Conservatives Say It's Their Turn For Empowerment?

I suppose it remains to be seen if Rep. Joe Wilson's "emotional" heckling of the President, and the conservative opposition to real health care reform, is rooted in racism (also, here), but nobody, conservatives and Republicans (is there a difference?) included, can deny that the conservative movement and the Republican worldview in general is historically rooted in the racism, sexism, homophobia, bigotry, intolerance, and hatred of anyone who thinks and/or looks different than they do, experienced in America during the last 200+ years.

If the conservatives and Republicans could have their way, slavery would still be legal, people who aren't white would have to sit at the back of buses, wouldn't be able share drinking fountains with white people, and wouldn't be able to eat at certain restaurants, people who have political beliefs on the left end of the spectrum wouldn't be able to find work, women wouldn't be able to vote, and gays and lesbians wouldn't be able to marry (ooops, still working on that last one).

Conservative Americans have a lot to thank American liberals for, but when it comes to defending their stance against many of President Obama's ideas, conservatives will always have to contend with the history of intolerance perpetuated, historically, by themselves.