Nazis, racists, bigots eye US ballot in 2018

Arthur Jones is an avowed Nazi. John Fitzgerald says the Holocaust is a myth. Rick Tyler wants to "make America white again", reports AFP from Washington. Their fringe ideas are reminiscent of another age, but the unapologetic men who espouse them are all on US election ballots in 2018.

Extremism and bigotry, even outright white supremacy and anti-Semitism, have found new lives in 21st century US politics and the era of President Donald Trump, beyond just the toxic rhetoric of a few little-known cranks. They have received more exposure this year on the national stage than at any time in recent memory. And the mainly conservative proponents of hate running for office are proving to be a major embarrassment for the Republican Party.

In Illinois, Jones, who called the Holocaust "the biggest, blackest lie in history" and once ran a newspaper ad with a large swastika in the middle, is the Republican candidate for Congress, after he won the party primary by running unopposed in a largely Democratic district.

Russel Walker, running for a seat in North Carolina's state house, proclaims "there is nothing wrong with being a racist" and that Jews are "descendants of Satan."

In Wisconsin, Paul Nehlen, the leading Republican running to fill the seat in Congress currently held by retiring Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, has emerged as a leader of the alt-right movement, someone who critics warn wants to provide white nationalists and anti-Semites a stronger foothold in US culture and politics.

And the campaign website for Tyler, a Trump supporter running for Congress in Tennessee, depicts the Confederate flag flying atop the White House. One of his campaign billboards read: "Make America White Again."

Experts say there is an unprecedented number of openly bigoted candidates this year, and that their chief enabler may well be the president of the United States himself. "Trump's unorthodox use of racism-related and anti-Muslim

stuff — all of that bigoted language — has opened a door in politics that wasn’t there before,” Heidi Beirich, who as an expert at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has been tracking hate groups since 1999, told AFP.

“We’ve always had a smattering of neo-Nazis... but this is ratcheting the situation up much higher than it was before.”

Overt bigotry by a candidate would spell his or her “death knell” up until recently, Beirich said. But in today’s hyper partisan political environment, such rhetoric may no longer be a deal breaker.

“By blowing through those taboos, and winning the presidency, Trump has shown a path to electoral success that people assumed wouldn’t work,” she said.

This bigotry has spread into public life. Several incidents caught on video showing white people calling the police on African-Americans going about their business have gone viral.

One, which showed two young men dragged out of a Starbucks coffee shop in handcuffs, helped spark a national dialogue about race.

Nazis, racists, bigots eye US ballot in 2018

Arthur Jones is an avowed Nazi. John Fitzgerald says the Holocaust is a myth. Rick Tyler wants to make America white again, reports AFP from Washington. Their fringe ideas are reminiscent of another age, but the unapologetic men who espouse them are all on US election ballots in 2018. Extremism and bigotry, even outright white supremacy and anti-Semitism, have found new lives in 21st century US politics and the era of President Donald Trump, beyond just the toxic rhetoric of a few little-known cranks. They have received more exposure this year on the national stage than at any time in recent memory. And the mainly conservative proponents of hate running for office are proving to be a major embarrassment for the Republican Party. In Illinois, Jones, who called the Holocaust the biggest, blackest lie in history and once ran a newspaper ad with a large swastika in the middle, is the Republican candidate for Congress, after he won the party primary by running unopposed in a largely Democratic district. Russel Walker, running for a seat in North Carolinas state house, proclaims there is nothing wrong with being a racist and that Jews are descendants of Satan. In Wisconsin, Paul Nehlen, the leading Republican running to fill the seat in Congress currently held by retiring Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, has emerged as a leader of the alt-right movement, someone who critics warn wants to provide white nationalists and anti-Semites a stronger foothold in US culture and politics. And the campaign website for Tyler, a Trump supporter running for Congress in Tennessee, depicts the Confederate flag flying atop the White House. One of his campaign billboards read: Make America White Again. Experts say there is an unprecedented number of openly bigoted candidates this year, and that their chief enabler may well be the president of the United States himself. Trumps unorthodox use of racism-related and anti-Muslim stuff all of that bigoted language has opened a door in politics that wasnt there before, Heidi Beirich, who as an expert at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has been tracking hate groups since 1999, told AFP. Weve always had a smattering of neo-Nazis... but this is ratcheting the situation up much higher than it was before. Overt bigotry by a candidate would spell his or her death knell up until recently, Beirich said. But in todays hyper partisan political environment, such rhetoric may no longer be a deal breaker. By blowing through those taboos, and winning the presidency, Trump has shown a path to electoral success that people assumed wouldnt work, she said. This bigotry has spread into public life. Several incidents caught on video showing white people calling the police on African-Americans going about their business have gone viral. One, which showed two young men dragged out of a Starbucks coffee shop in handcuffs, helped spark a national dialogue about race.