I must comment that those folks writing on this site must be far younger than I.

They seem to be unaware that the Democratic party spent much time and effort blocking civil rights legislation. 

The Democrats countananced George Wallace and his standing in the school house door to block black potential students.

They allowed Lester Maddox to become the Democratic Governor of Georgia after he handed out axe handles to his white customers in his fried chicken restaurant. the axe handles were to beat any black attempting to enter his segregated establishment.

Southern Democrats blocked 80% of all civil rights legislation proposed by Republican law makers between 1933, and 1965.

Woodrow Wilson enforces segregationist policy from the white House. Franklin Roosvelt failed to support anti-lynching legislation.

So not only was the Democrat party the party of choice for the KKK, it was the party enforcing Jim Crow, the murder of southern blacks, and first and formost the party of slavery.

The Republicans (on the other hand) were the party of civil rights.  Edward Brooke was the first African-American elected to the Senate by popular vote. He was Senator in Massachusetts in the late 60’s early 70s.  He was a Republican, as was the first woman appointed to the Supreme court. Maggie Smith (R ME) was another fine example of Republican openess. 

Has the Republican party strayed from its moorings?
Sure.
Did the D’s
you decide.

Calling anyone who ....even slightly… disagrees with the “manefesto” an Ignorant Cracker bible-thumpers. To Hell with the lot of you

Well, that’s just ignorant for lack of a better word.  For an instance, I am absolutely nonreligious, I marched in the old south for civil rights.... was a freedom-rider,

I just don’t know that itr is a good idea to jump on people’s stuff (even if they may be Republican) for what is surely an attempt to make a very old (former Democrat) feel good upon retirement, rather than a statement of belief. 

My question than becomes;

Peace in Iraq, but none here?

Rove and RNC have seen the election results and see a need to revisit the Reagan Southern Strategy, racism. The results in VA and TN shows that the Republican base can be energized on the old issues.

His election is just an example of the continuing filth spewed forth by the “Party of Lincoln.” The party the American people just delivered a mandate - a real mandate - to disarm and disregard.

Ignorant Cracker bible-thumpers. To Hell with the lot of you.

In response to lance (below) who says “When Senator Byrd is promoted to a leadership position by theD party...”

In fact, Byrd, the longest-serving member of the Senate, has held more Senate party leadership positions — including two terms as majority leader — than anyone

Hope this assists folks who throw out their 40-year-old newspapers.

Michael -

Most of us throw out our newspapers after they’ve aged for 40 years.  As a consequence we are forced to focus on current news. 

When you see Sen. Byrd promoted for a leadership position in the Democratic Party, you’ll hear from all of us, I’m sure.

Ref: Comment #38366 by Skruff on 11/16 at 1:55 pm

Sorry, Skruff, don’t compare apples to oranges. Kerry blew a scripted line that was supposed to target Dubya. Lott, on the other hand, told Strom Thurmond that if Thurmond’s racist Dixiecrats had won, this country would be much better off, and then tried to wriggle out of it. He’s a better speaker than Kerry anyway. He knew what he was saying. There’s no comparison. Lott clearly praised the racist position, and probably thought that the word wouldn’t get out. Byrd disavowed the Klan decades ago, though it is more than fair to point out that he does have a Klan past. He also recently said that he wished he would have had enough courage to have stood with Wayne Morse and Ernest Gruening in voting against the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution hornswoggle. I don’t think he has done any racist remarks or testimonials recently, and certainly his recent learned discursive speeaches have been agains the Iraq debacle. He was the only outspoken Senator to plead for postponing the War Authorization act until after the midterm elections in an attempt to resist the Republican manipulations about patriotism.

Two rebuttals to “Skruff“‘s post. One, Most of the blacks are democrats. To say “The D party was the party of the KKK” is ignorant at best and insult to readers’s intelligence at its worst. Second, racism is no “gaff” no matter how one sees it, and it is not “sort of like Kerry’s gaff”.

Believe me, I have immense, repeat IMMENSE respect for Mr. Rober Sheer who is a jew. The same can’t be said about you. Shame on you.

The D party was the party of the KKK. Strom Thurmond was a D turned R after passage of the civil rights bill.

My elementary school in White Plains New York was segregated, and as an eight-year-old I didn’t question the disparity.

I lives in a neighborhood that called itself “A Christian Community” (my mother being Jewish didn’t stop us from buying a house there.

Personally, I can forgive Lott, Byrd, and even George Wallace for past foibles.  If they use their office to advance the cause of inequality, THEN it becomes news… The lott thing was a gaff pure and simple....sort of like Kerry’s gaff.

Lets be fair. Byrd is wrong and he is not a #2 man in his party. Trent is wrong and he is elected to be the #2 man by senators in his party.

If it is true about SEn.Byrd,I fully agree that it is only fair to report it.

aren’t we talking about Lott making his faux pas just recently? perhaps Byrd changed.....and Lott didn’t…

It takes two to tangle. There must be a lot of like minded lot in the senate supporting racist Lott. This is a disgrace to GOP and to the US image around the globe.

they just don’t get it, have you seen the leopard without spots? mmmmm, neither have i, is it true that all republicans are racists?, or just the ones in the senate? how come lotts house was repaired first after katrina?mmmm, what is his record or standing on the minimum wage, this man needs to be out of the senate, not forgiven for his racist beliefs.

louie stroud

I would agree with your characterization of SEN Lott but also wonder why a search of your site reveals very little written about SEN Byrd’s membership and role as recruiter in the KKK? It smacks or double standard. You can agree with SEN Byrd’s politics and disagree with SEN Lott’s but, given SEN Byrd’s past it whittles away at your credibility to ignore SEN Byrd’s obvious lapse of judgment and character in the past.