Party of Moral Values

[Content Note: Racism.]

Here's yet another reason that it's complete garbage when the Republican Elite pretends to have any illusions about the nature of their base—and their entire party:

Drug dealers with stereotypically black names are importing heroin to Maine and leaving pregnant white women behind when they leave the state again, Gov. Paul LePage (R) told a town hall meeting on Wednesday.

In a response to a woman named Cathy's question about what he's doing to combat drug abuse in Maine, LePage touted a bill he's proposed to institute stiffer criminal penalties on out-of-state drug traffickers.

"Now the traffickers, these aren't people that take drugs. These are guys by the name D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty," LePage said, drawing chuckles from the crowd in Bridgton, ME. "These type of guys that come from CT and NY, they come up here, they sell their heroin, then they go back home."

"Incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young white girl before they leave," LePage added. "Which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue that we've gotta deal with down the road. We're gonna make 'em very severe penalties."

Incredibly, LePage's communications director insisted that the governor was "not making comments about race. Race is irrelevant. What is relevant is the cost to state taxpayers for welfare and the emotional costs for these kids who are born as a result of involvement with drug traffickers."

He wasn't "making comments about race," despite the fact that he specified that drug traffickers "impregnate a young white girl before they leave." Okay.

This racist bullshit is entirely typical of Republican rhetoric and a clearly-stated Republican strategy dating back to the Southern Strategy. (And before, though it was not stated so plainly.) Where any Republican gets off suggesting that racism isn't a centerpiece of modern Republican politics and acting horrified by Donald Trump is beyond comprehension.