Deep subconscious racism is one of the most important foundations of rightwingnut dogmatism.

The basic stance epitomized by "regular folks" like Joe the Plumber (remember him?) is this: Any move designed to have the government give a break to common people, as opposed to big business, is something I DON'T NEED. "Good people like me" (read: working white people) are doing just fine on our own without "handouts," and anyone who thinks they might need help with, say, a half-million dollars in medical bills for cancer treatment, is obviously lazy, shiftless, and not a "real American."

Us real Americans need nothing more from the government than the assurance that huge corporations and rich individuals are free of taxation. Why's that? Because we might get rich ourselves one day, and won't want to pay for anyone else's problems. Those other inferior humans who are looking for a break are just not as capable of achieving overnight wealth as we are.

This kind of delusional thinking is possible ONLY for those who believe that they're BETTER, in some basic, inborn way, that the masses of no-good humanity with whom they live within the boundaries of the nation.

Now, the poor fools who think along these lines will swear up and down that they are not racists, that they are completely cordial in dealing with the black folks that they encounter in everyday life, they are are not cross-burners, etc., etc. And they are correct, as far as it goes. But deep in their hearts, they have not overcome the prejudices that they learned in their youth, and their entire world-view is predicated on an unfounded sense of superiority. They are not really sold on the idea that all of us are brothers and sisters.