African American
Related: About this forumWhy Martin Luther King Was Republican
A conservative friend of mine posted this article onto facebook. I guess they finally realized what a demographics bombshell the exit polls of the last election were. Typically, their solution to this problem is to lie.
http://www.humanevents.com/2006/08/16/why-martin-luther-king-was-republican/
It should come as no surprise that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Republican. In that era, almost all black Americans were Republicans. Why? From its founding in 1854 as the anti-slavery party until today, the Republican Party has championed freedom and civil rights for blacks. And as one pundit so succinctly stated, the Democrat Party is as it always has been, the party of the four Ss: slavery, secession, segregation and now socialism.
I've already addressed some of the misinformation in this article. It doesn't just try to claim that King was a republican, it also claims that the "southern strategy" as "an effort on the part of Nixon to get Christians in the South to stop voting for Democrats who did not share their values and were still discriminating against their fellow Christians who happened to be black."
Edit: I replyed to my friends post with this excerpt from the MLK Jr. article on wikipedia, but is there any other information that I can use as a rebuttal? Any help would be great.
As the leader of the SCLC, King maintained a policy of not publicly endorsing a U.S. political party or candidate: "I feel someone must remain in the position of non-alignment, so that he can look objectively at both parties and be the conscience of bothnot the servant or master of either."[30] In a 1958 interview, he expressed his view that neither party was perfect, saying, "I don't think the Republican party is a party full of the almighty God nor is the Democratic party. They both have weaknesses ... And I'm not inextricably bound to either party."[31]
King critiqued both parties' performance on promoting racial equality:
Actually, the Negro has been betrayed by both the Republican and the Democratic party. The Democrats have betrayed him by capitulating to the whims and caprices of the Southern Dixiecrats. The Republicans have betrayed him by capitulating to the blatant hypocrisy of reactionary right wing northern Republicans. And this coalition of southern Dixiecrats and right wing reactionary northern Republicans defeats every bill and every move towards liberal legislation in the area of civil rights.[32]
Although King never publicly supported a political party or candidate for president, in a letter to a civil rights supporter in October 1956 he said that he was undecided as to whether he would vote for Adlai Stevenson or Dwight Eisenhower, but that "In the past I always voted the Democratic ticket."[33] In his autobiography, King says that in 1960 he privately voted for Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy: "I felt that Kennedy would make the best president. I never came out with an endorsement. My father did, but I never made one." King adds that he likely would have made an exception to his non-endorsement policy for a second Kennedy term, saying "Had President Kennedy lived, I would probably have endorsed him in 1964."
Number23
(24,544 posts)So what exactly is your question?
Wraith20878
(181 posts)I posted the wikipedia excerpt in response, and came here asking for help to continue the argument. My conservative friend never posted anything in response, so I guess I didn't need anything else.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)I'd suggest he start with the origins of the U.S. Civil War and continue through Reconstruction, the birth of the "Dixiecrats" and the start of the Jim Crow era...
And please don't give human fuckin' events mouse clicks...
Wraith20878
(181 posts)thanks
bigtree
(85,992 posts). . . think of it, just how much rw tripe is out there posing as legitimate debate. This is a good example of something that needs to be left where it came from to shrivel in it's own ignored inanity. Consider deleting because of the source, please.
Response to Wraith20878 (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
uppityperson
(115,677 posts)Mayor Mary Foster was elected mayor in 2007 and was overwhelmingly reelected for a second and third terms in 2009 and 2011. She has championed sustainable commercial and residential development to support the vision of Peekskill as a premier cultural and economic magnet for the region. A highly capable and dedicated public official, Mayor Foster has jump started downtown redevelopment, is repairing our aging infrastructure, is aggressively attacking crime, has expanded youth programs and have kept property taxes increases minimal a feat especially in these financially challenging financial times. Presently a Managing Director at Grant Thornton, LLP, Mary gives the City 100% effort. Drive by City Hall on any given night and youll probably see the light on in the mayors office. Mary is a member of the Mayors Redevelopment Roundtable, a member of the Mid-Hudson Sustainable Development Committee, the Treasurer and Secretary of the Westchester Municipal Officers Association and a Founding Member of the Northern Westchester Energy Action Consortium. Mary is also a former board president and current Executive Committee member of the Mental Health Association of Westchester County. She is a communicant of the Holy Spirit parish and lives in Peekskill with her husband, Don, and their two adult children.
I am curious. Do you consider yourself a Democrat? Who did you vote for or support last election? You sound disgruntled withi the Democratic party. Who do you advise support for instead? Welcome to DU. May you read and learn.
About DarrellDavisRadio
I have been an activist since my teens. I am a radio show host and Internet Marketer. I am one of the few progressive voices still on commercial radio. I am one of the few \"Black voices\" that still speak out against racism. I don\'t believe Black people should continue to blindly support the Democratic party and I am disgusted at how many of our \"Leaders\" are now Democrats. I continue to fight for justice and to empower our people.