Are Trump’s racists supporters making the Republican Party in general more tolerant of racism?

Associate with racists very long and you just might become one or, at least, much more tolerant of racism.  That might be what is happening to mainstream members of the Republican party.

Sean McElwee at Salon took at look at the results of the American National Election Studies (ANES) 2016 pilot study conducted in late January—See here: http://www.electionstudies.org/studypages/anes_pilot_2016/anes_pilot_2016.htm

and

http://www.salon.com/2016/03/22/yes_trumps_secret_weapon_is_racism_why_bigotry_not_the_economy_is_the_biggest_factor_driving_his_rise/

Findings from this study demonstrate just how racists Trump’s most avid supporters are.

Compared to Non-Trump supporters, Trump supporters during the Republican primary, according to the ANES study, were much more likely to say:

• Black, Hispanic and Muslim people are more violent than Whites
• Black, Hispanic and Muslim people are lazier than Whites
• Obama is a Muslim
• Immigration should be decreased
• While Identify is “Extremely Important”
• They oppose “A Great Deal” accepting Syrian refugees

The researchers found:

“Anti-black and Muslim stereotypes are the strongest predictor of Trump support.”

http://www.salon.com/2016/07/23/anatomy_of_a_trump_voter_how_racism_propelled_trump_to_the_republican_nomination/

McElwee says the most disturbing thing about his findings is this:

“Worryingly, research shows that when people support a candidate or party, they tend to move closer to the views of the candidate or party they support. By tacitly accepting Trump’s racism, the GOP has empowered white supremacists and widened the boundaries of racism that their party will tolerate. That will leave a lasting negative impact on American politics.”