“ I think few Americans are nearly as preoccupied with race as your narrative presumes them to be (and requires you to be as well).”

Really? Your picture would indicate that you’re Black, but what you said above sounds like something I’d hear from one of my fellow Whites, particularly the strongly-conservative ones.

Here’s your clue about half of this nation:

First, read up on Nixon’s “Southern Strategy” sometime. Many (perhaps most) of the state and local politicians in the Deep South are the sons and daughters of those who fought against Civil Rights and desegregation. The acorns didn’t fall far from the tree.

Second, in 2006, the GOP-controlled Congress voted almost 100% to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act that prevented voter suppression in Southern states. Seven years later in 2013, the Republicans in Congress ALL cheered when the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act.

What happened in the intervening seven years? In August 2008, the news came out that America would be majority-minority in a few decades. A few months later, a Black man was voted to take up residence in the White House…and the Right went crazy. Or did you not hear about the “birthers” — you know, the ones who were SO sure that President Obama was born in Kenya and not in Hawaii? And you may have heard of the lead birther, the one who was front-and-center making such claims — his name was Donald Trump. You know, the guy who was sued by the DOJ for refusing to rent to Blacks. TWICE.

Thirdly, something else happened in 2013, too. Mississippi finally finalized ratification of the 13th Amendment — you know, the one that outlawed slavery…only 148 years after it was first enacted. Oh, they’ll tell you it was an “administrative mix-up” that kept Mississippi from finalizing said ratification…but I grew up in the MS Delta and even attended a segregation academy (this one) for a year (the US senator who spearheaded creation of the segregation academy system was a family acquaintance). My family was literally scandalized and ashamed to find out that I was not just a Democrat but (gasp!) even supported Obama. If you really think the delay in ratification of the 13th Amendment was only an “administrative mix-up”, I’ve got a bridge across Jones Bayou in the MS Delta to sell you.

So…young man, despite what you seem to believe, it’s pretty much ALL about race. The other issues (economy, foreign affairs, immigration, gun control, etc.) are just window dressing. To the Right, those issues are the excuse. Race is the reason — after all, when was the last time you saw a video of somebody complaining when they hear a European language (except for Spanish)? You only hear those complaints against people of color speaking foreign languages.

Or did you think it mere coincidence that the GOP is almost completely lily-white these days?