Rick Santorum Represents Everything Europeans Find Weird About America.

[T-5 Killer]

Lots of Americans think he is odd too.

Agreed I sure as heck do!

[[WDW]Megaraptor]

I'm sure it could get some support, there seem to be quite a few Americans who hold such views.

That's simply not true. I don't know what else to say, except that Europeans tend to vastly over-estimate the amount of racism in the United States. In fact, being against racism and ethnic nationalism is one of the few things that there is near universal consensus on in American society.

[tercio67]

That's simply not true.

Rick, is that you?

[Dirtydiaper]

Are we comparing republicans with neo-nazis now?

[Wahnsinn]

That's simply not true. I don't know what else to say, except that Europeans tend to vastly over-estimate the amount of racism in the United States. In fact, being against racism and ethnic nationalism is one of the few things that there is near universal consensus on in American society.

I've met plenty of them both here and in the US (loads of Americans in the oil industry worldwide), did I imagine them all? Are you really saying there aren't people out there in the US who would not support some of the previous policies of the BNP?

[[WDW]Megaraptor]

I've met plenty of them both here and in the US (loads of Americans in the oil industry worldwide), did I imagine them all?

And I've lived here my whole life, in a state where we used to have segregation and forcibly sterilize poor black people (up until the 1970s). And yet, no one wants to return to those days.

Are you really saying there aren't people out there in the US who would not support some of the previous policies of the BNP?

I am saying that no political party that openly advocates the ethnic nationalism and racism BNP has openly advocated within the past few years would get enough votes to win seats in a representative body in the United States, even if we had proportional representation.

Sure there may be a handful of racists here or there but there are exponentially less than there were 40 years ago, and still much, much less than there were 20 years ago. Each new generation is a little bit less prejudiced than the one that came before it, and so on.

[Wahnsinn]

And I've lived here my whole life, in a state where we used to have segregation and forcibly sterilize poor black people (up until the 1970s). And yet, no one wants to return to those days.

Count yourself lucky you've never met one of these people then.

I am saying that no political party that openly advocates the ethnic nationalism and racism BNP has openly advocated within the past few years would get enough votes to win seats in a representative body in the United States, even if we had proportional representation.

That makes a little more sense but that still doesn't change the fact that the BNP don't seem to have anywhere near as much support as you seem to imagine. Maybe people wouldn't vote for a party like that in the US, but they don't really get that much support here in the UK do they?

[Tyon]

You mean like the BNP has no seats in the house of commons or lords?

[Wahnsinn]

You mean like the BNP has no seats in the house of commons or lords?

Exactly, they've got two European parliament seats (and I imagine a large part of that is down to their eurosceptic position) and a handful of local council seats. Hardly drowning in right wing extremists are we?

[[WDW]Megaraptor]

That makes a little more sense but that still doesn't change the fact that the BNP don't seem to have anywhere near as much support as you seem to imagine. Maybe people wouldn't vote for a party like that in the US, but they don't really get that much support here in the UK do they?

Well...they still have two MEPs which is more than a similar party would get in America (that is, if we had MEPs) nor would they win seats to any state legislature. I certainly didn't mean to imply that BNP was on the verge of gaining any sort of power, just that they get more votes than a comparable party would in the USA.

[Roland_09]

And people campaigning on "States' rights" in the South are just using figure of speech. Of course.

Back to topic: We (Euros and others) may poke fun all we like at GOP nominee hopefuls babbling about the right tree heights in Michigan, Dutch euthanasia programs, dogs strapped to cars on trips to Canada, eradicating Iran, "I Like to fire people" and Obama intent on bringing socialism / nazism / islamofacism to the US, all at once and at the same time. (I myself admit to reading The Trumpet for comic relief.)

But rest assured, once the GOP has a candidate, we will see a complete turnaround. Somebody will come up with a phrase like "compassionate conservative", stages will fill with freshly naturalized ex-aliens, there will be a show of inclusiveness. And all will be forgotten.

[Wahnsinn]

Well...they still have two MEPs which is more than a similar party would get in America (that is, if we had MEPs) nor would they win seats to any state legislature. I certainly didn't mean to imply that BNP was on the verge of gaining any sort of power, just that they get more votes than a comparable party would in the USA.

A few local council seats isn't comparable to state legislature really. The equivalent to state legislature would be the devolved parliaments. Think what the absolute lowest level of government is in the US and you're about there.

[Tyon]

Well...they still have two MEPs which is more than a similar party would get in America (that is, if we had MEPs) nor would they win seats to any state legislature. I certainly didn't mean to imply that BNP was on the verge of gaining any sort of power, just that they get more votes than a comparable party would in the USA.

The difference is that you have such people in US politics. They perhaps run a small town or county. The only difference is that they probably run for the Dems or Reps.

We have more parties for each idea. But in your system people with quite different ideas are in the very same parties.


They are there, they just dont run for their own crazy party.

[Spartan10k]

And people campaigning on "States' rights" in the South are just using figure of speech. Of course.

What are you getting at there?

[[WDW]Megaraptor]

The difference is that you have such people in US politics. They perhaps run a small town or county. The only difference is that they probably run for the Dems or Reps.
They are there, they just dont run for their own crazy party.

How do you know the make-up of US municipal government and town councils all the way from Germany? Do you have sources?

Actually I will spot you one, from the Arizona state legislature no less: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Pearce

Once his views became known his constituents gathered signatures to hold a special recall election and vote him out of office in the middle of his term.