Republican or Democrat

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Jesus Chris, EMFM, Robert Byrd was born in 1917! That was before the Blacks switched from the Republicans to Democrats. Back then, the Dems were the racist guys. That was too long ago to make any meaningful parallels, as the parties back then resembled almost nothing of what they are today. But that would have been a kick comeback though, if you actually found a younger Democratic Senator .

Sure. And when was the last time he was reelected? If you can find a single current member of Congress who was both a Republican and a KKK official, perhaps you could point him out, because I couldn't find one.

[Beskar]

Wouldn't be on the front row for PR purposes anyway.

[Subotan]

Sure. And when was the last time he was reelected? If you can find a single current member of Congress who was both a Republican and a KKK official, perhaps you could point him out, because I couldn't find one.

The KKK generally had an allegiance with the Democrat Party in the South, back when they were the party of landowners. Times have changed since that period, especially since 1968 with Nixon's strategy of targeting the South. Neither the Democrat nor the Republican Parties are the same as they were back when the KKK was at it's height (1920s/1950's-1960's)

[Aemilius Paulus]

Sure. And when was the last time he was reelected? If you can find a single current member of Congress who was both a Republican and a KKK official, perhaps you could point him out, because I couldn't find one.

That is because no Republican is as old as him. He is a coincidence - really - there are few Senators of his age, and there is a very small that out of the quite small number of Congressmen two are both that old and former KKK members. Do not ignore what I said in my previous post.

When he was young, Democrats were the racists. When he was first elected, the nation was still largely racist. And he was elected. He did a bully job as a Senator, and we all know that it is nearly impossible to unseat Senators in US when they are at least somewhat popular. Senate is a House of Incumbents.

You gave me one example. Yet the examples of racism-tainted Republicans abound. I do not even have to research it - you can look it up yourself, it is simple.

[Lemur]

EMFM, the racial equation of the parties changed due to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (pushed through a Dem congress and signed by a Dem president) and the ensuing Southern Strategy.

I know you're not a citizen of the United States, but if you're going to start going on about members of congress, you ought to know some basic U.S. political history.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

I do know basic American political history, thank you very much. I was just disagreeing with Beskar's assertion that most Republicans are racist, and that the Republican Party is an inherently racist one.

[Aemilius Paulus]

I do know basic American political history, thank you very much. I was just disagreeing with Beskar's assertion that most Republicans are racist, and that the Republican Party is an inherently racist one.

Just to be fair, I am not saying that they are inherently racist, but more as Lemur wisely noted.

[Crazed Rabbit]

EMFM, the racial equation of the parties changed due to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (pushed through a Dem congress and signed by a Dem president) and the ensuing Southern Strategy.

I know you're not a citizen of the United States, but if you're going to start going on about members of congress, you ought to know some basic U.S. political history.

And passed by 81% of republicans but only 65% of democrats in Congress. Why would racists vote for republicans instead of democrats because this bill was passed?

And from wiki:

The South indeed started to vote increasingly Republican after 1964. However, political scientists Richard Johnston and Byron Schafer have argued that this development was based more on economics than on race.

CR

[Lemur]

Why would racists vote for republicans instead of democrats because this bill was passed?

And if I were making the argument that all Republicans throughout all of history were a bunch of racists, you would have knocked me out of the park.

My point was that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 begat the Southern Strategy, which led to the re-alignment that you see today. Republicans, whose base was originally industrial-state abolitionists, became a Southern party, while Democrats, who used to be the party of the rural South, became a coastal and Northern party.

[Fisherking]

Oh NOOOOOO!

Not that again!

Let’s get back to the War on Poverty that was designed scenically to get the black vote...

Why? Because at that point Blacks were traditionally Republicans and that is why the South had all their poll taxes and what not to keep them from voting.

The Republican dominated Warren Court removed those and it was a severe threat to the Democrats.

Their ploy worked, even though it devastated the Black Family structure and heightened the level of minority unrest that led to the riots in the late 1960s.

There is no way to quote what LBJ said about his intentions without it getting you banned here. But it had something to do with blacks voting for them for the next 100 years.

But the Democrats has sold themselves as the champions of the underdogs and left most of their conservative base behind.

The Southern Strategy was more of a term placed on events by the National News Media than anything the Republicans did. Nixon was not trying to appeal to racists in the south, he was simply more palatable to the voting population then the Democratic Candidate.

As is usually the case, it had nothing to do with the Republicans outsmarting the Democrats but more the Democrats outsmarting themselves. I don’t think the Republicans are capable of outsmarting anyone.

In any event it is only a matter of who’s lies you choose to believe when you follow one or the other.

So indeed there was a political realignment. The causes were more unintended consequences of the Democrats seeking more votes. It did however, help the Democrats to put a little distance between themselves and racism so they put Jim Crow in the closet...but he is still there!

So what ever the issue there are no innocent parties......