Brian... if only you had facts to back you up. The Civil Rights Acts and Voting Rights acts of the 1960s would not have been needed if it were not for the Democrat controlled Supreme Court overturning those same rights given in the Civil Rights Acts passed by the REPUBLICANS in 1866, 1870,1871 and 1875.
Thank you so much for coming out of your shell of Liberal lies to the truth you are making great strides into the real agenda of the Dem's and I hope to God more people listen to you and me and all the great Americans fighting the good fight!
Brian and Mike raise some good points. Because they're confusion was less hysterical than the usual moonbats, I have posted a more complete response to their comments on my blog.
Thanks for writing!
The ideological shift that began in this country after WWII and completed in 1994 is explained very well by Brian above and completely ignored by the website author. A better way to understand what occurred is to stop looking at it as a function of political parties and more as a function of political philosophy. The history of our country is the history of political progressives (or liberals) vs. reactionary conservatives.
Republicans are right to be proud of the role the party played to abolish slavery during the civil war and reconstruction. The shame of the party has occurred during the last fifty years as racist southern Democrats aligned themselves with evangelical Christians and embraced the Republican Party. Today they pursue exclusionary racist policies that are designed to maintain white supremacy in the political process. The fact that less than ten percent of black Americans identify with the Republican Party is testament to where the white racists have landed.
Today I see some hope for the Republican Party. They have rejected the Neo-Conservative agenda and nominated a moderate to be their presidential nominee. No southern Republican was even seriously considered by the party as they move to the center. This may have been helped along by the incompetence of the Bush Administration, but I believe they have seen the country move on and are struggling to compete with progressives. If history is any guide, in thirty years Republicans will embrace today’s controversial issues like gay rights and act like they invented them.
Current entitlement policies advocated by Democrats actually rob Black Americans of their true worth, encouraging them to not take the risk of becoming successful. Democrats are constantly telling them they can't amount to anything, so just accept the hand out. In a word, they are still being kept on the plantation by Democrats.
Reparations would be a nightmare to process. If you look back there were several Black Slaveowners as well as many slave who were offspring of a White master and a Black Slave Girl that appeared white. Many moved over to the White society after the civil War and were accepted as full White. Would their offspring be entitled? Would desendants of Black Slave owners be required to apologize or pay?
I was posting an article by Ralph Peters in the article Peters says, "The "nonbinding resolution" telling the world that we intend to surrender to terrorism and abandon Iraq may be the most disgraceful congressional action since the Democrat Party united to defend slavery."
I had to find proof for my liberal visitors, who very rarely comment because a liberal can't handle the truth.
I Googled and found you and linked it back.
Thanks for the great post.
Brian's "Shift Theory" requires us to believe that Democrats, who created Jim Crow, KKK, segregation, etc., suddenly became civil rights activists. Nice theory, but think about that. If you spent a lifetime of resentment and fear of blacks, why would you suddenly become their civil rights advocate? That's as likely as Mecca voluntarily converting to a Catholic state.
More believeable (and intuitive) is that Democrats used charlatans like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to convince blacks that Democrats were suddenly their friends. But if you believe that, ask yourself why, 40 years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, black poverty and public schools are notably worse in Democrat-controlled cities than in conservative-Republican cities.
Today's Democrat Party is only a continuation of what they were in 1865. Until the Democrat Party actually dies, blacks and ALL Americans are threatened.
Official U.S. Government Apology on Slavery Called for by Presidential Candidate
March 27, 2006 Hartford, Connecticut --- Today, Webster Brooks, Vice-Presidential candidate on the Imperato/Brooks 2008 Independent ticket, pledged that in the "First 50 days of the Imperato administration, an official apology will be issued to African-American citizens for the United States government's role in legalizing, enforcing and perpetuating the institution of slavery."
Since the passage of the 13th Amendment that abolished slavery in 1866, the federal government has attempted to provide remedies to Black Americans through a series of civil rights acts and Supreme Court decisions. But Brooks said "The government has never officially expressed its profound regrets in sanctioning the abomination of slavery to its victims nor their descendents."
The Hartford Courant newspaper and the Aetna Insurance Company have made open public apologies for their complicity in furtherance of the slave trade (See Aetna Statement at end of this press release). Brooks asked "If newspapers and corporations can issue public apologies, why cannot the President do so on behalf of the federal government and the American people? After all, slavery was codified in the U.S. Constitution, our seminal document of freedom." Brooks also noted that the U.S government has provided reparations for Japanese-Americans incarcerated during World War II, and supported international calls for government led racial reconciliation initiatives in places like South Africa.
Brooks stated "The time has come to do what is right and long overdue. This is a simple act of decency. I trust we have not lost neither the courage or the capacity to apologize for wrongs committed." He expressed his hopes that other presidential candidates will take a similar pledge during the campaign. Brooks concluded his remarks by saying that "If we are to build one America in the future, we must be willing to reconcile our past."
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STATEMENT BY AETNA INSURANCE COMPANY
March 10, 2000
I am sure many of you have been reading about slavery reparations. In early 2000, the fact that Aetna had written insurance policies on slaves more than 140 years ago was brought to the attention of Aetna' s management. They were deeply disappointed and embarrassed. At the time, the company expressed regret for its role in an awful period in our country's history.
Today, I wish to reiterate a sincere apology for the actions of our company in its earliest days. Slavery is morally wrong and reprehensible.
Today, there remain significant concerns about race in America. Major disparities continue to exist in education, in economic opportunity and in health care.
The Aetna of today is determined to be a leader in addressing these problems. We are proud of our recent record, but also
Phooey.
FDR, a Democrat, started efforts to end Jim Crow against the pressures of his own Party.
Truman, a Democrat, desegregated the military by executive order against the wishes of Democrats AND Republicans in Congress. (Many associate this action with the Civil Rights banner being carried by the Democratic Party and the long association of the black community with Democratic Politics.)
JFK inspired a generation of civil rights activists. (Of course, there was Hoover's investigations of civil rights activists, but go ahead, link Hoover to anyone but himself!)
LBJ signs the Civil Rights Act -- which admittedly was opposed by many Southern Democrats. However, northern and Western Democrats, along with Republicans -- the minority party -- pushed it through Congress. (The GOP may want to say they did the CRA on their own, but the math wouldn't let it happen.) LBJ championed the CRA and when signing it into law acknowledged that he "lost the South for the Democrats for at least a generation."
And then came the shift. Millions of Southern Democrats left the party. They joined the conservative movement started by Goldwater and became Republicans. As the Democratic Party began to dominate the areas formerly home to the progressive Republicans, the new, conservative Republican Party began to creep into the realm of the racist South. States like New York and California, once the greatest stronghold of the Republican Party became Democratic states as a rejection of the GOP's move into the Dixiecrat terriortory. The GOP was content in losing Yankee progressive states because they found a home in the racist beds of the South.
3/16/06
Clark-
A huge education for me.
Thank you for your excellent exposition.
Herb
Thank you for the brilliant piece. A must read for my children, whi have suffered from the mis-information taught in public schools.
Brilliant piece. Thank you.
Dear Mr. Baker,
This is my first-ever comment on a blog. I'm moved to write because, like you, I was born in California in 1957. I left the state as an unthinking liberal and began my journey toward libertarian Republicanism in the military. I also happen to be a black American, so I am especially appreciative of your clear thinking on the Democrat party's real history on "racial" issues. Thank you for your continued service to our country.
Warm Regards,
Bill
I spent most of my life as a Democrat. Turned against the party a few years ago. I had read bits and blurbs about the history of that party, but nothing that really told the truth. After your very informative article, I now know the truth.
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