It has finally happened!
Hillary Clinton is the Democratic Presidential nominee, the first woman to gain that opportunity on a major party line!
But remember that it is the Democratic Party which gave us the first Catholic President, John F. Kennedy, and the first African American President, Barack Obama!
Also, it was the Democratic Party that gave us the first woman Vice Presidential nominee, Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro of New York and the first Jewish Vice Presidential nominee, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, along with the first Catholic Vice President, Joe Biden.
It was a Democratic President, Woodrow Wilson, who gave us the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice, Louis Brandeis.
The Democratic Party is the party of equal opportunity, including three Jews presently on the Court (Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan); three women presently on the Court (Ginsburg, Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor) ; and the first Latina Supreme Court Justice (Sotomayor).
And it was great today to see the first African American President, Barack Obama, wholeheartedly endorsing the first woman Presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton!
I really am not comfortable with all this identity politics with emphasis on race gender and what have you. But when I read this “The Democratic Party is the party of equal opportunity” I say now that is really whitewashing the Democratic Party’s History to say the least. Have you heard of Josiah Walls or Hiram Rhodes Revels? How about Joseph Hayne Rainey? I am sure you have, but it is inconvenient to recall who there were and who they fought against, isn’t it? How about the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution that officially abolished slavery in 1864. Of the 118 Republicans in Congress (House and Senate) at the time, all 118 voted in favor of the legislation, while only 19 of 82 Democrats voted likewise. Then there’s the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments guaranteeing rights of citizenship and voting to black males. Not a single Democrat voted in favor of either the Fourteenth (House and Senate) or Fifteenth (House and Senate) Amendments.
And even 50 yrs ago the Democratic party still was like libs like to say “on the wrong side of history.” Civil Rights Act of 1964, let’s review (since they don’t teach this in schools): The percentage of House Democrats who supported the legislation? 61 percent. House Republicans? 80 percent. In the Senate, 69 percent of Democrats voted yes, compared with 82 percent of Republicans. (Barry Goldwater, a supporter of the NAACP, voted no because he thought it was unconstitutional.)
The party’s history is pockmarked with racism and terror. The Democrats were the party of slavery, black codes, Jim Crow, and that miserable terrorist excrescence, the Ku Klux Klan. Republicans were the party of Lincoln, Reconstruction, anti-lynching laws, and the civil rights acts of 1875, 1957, 1960, and 1964. Were all Republicans models of rectitude on racial matters? Hardly. Were they a heck of a lot better than the Democrats? Without question
As recently as 2010, the Senate’s president pro tempore was former Ku Klux Klan Exalted Cyclops Robert Byrd (D., W.Va.). Rather than acknowledge their sorry history, modern Democrats have rewritten it.
Is it unforgivable that Bill Clinton praised a former segregationist Senator Fulbright? No. Fulbright renounced his racist past, as did Robert Byrd and Al Gore Sr. It would be immoral and unjust to misrepresent the history. What is unforgivable is the way Democrats are still using race to foment hatred.
And they get away with it because they never teach in schools all over America for example that 150 blacks and 20 whites created the Republican Party of Texas. But perhaps most telling of all with respect to the Republican Party’s achievements is that black men were continuously elected to public office. For example, 42 blacks were elected to the Texas legislature, 112 in Mississippi, 190 in South Carolina, 95 representatives and 32 senators in Louisiana, and many more elected in other states — all Republican. Democrats didn’t elect their first black American to the U.S. House until 1935!
^^^ RW troll alert! LOL ^^^
What you have stated here, Mercy, is mostly correct, but you seem to fail to understand that the South was the burden, and now it is the Republicans who have that burden. Northern Democrats were supportive of civil rights for a long time, but could not control events, particularly under Republican periods of domination.
Yes, there were racists in the Democratic Party in the South in the historical past, but how about the racist Republicans of the Tea Party, Evangelicals, libertarians, and right wing conservatives who have shown total obstructionism to Barack Obama?
