"If you think racism isn't part of the conservative mindset,

I've been reading history since 1957, so i'll give this a shot. No "big thing" before 1861, huh? Which must be the case, since Lincoln taking office was the first time the Republicans occupied the White House. Now, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. and William Howard Taft were both known in their times as "radical" Republicans, and Roosevelt first made a name in the New York legislature by going after those he said were gouging working class people with public transit fares. So, i would assume from your "conservative Republican" criterion, that neither of them would qualify as having done any "big things." Nixon, of course, was a moderate Republican, hence his "silent majority" nonsense to give the conservative voter in his party a sense of inclusion--so his initiative with China wouldn't qualify as one of your "big things." Hmm, much to ponder there.

That contention of yours, Slimmerson, is breathtakingly absurd. Although i did rather get a kick out of taking the opportunity to type the oxymoron, "radical Republican."

Theodore Roosevelt was an aggressive environmentalist, creating many new national parks, forever taking land out of the hands of developers. If one looks closely at his agendas, they bear just as much resemblance to liberalism as they do to a conservatism. He was considered radical because he was a progressive.

Not willing to let this thread pass away without one more contribution, this one from David Niewert's excellent blog Orcinus :

(Limbaugh's racism is not obvious)"not only because Rush is such an icon of mainstream conservatism now, but because he's canny enough not to make it too blatant -- while still serving up great winks and nudges at the racists out there in his audience.

Conservatives always sputter when you bring this stuff up. It's not naked racism, they say. Perhaps not, if you live in a cocoon. But out in the real world, those of us who have spent any time around bona fide racists (and I'm not just talking about neo-Nazis, but the working-class and white-collar racists we all know about) know exactly how this kind of talk is perceived. It is an unofficial -- but high-profile -- endorsement of their own private views.

Most of the examples (anyone can) cite fall into this category. As does one of the more egregious instances I witnessed (there are no links, BTW, because no one archives Limbaugh's material, which is one of the main ways Limbaugh insulates himself from being called to account for his words).

It came on Limbaugh's thankfully short-lived TV program. Limbaugh promised to show his audience footage of everyday life among welfare recipients. He then ran video of the antics of a variety of great apes -- mostly orangutans, gorillas and apes -- hanging about zoos.

The audience, of course, applauded and laughed.

Limbaugh is important, by the way, not merely because he now is one of the primary drivers of the conservative agenda. He also has played a significant role in the transmission of ideas and agendas from the extremist right into the mainstream over the past 10 years."

There is a local arch-conservative, who is an acquaintance, and whom i have never challenged, because he is the friend of one of my good friends. That friend is not racist, so i tolerate his friend. This guy (the reactionnary) was discussing Dr. So-and-so's diet, the mostly meat diet, and then commented that this is why Europeans came to dominate the world, and not Africans. When i looked puzzled, he said that if you hang around in the jungle, and eat bananas all day, you won't accomplish anything.

If anyone out there doesn't understand why that is racist (apart form the absurd stereotype of Africa and Africans), then have the courtesy NOT to respond to me.

I like that "naked racism." Is that suppose to be more telling than "half-clothed racism?" Of course, if it was racism in a bikini, I'd like to see some of the conservative pundit ladies with their faces lifted up to Mars in a bikini to see if they've given themselves a lift from the soles of the feet on up.

LW, sometimes racism is nakedly obvious in its white sheet, dunce cap and cowl; sometimes it is concealed in humor ("Tell Yao Ming: 'Ching chong wah ah so'..."--Shaq) but most of the time hides in plain sight among phrases like "states' rights", "inner-city kids", "the Confederate flag is a symbol of heritage", and the like.

But racism never wears a bikini.

Only a nice, conservative, low-cut-on-the-hips-but-not-on-the-bosom one piece, thank you. After all, she's not young anymore.

She might even have drapery across here bosoms.

Ah...LW, she WOULD DEFINITELY have BLUE drapery across her bosoms! Those are evil, dontcha know?

We ought to make a rule. I put forward, for your ponderations, the following:

Rule: Once a week, on some political thread here, the word 'Bosoms' must be included in a post.

I think this would be a good rule.

I'm certain Ashcroft probably said, "Please put a drape across the objectionable bosoms of those statues." Can't imagine him saying, "Damn it, would you please put a drape over those two humongous tits on those two broads."

Well, Blatham, it also means an encompassing closeness as between two close friends. I'm surprised the sub-contactor who made the drapes didn't arrive at the White House and try to throw the drape over Bush and Ashcroft!

Excuse me, that should be "four humongous tits."

Rule 1 Ammendment 1: The insertion of aforementioned excellent word 'boobs' may be substituted with any passage wherein tits are counted.

How about "fun bags"? Can I say "fun bags", instead of "humongous tits"?

It sounds so much younger and hipper (at least my nephew says so).

I think that the word "boobs" are overused. How about "bazoomas". Far more elegant!

"boobs" is passe'.

"hooters" is old hat.

"gazongas" is SOOOO '70s.

"fun bags" is phat.

boss chi chi's

What's that, dys: a fern bar in Boulder? :wink:

"Let's go down to Boss Chi Chi's and slap some fun bags..."

i never ever go in "Fern" bars and i go out of my way to avoid Boulder

You are getting off topic...

I'm big on 'fun bags'. It achieves excellence.

I still like "titties" - does that date me?