Hot on HuffPost:

See More Stories

Obama Win Will Swell White Supremacist Ranks

3 years ago
  0 Comments Say Something  »
Text Size
The Associated Press is reporting that white supremacist groups expect a sharp uptick in membership if Barack Obama is elected President. Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke is sounding the alarm:
Obama "will be a clear signal for millions of our people," Duke wrote. "Obama is a visual aid for White Americans who just don't get it yet that we have lost control of our country, and unless we get it back we are heading for complete annihilation as a people."
The AP and Duke are a little late on this one, predicting something that has already happened. As I reported in June, white supremacists have already reaped the benefits of Obama's nomination for President. An Obama win in November will likely continue that trend.

I've never understood what makes a guy like David Duke tick. Sure, being white is cool. You can always get a cab, shoplift with impunity, and people are really impressed when you can dance, but I don't get the need to be supreme. What is it that makes Duke so insecure, so threatened?

The fact is, the overwhelming majority of Barack Obama's supporters are white. An even more overwhelming majority of John McCain's supporters are white. You know why? The overwhelming majority of Americans are white.

To the extent that there is wider-spread racial tension or animosity, it stems more from misunderstanding and mistrust than any need to feel supreme.

The AP story contains an encouraging statistic. The Southern Poverty Law Center estimates that there are 200,000 people active in white supremacist groups nationwide. That's tiny. Even if they double in size, still tiny.

White people aren't losing control of America, Mr. Duke. You are.

Our New Approach to Comments

In an effort to encourage the same level of civil dialogue among Politics Daily’s readers that we expect of our writers – a “civilogue,” to use the term coined by PD’s Jeffrey Weiss – we are requiring commenters to use their AOL or AIM screen names to submit a comment, and we are reading all comments before publishing them. Personal attacks (on writers, other readers, Nancy Pelosi, George W. Bush, or anyone at all) and comments that are not productive additions to the conversation will not be published, period, to make room for a discussion among those with ideas to kick around. Please read our Help and Feedback section for more info.

Add a Comment

*0 / 3000 Character Maximum Comment Moderation Enabled. Your comment will appear after it is cleared by an editor.

Follow Politics Daily

  • Comics
robert-and-donna-trussell
CHAOS THEORY
Featuring political comics by Robert and Donna TrussellMore>>
  • Woman UP Video
politics daily videos
Weekly Videos
Woman Up, Politics Daily's Online Sunday ShowMore»
politics daily videos
TV Appearances
Showcasing appearances by Politics Daily staff and contributors.More>>