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In reply to the discussion: Wanna Know Who Made Racism ''Acceptable Again'' in the good ol' USA? [View all]Octafish
(55,745 posts)186. Outstanding Resource! Thank You!
From scoobiedavis:
Reagans Legacy Regarding Race
Reagan is as dead as a doornail but his legacy lives on in the Republican Party:
Trent Lott, who gave a speech lauding Strom Thurmonds Dixiecrat presidential run of 1948 at the same rally at the Neshoba County Fair that Reagan gave his infamous states rights speech in 1980, was elected to the U.S. Senate and eventually became Senate Majority leader. As was the case of Neshoba, in 2002 he gave a speech lauding Thurmonds Dixiecrat campaign at an event celebrating Thurmonds 100th birthday; and as was the case in 1980, the mainstream media ignored Lotts commentsat least initially. Unlike in 1980, in 2002, there were Internet bloggers who refused to let Lott get away with it. The political firestorm resulted in Lotts resignation as Majority Leader. Prior to the controversy, Lott had close ties to the modern day version of the White Citizens Councils, the [font color="red"]Council of Conservative Citizens[/font color]. Lott also quipped that the president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, would have approved of the Republican platform.
The solid Democratic South has became the Republican South.
Jeff Sessions, the Reagan nominee who was defeated because of his racist associations and activities, ran for the U.S. Senate in Alabama and won.
Haley Barbour, a Mississippi, was the head of the Republican national Committee. Barbour is an unreconstructed neo-Confederate apologist. In the lead up to the GOP nomination race of 2012, Barbour was criticized for saying laudatory things about the old White Citizens Councils (WCC) and his past association with the modern incarnation of the WCC, The Council of Conservative Citizens. Barbour lamely claimed that he became a Republican because of his opposition to the segregationist policies of Southern Democrats in the 1960s.
In the 21st century, the right and the GOP have engaged in a war on black voters. George W. Bush became president largely because Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris engaged in a felon-purge of the voter rollslargely disenfranchising non-felons. Voter intimidation was institutionalized by Republican lawmakers in the form of Voter I.D. laws that address the largely nonexistent problem of voter fraud. U.S. Attorneys Firings Scandal was largely over the issue of U.S. Attorneys who were fired because they were pressured to put on the front burner cases of alleged cases of voter fraud even though voter fraud was extremely rare. Even though Republicans were told that voter caging was unacceptable, Tim Griffin, now in the U.S. House, engaged in the practice. During Bushs rule, vacancies in the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice were filled with hacks and anti-civil rights activists who were illegally chosen because of political affiliation.
Roger Ailes, Reagans media man who got his start race-baiting for Richard Nixon, became the head of Fox News.
Right-wing talk radio has become a repository for racist thought. The most notable talk radio racist is Rush Limbaugh who has made many racist comments.
Another notable talk radio host who exploited race is Sean Hannity. Hannity was one of Trent Lotts biggest defenders when Lott got in trouble because of his 2002 comments about Thurmonds 1948 Dixiecrat run. Hannity also was a close associate of virulent racist Hal Turner. During the 2008 elections, Hannity used his Fox News program to give a platform to crackpot and virulent anti-Semite and racist Anthony Robert Martin-Trigona (AKA Andy Martin) whom Hannity laughably presented as an internet jounalist.
Representative Paul Broun (R-GA) referred to the U.S. Civil War as the "Great War of Yankee Aggression."
CONTINUED...
http://reaganandracism.blogspot.com/
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Wanna Know Who Made Racism ''Acceptable Again'' in the good ol' USA? [View all]
Octafish
Jun 2015
OP
Amen! 'The legacy of Saint Reagan is one of treachery, malfeasance and treason IMO.'