How about the fact that it was Democratic Presidents FDR, Truman, JFK, LBJ, Carter and Clinton who have the most impact on civil rights in the past century, with only Eisenhower being so for the Republicans?
You are distorting history, referring to a great extent to the Civil War Reconstruction years.
IF the GOP was like Lincoln and TR, which it is not and has not been since a century ago, I would admire and support the Republicans, but all they are is the party of the elite and the corporations, and now have the burden of the South and the backward Great Plains and Mountain West as their base.
You can have them, as I admire what modern Democrats have done and represent, while condemning the old racist Southern Democrats, whose descendants are now Republicans!
The Democrats have been sedulously rewriting history for decades. Their preferred version pretends that all the Democratic racists and segregationists left their party and became Republicans starting in the 1960s. How convenient. If it were true that the South began to turn Republican due to Lyndon Johnson’s passage of the Civil Rights Act, you would expect that the Deep South, the states most associated with racism, would have been the first to move. That’s not what happened. The first southern states to trend Republican were on the periphery: North Carolina, Virginia, Texas, Tennessee, and Florida. (George Wallace lost these voters in his 1968 bid.) The voters who first migrated to the Republican party were suburban, prosperous New South types. The more Republican the South has become, the less racist.
I repeat what is unforgivable is the way Democrats are still using race to foment hatred and how the want to rewrite history. You may recall that when MSNBC was commemorating the 50th anniversary of segregationist George Wallace’s “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door†stunt to prevent the integration of the University of Alabama, the network identified Wallace as “R., Alabama.†Really? Wallace a Republican?
Remember what happened to Trent Lott when he uttered a few dumb words about former segregationist Strom Thurmond? He didn’t get the kind of pass Bill Clinton did when praising Fulbright.
Then we have Hillary Clinton telling a mostly black audience that “what is happening is a sweeping effort to disempower and disenfranchise people of color, poor people and young people from one end of our country to another. . . . Today Republicans are systematically and deliberately trying to stop millions of American citizens from voting.†She was presumably referring to voter-ID laws, which, by the way, 51 percent of black Americans support.
Racism has an ugly past in the Democratic party. The accusation of racism has an ugly present.
Mercy, to compare George Wallace and Strom Thurmond to J William Fulbright is preposterous.
How about Jesse Helms instead, another Southerner as Wallace and Thurmond in outrageous racist behavior!
I am not saying that Fulbright and Al Gore Sr should be given a pass, but they were not like those above.
Ronald,
I won’t go into a long response. But, I do want to mention…
We may be in for a double groundbreaker of a winning ticket for Election 2016.
Don’t be surprised if Hillary Clinton’s vice-presidential running mate turns out to be Massachusetts United States Senator Elizabeth Warren.
In a sense Fulbright was worse.
“The President (John Kennedy) is hobbled in his task of leading the American people to consensus and concerted action by the restrictions of power imposed on him by a constitutional system designed for an 18th century agrarian society far removed from the centers of world power. He alone, among elected officials can rise above parochialism and private pressures. He alone, in his role as teacher and moral leader, can hope to overcome the excesses and inadequacies of a public opinion that is all too often ignorant of the needs, the dangers, and the opportunities in our foreign relations. It is imperative that we break out of the intellectual confines of cherished and traditional beliefs and open our minds to the possibility that Basic Changes in Our System may be essential to meet the requirements of the 20th century.’
— J William Fulbright, Stanford University, 1961
Just saying…
Elizabeth Warren destroyed Trumpolini yesterday! 🙂
http://www.politicususa.com/2016/06/09/elizabeth-warren-absolutely-destroys-donald-trump-calling-a-loud-nasty-thin-skinned-fraud.html
Nate Silver explains that the system is not rigged. http://www.politicususa.com/2016/06/09/nate-silver-explains-clinton-democratic-nominee-a-rigged-system.html
Modern day racist Democrats.
