Post-Racial GOP?

Herman Cain, explaining the finer points of his "Pull My Finger" economic policy.

As an avid follower of American politics, I have been paying very close attention to the Republican presidential primaries. I didn't back in 2007 because Democrats kind of stole all the thunder by having either the first female or African-American nominee, but also because in between Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson, Ron Paul and especially, John McCain, all of the GOP nominees had the magnetic personality of a drawer full of socks.

But these primaries are a different story altogether. Let's be frank; this shit is a circus. In between Donald Trump trolling the field, Bachmann and Perry's quick ascent and even quicker implosion, and Romney pretty much saying "look assholes, I know you're going to give me the nomination -- YOU know you're going to give me the nomination, so quit fucking around and do it already", I've been surprisingly entertained.

Which brings us to the political present - a fragment of time so fickle in the era of 24-hour news cycles that as I'm writing this blog entry (blog entries being the literary equivalent of an intellectual fart) the narrative is already changing. The race has had a lot of front-runners, no doubt, and who is currently in the lead? A 65 year-old black man by the name of Herman Cain.

Yup, the leading contender in the party of the, um, Tea Party, is a black dude. The Teabaggers (whom I call that because it took them like six months to figure out they were proudly announcing that they lick nut sacks in the name of all that is holy) are loving it because they feel absconded from being accused as racists, and by God, Cain pays them lip service every fucking chance he gets. The guy spews talking points with gusto, likability even. From using the "lower taxes for Job Creators" bit, to fiery anti-Liberal rants, to proposing an electrified fence that kills instantly on the US/Mexico border, to trivializing OWS protesters, his rhetoric is like a template on how to get by in a party that leans so far to the right it is literally moving backwards.

And, of course, the big hullabaloo is that Cain is black, Cain is leading the race, ergo the Tea Party is not racist, which I think is the really shallow absolution of a very valid and widely documented concern.  Here's the thing:  Cain is black (duh!) but he is also ideologically pure, which is paramount in today's Republican Party.  Now, I don't think the Tea Party is innately racist.  Disingenuous, yes, but not entirely racist.  I just think the modern GOP has a shoddier record in race relations.  Republicans are quick to point out that Democrats had Robert Byrd in their ranks; that Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice were appointed under a Republican administration; that the GOP was the party of Lincoln and that they are also the party of individual rights and small government, but that suggests ignoring the political re-alignment of the post-Civil Rights era.

But, I digress.  In the context of this race, the Tea Party sure had to go through its share of unelectable nuts before giving Cain some spotlight.  Seriously, every single Tea Party darling had to self-implode before the guy was given any momentum, and on the "Not-Romney" ticket at that.  He is being touted as an ideal Tea Party candidate but literally every other option had to fall through before he got any consideration.  Plus, unlike Perry, who skyrocketed to the top on the act of just announcing his candidacy, Cain has been in the race all along, and remained ideologically consistent.  Finally - and perhaps more importantly - his popularity still has to translate into tangible votes. In politics, you can have an avid fan base of dedicated supporters that will try to sell your ideas like a pair of pants made out of tits, and not.  Get.  Anywhere.  Just ask Ron Paul.

And, here's one more thing: Herman Cain, the so-called "post-racial" GOP candidate is a bigot himself.  His downright prejudiced statements towards Muslims are particularly shameful coming from a guy who was actually denied opportunities within his lifetime because of the color of his skin.  It is as if Cain, now as a member of the Christian majority, has decided to return the favor and treat Muslims the same way Jim Crow treated him, and look at an entire community with vitriolic mistrust and thriving within his party for it.  Furthermore, not a single one of his opponents has criticized him on his comments towards the Islamic community -- and we're expected to believe the GOP is all-inclusive now?  They've only picked a different boogeyman.