The Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition commented today on the continuing blind spot afflicting the Republican Party:
"What does it say about a national party when they are so scared of their neo-Confederate base? Why was there such silence from the leading lights of the GOP, when their much-praised, up-and-coming future contender Governor McConnell reinstated the racist Virginia practice of praising Confederate History Month? Why were the top Republican officials not all over the media--as they have been every day, all year long, condemning the President's health care plans--to condemn the blatant omission of slavery from a proclamation supposedly about Civil War history?"
Jackson continued: "The answer, of course, is that they were AWOL. Missing in action. Uncharacteristically quiet, about a fact which 'real Americans'--to recycle Sarah Palin's much-abused phrase--are quite clear on: that the Civil War was about slavery, one of the original sins of this nation's founding."
"And why were they missing in action?" Jackson asked. "Because they are in hock to their Southern, neo-Confederate base, as they have been ever since Richard Nixon adopted Strom Thurmond's Southern Strategy, and they are afraid to tell their neo-Confederates no, even when they are morally and factually wrong about such a major, major issue."
Jackson noted that Washington Post columnist Robert McCartney has a clarifying quote in his column today: "It's important to keep in mind that, for many Virginia conservatives, today's struggles against Obamacare and climate change laws are a continuation of the efforts by Jefferson Davis and the other secessionists in the 1860s. 'They were fighting for the same things that people in the 'tea party' are fighting for now,' said Grayson Jennings, first lieutenant commander of the Virginia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which lobbied McDonnell to issue the proclamation."
Top Republican officials will no doubt claim that the Mr. Jennings does not speak for them. Too bad they were silent when their new star Governor "omitted" slavery from his Civil War history.
Reverend Jackson continued: "Right now, Republican Attorneys General in more than a dozen states are suing on behalf of 'states' rights,' supposedly to 'protect' their residents from the Democrats' health care law. Let us not develop historical amnesia here. Let us not forget the sordid history of states' rights, bound up in defending slavery, segregation, secession, and sedition. A shameful history, filled with the use of racial fears as wedge issues. A sad history, replete with the cowering of conservative elected officials in the face of massive evil and obvious violence and abuse."
"The legacies of slavery and segregation live on today, as the descendants of those victimized by slavery and segregation lag behind in all the statistics of gain, while leading the nation in all the statistics of pain. African-Americans lag behind in wealth, in home ownership, in medical care, in employment; yet we lead America in early death, imprisonment, poverty, dropout rates."
"Last week, we sadly commemorated the 42nd year since the assassination of Dr. King, who spent his last months on this earth organizing the Poor People's March on Washington. Dr. King understood--and tried to teach us--that the legacy of slavery was poverty, not just for African-Americans, but for Latinos and Whites as well. Perhaps it is time for all of us to not just remember Dr. King's words, but to act on them."
"So if Governor McConnell really wants to apologize, he could start by telling his publicity-seeking Attorney General to drop a suit which would prevent 1.2 million uninsured Virginians from finally gaining access to health insurance."
Follow Rev. Jesse Jackson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/revjjackson
Just because people want to celebrate the culture of the Confederate states doesn't mean that they want to bring back all the policies that it was known for. I don't think I have heard anyone saying they wanted to celebrate the history of the Confederate states as well as remove themselves from the union and try to purchase slaves.
It's completely ridiculous to even suggest that.
Could it be white supremacy and black inferiority?
Because that was the culture.
It was republicans who ushered in Civil Rights. Al Gore's own father (as well as many other Democrats) voted against civil rights.
I am not defending anyone who espouses returning to the Confederate hay-days. I do not think we should just brush history under the carpet though.
To draw a parallel between not wanting the Government Mandate our health care with old school southern politics is a misrepresentation of the facts. There are no racial elements at play here. The health care law is just bad law and it doesn't have the support of the majority of Americans (of all races, creeds, etc.). There are free market solutions that have been woefully ignored here. Health care portability is the only true way to insure low cost for everyone.
Cap and Trade is abysmal and it would only further damage our country's fiscal esteem in the global marketplace. Couple that with the fact that it's based on politically driven science and you have a nightmare.
This is not an accusation, but palpable historical fact. Indeed, the KKK played a big part in keeping Republicans out of the south.
Sir, I could not agree more. Excellent article.