I disagree with this. There seems to be deeply rooted racism in the GOP. It comes up repeatedly, and I certainly believe it has something to do with that fact that some of their golden previous leaders were in fact racists.
I mean it would be folly to even try to claim that the shadow of Reagan influences the GOP today. Not to say his policies still hold the central sway, but merely his status as a godlike figure to many, particularly Boomers, means his words and actions can be used to mobilize support for many things.