Conservatives need to reject racists

Liberals and Democrats tell people over and over again that conservatism and racism go hand in hand.  It is an easy and cheap political shot for them.  It allows them to be a bit intellectually lazy and forego arguing the issues of the day.  Such folks cry racism, avoid the debate and ignore the fact that legendary conservative leaders like Ronald Reagan and Jack Kemp were nothing close to racists.

Indeed, when one looks at Reagan, a man who loathed racism so much that he, as the President of the United States, drove out to have dinner with an African American federal government employee to make his point and Jack Kemp, a man who died with African Americans among his best friends, one can see the old conservative movement was one based on ideas, not on race.

But, today’s modern “Tea Party” conservatives readily play into racism charges.  That is for good reason.  For too many of them resent an African American as President of the United States. They cling to untruths, such as notions the President is not really a citizen or that the President is Muslim. Far too many of them use racial slurs and jokes in describing the President of the United States and his family.

Before some readers cry foul and “not us,” remember that the folks who work for VUI have been there at the “Tea Party” meetings.  We have heard such racial slurs first hand.  We have seen the ignorant fury about the President’s citizenship and religion firsthand.  As meetings started up and people were chatting over coffee and the like, we have heard things that would make Jakie Knotts look like a man of Liberalism.  So spare us the comments in self righteous indignation.  VUI knows better.

That is what shakes us to our core.  True conservatism is not about racism.  A true conservative believes that all people are equal, and will succeed in a world of lower taxes and limited government.  A true conservative wants all people, whatever their race, to do well.  We true conservatives believe that freedom works for everyone, not just white people.  We want government to get out or everyone’s way and believe if it does so, all can achieve.

That is the conservative and Republican agenda the likes of Reagan, Goldwater and Kemp believed in and fought for.  Chances are those conservative stalwarts would be called “RINOs” by those who have hijacked the conservative movement.  Indeed, God help all three of those men in this day.  Reagan was the son of a drunk Irishmen who had not a racist bone in his body.  Goldwater had Jewish blood in him.  Kemp died with an African American his best friend.  Some white, well paid, smartass would blog on how each of them were RINOs and not true believers.  God help them if they actually believed President Obama was wrong on most issues but was actually the President of the United States.

Some Republican activists and pundits VUI knows tell us to keep quiet about the race thing.  They think, as unsavory as it may be to them, it will win the GOP back the Congress and get Nikki Haley elected Governor of South Carolina.  Well, as Barry Goldwater would say, “To Hell with that.”

We are going to tell it like it is.  And how it is ain’t pretty.  Far too many who claim to be conservative today do not have a clue about the ideals of freedom and constitutional principles.  Instead, they are ticked some black guy got elected President.  Frankly, as conservatives, VUI is sick of those people.  Indeed, if you go to some Tea Party meeting, and get past the racial slurs about the President, if you challenged the people there to rattle off the Bill of Rights, chances are they would not have a clue.  It is the antithesis of what men like William Buckley, who supported the Civil Rights movement ,as essential to true conservatism, and what Reagan, Goldwater and Kemp wanted the conservative movement to become.

Conservatism is about ideas, about sticking to freedom.  That means freedom for everyone.  If the GOP and  conservatism are to become some movement against the black guy in the White House, so much will be lost. True conservatism has not one moment to  be wasted on racism.

If folks don’t like that opinion of ours, so be it.