The Extreme Right - Racist Anywhere

Anywhere you go the racism of the extreme Right, while it may be colored by local considerations, is a given.

Here's Adam Nagourney in the NY Times on the difficulties John McCain is experiencing as he tries to convince the xenophobes to vote for him:

Republicans have a tougher view than the general population on whether illegal immigrants should be deported, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll conducted this month. In that poll, 49 percent of Republican respondents said illegal immigrants who had lived in the United States for at least two years should be given a chance to keep their jobs and eventually apply for citizenship; 45 percent said they should be deported immediately. By contrast, among the general electorate, 59 percent said they should be allowed to apply for legal status, compared with 36 percent who said they should be deported.

The poll found that 31 percent of Republicans said immigration into the United States should be kept at its current level, 14 percent said it should be increased and a majority, 51 percent, said immigration should be decreased. Those figures were similar to the finding among the general population.

Other Republicans said they thought Mr. McCain’s identification with the push for easing immigration laws could prove to be among his greatest vulnerabilities. “Senator McCain will be hurt badly if he continues to support a bill like last time,” said Senator Jeff Sessions, Republican of Alabama. “I think he’ll have a hard time defending that piece of legislation. I think it would be important for him to demonstrate that his position on immigration is not defined by the bill that he introduced last time.”

As Matt Browner Hamlin at the HuffPo points out:

This is an unmistakable reality of the Dan Riehl Vote -- it's about closing off our borders to all comers, legal or illegal, but most importantly brown. Whichever candidate can best ensure that America won't be sullied by any more brown skinned people will win their adoration.

Nagourney observed, "Mr. Brownback stood for 30 minutes at a breakfast with Republicans as question after question -- without exception -- was directed at an immigration system that Iowans denounced as failing. [Emphasis added]" Until they succeed in getting the Republican Party to embrace the policies of Hunter and Tancredo, anti-immigrant voters, particularly in Iowa, will focus their attention and Republican candidates' time on their fears of immigrants.

Now jump to France - which contrary to US conservative spin is not a hotbed of solialism, it's been ruled by rightwingers for at least two decades now - and we find this:

Nearly one in three French adults describe themselves as racist, according to a report published in Paris Tuesday.

The report, prepared by the National Consultative Human Rights Committee (CNCDH), found that 30 per cent of the people they contacted in 2006 said they were racist. In addition, 48 per cent said there were too many immigrants in France.

According to the report, more than half of the people questioned blamed immigrants for their not being integrated in society, and 58 per cent said that "certain behaviour can sometimes justify a racist reaction."

While these figures declined slightly from what the CNCDH had found in 2005, they nevertheless demonstrate that there is fertile ground in the country for the ideas of right-wing extremist Jean-Marie Le Pen and Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, both of whom have made the fight against illegal immigration central planks of their campaigns for the French presidency.(Emphasis mine - c)

The parallels are as obvious as the future possibilities are disturbing. At least the French Right seem more honest about it.