Sadly. some conservatives forget to abide by ytheir principles and know get their definition of conservatism from MSNBC. There is an anti-black attitude among some on FR> that was not here 10 years ago, and I don't know why that needs to be.
I think that you’re right that people like Donald Sterling should not be getting conservative support - although I think it fair to distinguish between being concerned about how his views were made public, as opposed to coming to the defense of the views themselves.
And while I won’t excuse bigotry, I would contend that much of the increase in racial polarization that can be observed here, as well as other places in this country, can be traced back in many instances to the posturing of a president who, while promising to be a racial unifier, has seldom wasted an opportunity to engage in most divisive kind of racial politics.
Ten years ago, any anti-black statement was stepped on by the Mods to a much harder degree than is the case today. Today, the Mods don't seem to care as much as those who were Modding 10 years ago.
Part of it may be the increasing anti-white attitude that is being displayed by blacks, for example the "knockout game", and the Wichita Massacre. The increased notice of the extent of black-on-white crime erodes "good will" like acid on limestone.
This erosion of good will is masked by surface pleasantries and the need to not reveal what you really think, to avoid social unpleasantness. But it is there, eroding under the surface like a forming sinkhole. When the erosion has gone far enough that the surface crust finally collapses, some people will be shocked at "how fast things changed".