Reply to an Angry Republican on Voter Suppression

My last email triggered a smattering of responses like this: “Please remove me from your mailing list. I am a Republican, and I dislike being called a racist.”

My reply:

I didn’t say you were – I said your party is engaging in racist behavior and should stop doing it. Just like my party was (and to an unfortunate extent still is) selling out poor and minority kids when it comes to schools, denying them a fair shot at the American Dream. And I’ve been just as tough on my party on this issue, calling it despicable, immoral, outrageous, sickening, and un-American numerous times.

The difference between us is I didn’t get mad at Republicans who (rightly) attacked my party on this issue – instead, I joined (and, I’d like to think, to a small extent helped catalyze) a movement of Democrats who joined forces with Republicans who care about this issue. We’ve worked to try to change our party from within, because our Republican friends can’t do it – it has to be an inside job. (I see a similar dynamic today on gay marriage – it’s hard-core Republicans like Paul Singer who seem to finally be moving at least part of their party on this – see: www.nytimes.com/2012/06/10/opinion/sunday/the-gops-gay-trajectory.html.)

Did you even bother to read further down my email, where I had nothing but praise for Jeb Bush? As a partisan, I hope the Republican party continues to self-destruct into an increasingly marginalized party of old, angry, white, Southern men, but as an American (which is far more important to me), it concerns me greatly when I see a great party filled with intellectuals and moderates get hijacked by anti-intellectual extremists – and let’s be clear, they’re no longer the fringe, but the mainstream…

So enough sending me foolish emails. Your time would be much better spent standing up to people in your party doing outrageous, un-American things.

You’re off my list.