While the number of hate groups surged during the Obama administration for obvious reasons, the number of groups designated as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center is now slightly higher than it was even in 2010 during the Tea Party era.
The number of hate groups is now at the highest level ever recorded with 1,020 groups now designated as hate groups.
Propelled by a rise in extremism, the number of active groups that the civil rights organization labels as espousing hate climbed to 1,020, up from 784 just four years previously. From 2017 to 2018, it was up 7 percent. [...]
The most significant growth over the past two years has been in white nationalist organizations, up from 193 to 264, said Beirich, who authored the report. It marks a resurgence in the aftermath of the massive 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that focused attention on the movement.
"Much of the energy on the radical right this year was concentrated in the white supremacist milieu," the report reads. " After a lull that followed the violence in Charlottesville, which brought criminal charges and civil suits that temporarily dampened the radical right's activism and organizing, newer groups gathered momentum."
If any good news can be found in the Southern Poverty Law Center's report, it's that the Klu Klux Klan has reportedly fallen out of favor.
The KKK apparently isn't hip enough for younger racists who prefer to dress like Brown Shirts rather than Wizards.
"The KKK has not been able to appeal to younger racists, with its antiquated traditions, odd dress and lack of digital savvy. Younger extremists prefer ... polo shirts and khakis to Klan robes," it says.
If this number of hate groups have surfaced while their avatar Donald Trump is in the White House, it seems reasonable to think the number of hate groups could surge even higher in coming years if Trump is replaced by a black woman. Or any woman for that matter.