they work. Many BLM supporters call for defunding the police, but this is entirely wrongheaded in light of all the problems. To argue against the very measures designed to protect these communities is to perpetrate lawlessness and social injustice. Thinking people are right to oppose the BLM movement that leaves Black communities defenseless, stripped as they are of their gun rights by sanctimonious proponents of firearm control.
Why do many conservative Republicans oppose the 1619 Project? Again, there are many reasons for right-minded people to oppose the 1619 Project. The Project promotes historical inaccuracies and oversimplifications. It polarizes students and divides them into groups of oppressors and oppressed. It lays a guilt trip on whites and fosters a sense of victimhood upon people, some of whose ancestors were admittedly exploited. There is no question about who developed and promoted the Project. Those individuals have a solid left-wing bias and are driven by a particular ideology in relation to American history. They promote an agenda that is predicated on the belief that the USA is fundamentally flawed, racist, and irredeemable. The Project makes light of the fact that many other peoples kept slaves and that slavery was endemic in Africa, from which many enslaved people were taken. The 1619 Project promotes a very negative view of this country and calls into question the values of the Founding Fathers. The Project fails to acknowledge that the nation fought a Civil War over the issue of slavery and that many white northerners died to set the enslaved people free. It fails to point out that Southern slaveholders were few and that Democrats were the source of many Jim Crow laws and the Ku Klux Klan. Yes, conservative Republicans will oppose any effort that unrightfully besmirches the character of the majority of Americans for the sake of gain. It’s just not reasonable or proper to do so.
Why do many conservative Republicans oppose reparations for slavery? Perhaps the best explanation for opposing reparations is because the case used to support it makes no sense. It makes no sense to compensate people who were never enslaved by forcing people who never held enslaved people and whose ancestors never held enslaved people. To believe that one class of people collectively shares in the guilt for historical injustices is itself unjust. Reparations for slavery are nothing more than reverse discrimination. Another problem is the practical impossibility of meting out justice fairly. What do we do with mixed-race individuals? How much will they be compensated, or should they be made to pay? And how much compensation is enough? In addition, an argument can be made that social welfare provided since the time of the Roosevelt administration constitutes a form of restitution – which has had little too few salutary effects on the communities that have received it. Finally, we must remember that committing new wrongs in the name of justice is not a way to correct past injustices. To support reparation for slavery is utter madness!
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So, where does this leave us? The answer is simple - at the word limit for Part 1 of this essay. In Part 2 of this essay, I’ll address the logic (or illogic?) of supporting affirmative action, the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) agenda, and the LGBTQIA+ movement. After that, I’ll return to the question of whether or not conservative Republicans are liars, lunatics, or liberal-minded. Stay tuned for next time when I bring this all to a conclusion.
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