David Duke is reported by Time magazine as repudiating Steve Scalise and saying:

““Why do people blame blacks like Minaj?” he asked, rhetorically. “Because Minaj wouldn’t be a pimple on somebody’s rear end except for the fact that she is promoted by the Jewish record producers and the media, the mass media, the powerful media, that promotes absolute degenerates like her.”

The lumping of Blacks and Jews together is hardly a new thing for the likes of the KKK. What is curious, however, is the closing of ranks by the GOP leadership around a defiant Scalise who, on Tuesday, apologized. I use the term “apologize” loosely. I mean, his is the kind of obviously angry and insincere apology that would have gotten me a whoopin’ as a kid. CBS News quotes from Scalise’ statement:

“It was a mistake I regret, and I emphatically oppose the divisive racial and religious views groups like these hold. I am very disappointed that anyone would try to infer otherwise for political gain.”

Now, honestly, would your mama have let you get away with apologizing like that? As reported by the Huffington Post, John Boehner, apparently, has:

“”More than a decade ago, Representative Scalise made an error in judgment, and he was right to acknowledge it was wrong and inappropriate. Like many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I know Steve to be a man of high integrity and good character. He has my full confidence as our Whip, and he will continue to do great and important work for all Americans,” Boehner said in a Tuesday statement.”

When it comes to how non-whites perceive it, the GOP has shown little concern for its image during the 2012 election cycle and ever since. Its win in the mid-term election now seems to reinforce that lack of concern. It would have been inconceivable, six years ago, for the GOP to publicly display any such show of support for someone associated with the KKK.

Times have changed. Sadly, they’ve not improved.