Can someone tell me why Republicans are still throwing hissy fits over affirmative action?

[ck4829]

Didn't we have a Department of Justice, that for the last 8 years, hired unqualified right wing partisan Republicans, but refused to hire qualified liberals?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5167623

Am I the only one who thinks that Republicans should be experiencing just a little bit of cognitive dissonance here?

[Taverner]

1. Because they're still upset at any indication of a level playing field

[Fovea]

2. wedge issue

they think they have one left here that works.

[Warpy]

3. It's white male victimhood

whipped into a frenzy by loudmouths on AM radio.

The yappers never point out the most pernicious affirmative action of all, the assisted living arrangements handed to dumb rich white boys.

[RDANGELO]

4. They are obsessed about race. n/t

[ErinBerin84]

5. one thing that pissed me off

Is that when Ferraro said that Obama was getting so much support was because he was African American, people like Pat Buchanan said "Yessss, this was OBVIOUSLY the face that they wanted to put on the Democratic party. She is right" Yet they claim that Sarah Palin was picked because of her qualifications and not just because she was a woman. Right.

[Ganja Ninja]

6. Because advocating segregation nowadays is considered racist.

They have to whip up their racist base in a way that is more acceptable than cross burning.

[OHdem10]

7. The GOP use EMOTION as their form of populism. They believe

just saying certain words will set people off in a tangent.
Affirmative Action are just such words.

Those supposed Tea Parties this weekend is a perfect example.
A few people start then grows. No more bailouts leads middle
class think they are being put upon. EMOTION.

[terisan]

8. Good Point. They can't see the beam in their own eyes, just the speck in the eyes of others. nt

[Giant Robot]

9. Well here's the start of an answer...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIUzLpO1kxI

[TahitiNut]

10. The prerequisite for cognitive dissonance is cognition.

:shrug:

[Still Sensible]

11. Because it is an issue on which they got a lot of traction

in the past... and right now they are desperately trying each and every message they can put out there to see if any can give them traction against the Obama juggernaut. They are trying all the old standards:

tax and spend liberals
socialism (or European style or OMG French)
Marxist/Communist
responsible taxpayers paying for irresponsible poor people
they're coming after your guns
pursuing the "homosexual agenda"
they're raising your taxes
bankrupting our kids future
redistribution of wealth

etc., etc... They haven't landed on one that has given them any traction lately... so why not trot out affirmative action and add it to the pile?

[Marr]

12. Yes, I certainly can. It's because Affirmative Action is a *perfect* excuse for

unsuccessful white men who've accepted the notion that professional success = superiority.

I've met a hell of a lot of guys who fit that description and, I think because I'm a blue collar white male myself, they assume I agree and tell me all about how they "would've been" this or that if "they" hadn't given the spot to a "black guy because of Affirmative Action".

I had a guy tell me that just a few weeks back. He's an unemployed acquaintance of mine. He was sitting on his fat ass saying he "would've been a fireman, but they gave the spot to a black guy".

"Really?", I asked. "He was less qualified?"

He didn't really respond. After a bit of discussion, it became clear that he'd never taken the *first step* to becoming a fireman-- not so much as the first fucking step. But here he was blaming his own laziness, his own failures, on a black guy who doesn't even exist.

[moez]

13. well.... they're only being reasonable.

after all, we do have a colored president

[bigtree]

14. they want their corporate benefactors to be able to continue to discriminate

. . . without any consequence.