Think of Racism as a Long Term Problem

Donald Trump continues to lead the GOP race, even though his behavior becomes more obnoxious by the day. We are supposed to think that Trump's presence will divide the GOP base and make it easier for a Democrat to win on 2016. I would like to think so too. Except that, when you look at the long term trend, the real problem is the growing prevalence of racism in politics. Pat Buchanan's presidential campaigns in the 90's may have failed, but his racist anti-immigrant bilge became part of the political discourse. Whatever happens to Trump in the next year and a half, may not matter as much as to whether there is an upsurge of anti-immigrant and anti-Mexican hysteria.

During the past 3 decades that GOP has moved further and further to the right. Jeb Bush is now considered a "moderate," even though he advocates abolishing Medicare, the Minimum wage and thinks that Americans should "work harder." Jeb makes Ronald Reagan appear just 2 degrees to the right of John F. Kennedy. The question for the long-term is whether the GOP will become more like Trump. Given that the GOP can no longer claim to represent prosperity, decency, or law and order the GOP may resort to "white supremacism" as its default position.