-Franklin Delano Roosevelt refused to meet with black Olympian Jesse Owens. He never congratulated Owens or invited him to the White House. ‘Hitler didn’t snub me – it was FDR who snubbed me,’ Owens said.
– Bill Clinton was among “three state officials the NAACP sued in 1989 under the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965″ for suppressing the black vote. Quoting the Arkansas Gazette from December 6, 1989, the article continues: “Plaintiffs offered plenty of proof of monolithic voting along racial lines, intimidation of black voters and candidates and other official acts that made voting harder for blacks…the evidence at the trial was indeed overwhelming that the Voting Rights Act had been violated…â€
– During his 12-year tenure, Governor Clinton never approved a state civil-rights law. However, he did issue birthday proclamations honoring Confederate leaders Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee. He also signed Act 116 in 1987. That statute reconfirmed that the star directly above the word “Arkansas†in the state flag “is to commemorate the Confederate States of America.†Arkansas also observed Confederate Flag Day every year Clinton served…
– Bill Clinton was hoping for the late Ted Kennedy’s endorsement for his wife Hillary as President but Kennedy threw his support behind Obama, prompting Clinton to say, “the only reason you are endorsing him is because he’s black. Let’s just be clear.â€
Clinton then added,
“A few years ago, this guy would have been getting us coffee.”
BPI Campus thoughts about Clinton-Warren ticket. http://bpicampus.com/2016/06/09/clinton-warren-2016/
Polls that showed Hillary trailing Trump a month ago now show her ahead, and polls that showed her leading a month ago now show her lead widening. And if a Clinton-Warren ticket would bring most Sanders supporters on board, the lead would widen still more.
Democrats ARE NOT rewriting history, you dumb RW troll!
Giving you my angry look ——> (>_<)
This will help you feel better, Pragmatic. Salon.com bashes the Republicans meme of Democrats being racists. http://www.salon.com/2015/07/10/democrats_are_the_real_racists_inside_the_gops_pathetic_insulting_response_to_charges_of_bigotry/
The Obama administration has done very little for blacks economically. And It’s not due to a lack of will. It is a matter of philosophy and political convenience. Democrats want to help blacks in the inner cities, in the ghettos. They want to give them more Food Stamps and other assistance like that. Which most rank and file Democrats honestly believe that is helping. The Republicans don’t. Republicans want to get blacks to leave the inner cities and ghettos. They want to raise their standard of living, they want them to join the middle class. Why? Statistics show that when minorities thrive, including black Americans, they begin to vote Republican. And it’s not surprising. Because among other things, they begin to pay taxes and therefore want their tax rates to be lower. It’s just plain and simple math and self interest on all sides. No mystery here.
RW troll Faux Snews BS alert! LOL ^^^
Countering lies with facts: Demographics that get food stamps: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/28/food-stamp-demographics_n_6771938.html
To add to that, the majority of people getting food stamps and assistance are children, disabled and elderly…all people who cannot support themselves because of age or inability to physically function.
More facts: Poorest states are Red states. http://www.politicususa.com/2015/03/26/report-proves-stupid-red-states-parasites.html
On many other forums, our RW troll would have been banned by now for trolling.
Some websites are getting rid of comments sections because trolling has gotten so out of hand.
Ladies and gentlemen, I applaud you for destroying Mercy’s half truths and untruths.
It is amazing to say that blacks receive the majority of food stamps, an old GOP and conservative lie, when it is the disabled, elderly and children who receive the bulk of it, and it is whites in “red” states, mostly white in Appalachia, who gain more of it than anyone.
Mercy is a sad example of people who have too much time, so it makes one wonder if he/she has a job and a life beyond spreading propaganda!