Surya Gayatri
Jun 2015
#162
And then they fell to their knees, lit the incense, and prayed "Yes, Yes, YES!!!"
calimary
Jun 2015
#64
I recall seeing that live (or on the news the next day) during GHWB's inauguration
Chiyo-chichi
Jun 2015
#88
That's the right answer. But on DU it's tricky to criticize Reagan, many here voted for him and
Bluenorthwest
Jun 2015
#4
In addition to defending Reagan, they defend Bush I, II and the rest of the Crime Family
Octafish
Jun 2015
#10
Reagan could not have pulled it off without the willing acquiescence of many who should have known
KingCharlemagne
Jun 2015
#31
Reagan was a fascist piece of shit, going back to his days as Gov. of California when he threatened
KingCharlemagne
Jun 2015
#35
Reagan called in the National Guard over 4 "dirty words" in The Berkely Barb
stuffmatters
Jun 2015
#137
The thing to remember about RWR is that he started as a Cold War Dem. He's the missing link
leveymg
Jun 2015
#80
Good points all. Simply add a little astrology to the mix and, voila, you've got
KingCharlemagne
Jun 2015
#84
Racism is going to get worse as competition for the few good jobs that are still
Baitball Blogger
Jun 2015
#7
+1. This country was built by African slave labor and the extermination of indigenous peoples
YoungDemCA
Jun 2015
#103
How Ronald Reagan used coded racial appeals to galvanize white voters and gut the middle class
Octafish
Jun 2015
#191
We were in Alabama when Kennedy was shot, and Dad was working in Huntsville (Apollo program stuff)
hatrack
Jun 2015
#123
Lee Atwater had an army of racists and supremacists he used to political advantage.
blm
Jun 2015
#29
Lee Atwater had SC wired with his racist hit squad including a group from Bob Jones Univ.
blm
Jun 2015
#210
And yet in an interview with Mike Wallace in 1988, Ronny couldn't understand why so many
muntrv
Jun 2015
#32
Actually, the Dixiecrats who revolted against Civil Rights gains in the 60s and became Southern
Liberal_Stalwart71
Jun 2015
#43
RACISM has always been around and never went out of style. There never was a time when
Liberal_Stalwart71
Jun 2015
#44
Saying that racism is "acceptable again" implies that there was a time when racism
Liberal_Stalwart71
Jun 2015
#188
Wrong. Nixon led the resurgence. Read again. The Southern Strategy was Nixon's agenda.
Liberal_Stalwart71
Jun 2015
#199
You simply won't admit your mistake. The assertion you made, "Reagan was responsible for racism's
Liberal_Stalwart71
Jun 2015
#211
Reagan was one of the worst Presidents for the poor, the marginalized, the historically oppressed
YoungDemCA
Jun 2015
#118
It stopped -- for a time, anyway -- in the Oval Office during the Kennedy Administration.
Octafish
Jun 2015
#193
Not to mention he kicked off his Presidential campaign in Philadelphia, Mississippi as a symbol of
Hoyt
Jun 2015
#101
I am sorry I sound so pedantic...lots of history being rewritten when it comes to fascism.
Octafish
Jun 2015
#107
I have to admit, I'm on my phone and pretty much just looked at the photo. Just went back
Hoyt
Jun 2015
#111
Presidents can't do anything progressive without masses of ordinary people demanding that they do it
YoungDemCA
Jun 2015
#114
Well, in all fairness to Ronnie the Empty Suit, Tricky Dick was really pretty bad too:
struggle4progress
Jun 2015
#115
Ronnie was caught too, but the House decided not to pursue impeachment
struggle4progress
Jun 2015
#121
Had Reagan been impeached, his forced testimony would have outed his alzheimers
stuffmatters
Jun 2015
#141
What a monster! Also, for what he was responsible for in South America....
Joe Chi Minh
Jun 2015
#135
Don't forget the site of Reagan's first speech after receiving gthe 1980 Republican nomination.
bulloney
Jun 2015
#138
Philadelphia, Mississippi had a population of about 5,000 and had no significance whatsoever
aint_no_life_nowhere
Jun 2015
#183
K&R! I thought it was going to be Poppy Bush refering to Jeb's kids as his "little brown babies"....
Ghost in the Machine
Jun 2015
#148
Bush Defends 'Little Brown Ones' Term for Grandchildren, Tells 'Pride and Love'
Octafish
Jun 2015
#185
Bookmarked and K & R. Thanks for restoring some historical perspective to the debate.
Surya Gayatri
Jun 2015
#158
It was screamed in the 80's, and it was 100% true: Reagan was a god damned puppet.
C Moon
Jun 2015
#168