With the “shithole” comment, Trump has reconfirmed his racism and his well-known appeal to white nationalists. There is nothing much new about that. What we really need to ask is whether this is also, more or less, the attitude of the entire Republican party. So far its members have been oddly silent. No strong condemnation, no disavowal.
The language, clearly offensive and insulting to the countries referred to, is beside the point. We need to know if the Republicans are the party of white nationalism, not just that of unrestrained capitalist greed. If they are, this is a strong incentive for every non-racist to reject and oppose Republicans, whether or not they are concerned about their economic ideology.
There was a time in the past that the Republican party actually supported civil rights equality for racial minorities. It was Eisenhower who sent troops to Arkansas to enforce school integration. That was back when segregationists were Southern Democrats, before the 1964 Civil Rights Laws were signed by LBJ, leading to Southern racists becoming Republicans.
Of course the party welcomed its new members. Nixon and Reagan won because of them. But does that mean they infected the entire party? Now is the time to find out.
We urgently need immigration reform, and it must be non-discriminatory regarding race, ethnicity, or religion. We need to improve our national reputation for the principles we have long claimed.
We should be welcoming people from any nation, especially those people who NEED to come here, whether for safety, freedom, or better economic opportunity. For generations, such people have appreciated that welcome and proudly adopted their new home.
The entire Congress should take this opportunity to make it happen, in a veto-proof majority.