Ronald: You truly surprise me sometimes. Where did I say that blacks receive the majority of the food stamps? Rational Lefty posted a link where it clearly states the facts. And I agree. I would never dispute facts. As we are informed by the link Rational Left so kindly provided there are 47 million food stamps recipients of which 40.2% are White (that would be 18.8 million), 25.7% Blacks (12 million), 10.3% Hispanics (4.8 million) and 2.1% Asians (966 thousand). That means there are 6.8 million more Whites than Blacks on food stamps. And 14 million more Whites than Hispanics on food stamps! WOW that’s a lot!
So since Whites are 77.5% of the population there are 246 million Whites of which 7.6% are on food stamps (18.8 million out of 246 million). Blacks on the other hand represent 14% of the US population hence there are 46 million Blacks of which 26% are on food stamps (12 million out of 46 million). Meanwhile Hispanics are 17% of the US population meaning there are 55 million Hispanics 8.7% of which are on food stamps (4.8 million out of 55 million). And finally Asians make up 5.6% of the population that is 17 million people of Asian origin (China, Japan, South Korea, Indian, and Filipino etc.) of which 5.8% are on food stamps (966 thousand out of 17 million). Thus we have that 5.8% of Asians, 7.6% of Whites, 8.7% of Hispanics and 26% of Blacks are on food stamps. Seems to me that it’s pretty clear which ethnic group is more dependent of welfare. The damage the Democratic Party has inflicted on the Black community is unforgivable. First slavery, then segregation and now 26% utterly dependent on government. That’s 1 in 4 Blacks. Once again I wish to thank Rational Lefty for providing such an interesting link.
You are unwelcome. You’re a typical dumb dumb troll taking things out of context.
sticks toung out at troll :p
The link I posted shows that the Professor is the one who is correct.
Rational Lefty: Your response is anything but rational I dare say…Nonetheless I am obliged to thank you one more time for the very opportunistic link that you shared! I gather Ronald being as intelligent as he is, (we might not agree but that doesn’t mean I do not recognize his intelligence), understood my response to your link perfectly.
Just like me, The Professor knows that you are spewing Faux Snews BS!
Our troll is preaching its nonsense to the wrong crowd. Red State or some other loony Right Wing blog like it is who he needs to be preaching to.
I second that. I suggest he leaves or he will get banned.
Please show me where I have mathematically made mistake, if you can. I was hoping you were a more tolerant bunch but I seem to have been mistaken. I have never personally agravated any one of you yet that seems to be all I get.
Now I have already said that I know and do not dispute the fact that there are more whites than black on food stamps. 6.8 million more as a matter of fact. Thus I am not in any way shape or form in disagreement with Ronald on that. So you see I am not arguing with him on that. By the same token, it is also true that 26% (12 million) of the black population (46 million) are on food stamps while 7.6% (18.8 million) of the white population (246 million) are on food stamps. Why is this fact so impossible for you to recognize? Why do you want to ban me for this? Does this somehow alter your “safe space”? Don’t you see that this shows that the black population is suffering more than any other ethnic group? Don’t you see if that we ignore the fact that 1 in 4 blacks are on food stamps the issue will never be solved? Unless of course you think that having 26% of your community on food stamps means there is no problem at all. One thing is to have 5% to 8% of any given group on food stamps, ideally it should be 0, but in the real world this is quite acceptable. After all you have over 90% not on food stamps. But quite another is to have 26% of your community on welfare. This is a problem and it will never be solved if it is not recognized. Unless of course there are political reasons for this situation to continue. Unless there is a political benefit to this status quo. Then that would explain a lot.
Either you leave or I leave. Make your choice.
Ms. Letourneau, of the Washington Monthly and of the progressive blog, Horizons, has information about income inequality during Obama’s presidency.
http://washingtonmonthly.com/2016/06/10/a-new-trajectory-on-income-inequality/
Rational Lefty I do NOT want you to leave, as you make major contributions to the blog.
Thanks, Southern LIberal, for posting this article about income inequality!
The basic point that everyone is making is that Republican actions hurt the poor and middle class.