Are Republicans racist???

[DeistPaladin]

The analysis of five presidential voting outcomes, between 1960 and 2000, showed that southern counties with KKK activity in the 1960s had a statistically significant increase in Republican voting compared to counties with no established KKK chapter

It does not have to be "all." It merely has to be a sufficiently large enough sample to tilt the election which is what the study is saying.

There are, as I said, decisions that are being made high up on the chain that deserve inspection. Some of these decisions to foment strife (a.k.a. "wedge issues" which the GOP can't deny using) might actually be made cynically by people who aren't technically bigoted themselves but not against using it to fire up a rabble during election time.

The old saying is that religion is regarded by the wise as false, by the masses as true and by the rulers as ...useful.

The inside story is that Rove didn't believe any of this fundy crap and many insiders in the W Bush administration laughed at the fundies behind their backs. But they certainly didn't mind playing the role in public and doing what they had to in order to fire up their base.

In no small way, I actually find this behavior more morally reprehensible than the bigotry perpetrated by the true believer. An Archie Bunker style bigot, whatever else you may say about him, is ignorant and perhaps just a product of his upbringing. A sociopath who knows better, isn't a true believer but plays all the Archie Bunkers out there for political gain has no such excuse.