For 100 years after the Civil War, the American South was basically a one-party region. Every state consistently voted Democrat and only Democrat. It was Democrats in the state legislatures that passed Jim Crow laws. It was Democrats in the state governments that prevented blacks from voting. It was Democrats in local cities and towns that stood by as the Klan grew to power. It was Democrats who watched lynchings. It was Democrats who segregated the schools. Whenever the Democrats got into power nationally, they brought their practices with them. Woodrow Wilson was a progressive Democrat, but he was an unrepentant racist who segregated the US military and embraced the KKK. Franklin Roosevelt was a liberal icon, but he ordered all people of Japanese background to be rounded up and put in camps during World War II. Roosevelt didn't take any actions against immigrants from Germany or Italy, but children with a Japanese grandparent were put in camps.
Only after World War II ended was there any movement among Democrats to step away from their racist practices. Harry Truman desegregated the armed forces, a move that so outraged racists in the Democrat party that they ran a Dixiecrat candidate against him in 1948 and almost cost him the election. When Republican Eisenhower won in 1952, there was a push for civil rights by the Republicans that was joined by some of the northern Democrats. The result was the civil rights act of 1957, the first major civil rights law. Eisenhower also supported the first efforts at desegregation after the Supreme Court outlawed the practice in 1957.
In 1964 and 1965, another civil rights law was passed and the Voting Rights Act followed right after that. The opposition to the passage of these laws came almost completely from Southern Democrats. Republicans voted strongly in favor of passage.
After the 1960s, the allegiance of the South to the Democrats ended. The national Democrats came up with a new plan: they decided to reinvent history. Suddenly, the Democrats portrayed themselves as the main supporters of civil rights and the Republicans were called racists. When Reagan was elected, there was a constant campaign of vilification against him. He was certainly no racist, but it didn't matter.
The media joined in to support their party. Nothing was as it really was. Everything was "reinvented" through lies. A good example is how Bill Clinton was portrayed. Clinton got his start in politics working for Senator John McClellan of Arkansas. McClellan had been one who tried to filibuster the civil rights laws and the voting rights laws. He was a life-long segregationist, but Clinton jumped at the chance to work for him and considered him a mentor. No one ever mentioned that inconvenient fact when Clinton was in office. Instead, he was portrayed as "the first black president". It was a lie. Senator Byrd of West Virginia who had been a leader in the KKK was made the Senate leader by the Democrats. His racist leanings were buried by the media.
In 2008, Barack Obama was elected. After that, not only were the Republicans falsely portrayed by the Democrats and media as racists during election campaigns, but any opposition to an Obama program was now due to racism. If Obama wanted taxes at X% and opponents want them at Y%, that argument was due to racism. Everything was racism. (Of course, it was just another lie, but that was the tactic the Democrats and media chose.)
The problems with the Democrats' tactic were twofold. First, it didn't really work. Just think how badly Hillary Clinton's "basket of deplorables" remark wounded her campaign. Even during the Obama years, it got to the point where calling someone or something racist became a joke. Because everything was racist, nothing was really racist. The second part of the problem is that many less observant people began to believe the lies. If you opposed a position taken by the national Democrats you must be racist. That makes you a bad person who needs to be crushed not just defeated. In other words, it spread hatred. And, of course, the biggest problem with hatred is that most people when exposed to hatred directed towards them respond in kind. The gulf between the two sides got angrier and larger.
We cannot let America get dragged into this war of tribes. Diversity is fine. Tribalism is not. All of the phony charges and lies have to end. There are things that are more important than the political future of a few people; our country and our freedoms must be preserved. Right now, they are in more danger than at any time in the recent past.
Only after World War II ended was there any movement among Democrats to step away from their racist practices. Harry Truman desegregated the armed forces, a move that so outraged racists in the Democrat party that they ran a Dixiecrat candidate against him in 1948 and almost cost him the election. When Republican Eisenhower won in 1952, there was a push for civil rights by the Republicans that was joined by some of the northern Democrats. The result was the civil rights act of 1957, the first major civil rights law. Eisenhower also supported the first efforts at desegregation after the Supreme Court outlawed the practice in 1957.
In 1964 and 1965, another civil rights law was passed and the Voting Rights Act followed right after that. The opposition to the passage of these laws came almost completely from Southern Democrats. Republicans voted strongly in favor of passage.
After the 1960s, the allegiance of the South to the Democrats ended. The national Democrats came up with a new plan: they decided to reinvent history. Suddenly, the Democrats portrayed themselves as the main supporters of civil rights and the Republicans were called racists. When Reagan was elected, there was a constant campaign of vilification against him. He was certainly no racist, but it didn't matter.
The media joined in to support their party. Nothing was as it really was. Everything was "reinvented" through lies. A good example is how Bill Clinton was portrayed. Clinton got his start in politics working for Senator John McClellan of Arkansas. McClellan had been one who tried to filibuster the civil rights laws and the voting rights laws. He was a life-long segregationist, but Clinton jumped at the chance to work for him and considered him a mentor. No one ever mentioned that inconvenient fact when Clinton was in office. Instead, he was portrayed as "the first black president". It was a lie. Senator Byrd of West Virginia who had been a leader in the KKK was made the Senate leader by the Democrats. His racist leanings were buried by the media.
In 2008, Barack Obama was elected. After that, not only were the Republicans falsely portrayed by the Democrats and media as racists during election campaigns, but any opposition to an Obama program was now due to racism. If Obama wanted taxes at X% and opponents want them at Y%, that argument was due to racism. Everything was racism. (Of course, it was just another lie, but that was the tactic the Democrats and media chose.)
The problems with the Democrats' tactic were twofold. First, it didn't really work. Just think how badly Hillary Clinton's "basket of deplorables" remark wounded her campaign. Even during the Obama years, it got to the point where calling someone or something racist became a joke. Because everything was racist, nothing was really racist. The second part of the problem is that many less observant people began to believe the lies. If you opposed a position taken by the national Democrats you must be racist. That makes you a bad person who needs to be crushed not just defeated. In other words, it spread hatred. And, of course, the biggest problem with hatred is that most people when exposed to hatred directed towards them respond in kind. The gulf between the two sides got angrier and larger.
We cannot let America get dragged into this war of tribes. Diversity is fine. Tribalism is not. All of the phony charges and lies have to end. There are things that are more important than the political future of a few people; our country and our freedoms must be preserved. Right now, they are in more danger than at any time in the recent past.
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