Sanford Cloud wore (almost) exactly the same combo that a young John Kerry wore during his time at (the elite) St. Paul’s School. How true it is: Ivy transcended all sorts of differences.
When he was tragically assassinated, Dr. King was in the process of organizing a poor people’s march on Washington D.C. So no, he most certainly would not have been a conservative Republican. Now, Malcom Shabaz, on the other hand, before he was tragically assassinated, was espousing viewpoints that were decidedly in line with economic conservative Republican thought. Self-reliance, job production, rejection of “big government” programs, etc.
There’s no way King would be Republican today. Wikipedia provides some facts:
1. MLK voted for JFK and said he would have publicly endorsed him for re-electikon.
2. King said he usually voted “the Democratic ticket.”
3. King was a fervent believer in family planning.
4. He spoke out strongly against Goldwater.
5. King expressed skepticism about the Democrats, but he cited the Dixiecrats as the problem.
I personally and professionally watched the Dixiecrats turn Republican from the 70’s through the 90’s in Texas. The trigger was LBJ passing the Voting Rights Act and Civil Rights Act. The party switching continued as the Democrats became strongly opposed to racism and just about any kind of discrimination you can think of. Down here, race was the reason, and it largely still is.
I watched the documentary last night, I really enjoyed it! Convinced me to try wearing a shorter collar shirt from Gant with a thin Brooks Brothers tie today.
More importantly, it was inspiring to see young and brave collegiate African Americans join in solidarity for their rights peacefully, especially when the response could be so violent. The story about the two young men being killed at Southern University, and how it was seemingly set-up, was so alarming as well.
The southenr KKK members were probably Dems 54 damned years ago, but they quickly migrated to the R’s. They’re yours now, not ours.
Further, the Nazis were considered Right Wing and still are. From Wikipedia’s first sentence on Nazism: “..Nazism is the ideology and set of practices associated with the 20th-century German Nazi Party in Nazi Germany and of other far-right groups.
whiskeydent
Strange that the Republicans didn’t take control of the South till the 1990s, although they did go Republican in presidential elections prior. I would suggest that the South turned Republican for economic reasons, a growing middle class and the Southern Baptists opposition to eugenics.
It’s also strange that the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1960 signed by Eisenhower didn’t cause the Southern blacks to turn Republican, something they all were prior to FDR’s New Deal dole. Nor did they all turn Republican when Nixon integrated all the public Southern schools by the end of his first term, sch
Judging by JFK’s policies would he be a Democrat by today’s standards?
Why wouldn’t Dixicrats or anyone be opposed to Sec 5 of the 1965 Act that targeted only Southern states?
Yes, true, JFK was an early proponent of trickle down economics and knew that the Laffer curve was maximized at a top tax rate of only 71%. It’s a shame that the SJW’s raised the total bracket back to 99% and tanked the economy.
Not even Trump can save our freedom from the authoritarians taking over our college campuses and jailing anyone who dares to wear button down collars. I spent a month in a gulag because I dared to tell a trans woman that he should be wearing a tie instead of a dress.
The 1957 and 1960 Civil Right Acts were difficult to enforce and a rising young preacher, Martin Luther King, strongly criticized both. These toothless bills didn’t really impact how the South worked.
Shortly thereafter the number of riots and non-violent protests increased dramatically, bringing much more national attention to the issue. People watched it unfold on their TV sets in their living rooms.
In 1963, Kennedy called for a new, much stronger civil rights bill, which was pretty bold for an otherwise very cautious politicians. Perhaps that’s also why MLK said he would have endorsed. him After the assassination, LBJ then passed the Civil Rights Act in ’64 and the Voting Rights Act in ’65 (I probably should have pegged the catalyst to ’65 instead of ’64).
Together, those bills were extremely far-reaching and southern whites viewed them as a threat to their power. In addition, dozens of lawsuit had been filed by then as a result of Brown vs Board of Education, which outlawed school segregation. I listened to my right-wing southern mother go on and on about LBJ, the Kennedy’s, black rioters, MLK and blacks (insert epithet) and Hispanics (insert epithet) taking over.
However, the impact was gradual. Many Dixiecrats stayed with the party out of loyalty but over time they started saying “I didn’t leave the party, the party left me.” Meanwhile, Republicans had a hard time capitalizing right away because they had so little organization down here. It took them a while to build the powerful machine they have today.
As for Kennedy’s party affiliation today, I think his willingness to strengthen civil rights laws significantly shows something. Sure, he cut the tax rate, but nothing like where it is today. I also would point out that every single Kennedy that followed him was a Democrat.
And most importantly, politics and politicians change over time. Most any 1964 liberal would appear more moderate or conservative today. Democrats are the party of change. JFK would have evolved with the party — because, for one thing, he was not poisoned by racism.
One other point about my mother. Her father was a klansman, and she was a staunch Republican.
I know my way around this issue.
The Burkeans (true conservatives) know that any and all change that’s sudden or immediate (and therefore a shock to a system–political, cultural, or economic) won’t last. From a purely evolutionary perspective, we’re not wired to welcome, endorse, or support change that’s hard-and-fast. Revolution isn’t just messy. It’s inefficient, and, over the long term, ineffective. For all democratic capitalism’s* flaws and shortcomings, it gets this absolutely right: all real, lasting change is rooted in slow-and-steady persuasion. We’re sheep, and sheep won’t be pushed or shoved. They must be led.
Joel spent a month in a gulag and the experience was life-changing. When he got his freedom back, he swore an oath to devote his time to leaving anonymous troll comments on websites.
I was put in a gulag one time. The food was pretty good but the reading material stunk.
Eighty degrees in Hampton Roads today. Blue and white university stripe OCBD, RL flat front khakis, Trafalgar belt, Alden for BB cordovan loafers, no socks. Spring in February.
When I saw the pictures, I didn’t think about Democrats or Republicans. I thought how nice the young men looked, and how awful college boys look now, especially in comparison.
Sanford Cloud wore (almost) exactly the same combo that a young John Kerry wore during his time at (the elite) St. Paul’s School. How true it is: Ivy transcended all sorts of differences.
*the glen check, OCBD, repp stripe combo is one the best.
More proof that, if MLK were alive today, he would be a conservatuve Republican.
Joel,
I doubt that MLK would be a Republican, especially this current brand. However, I suspect he would be able to spell conservative correctly.
Joel,
When he was tragically assassinated, Dr. King was in the process of organizing a poor people’s march on Washington D.C. So no, he most certainly would not have been a conservative Republican. Now, Malcom Shabaz, on the other hand, before he was tragically assassinated, was espousing viewpoints that were decidedly in line with economic conservative Republican thought. Self-reliance, job production, rejection of “big government” programs, etc.
The Concord Diaspora
I don’t think we can say what party MLK would be supporting today is he was alive. He might say a pox on both their houses.
I think MLK would agree with our President that there are some very fine people on both sides.
I hope that MLK wouldn’t agree with Trump about anything at all.
There’s no way King would be Republican today. Wikipedia provides some facts:
1. MLK voted for JFK and said he would have publicly endorsed him for re-electikon.
2. King said he usually voted “the Democratic ticket.”
3. King was a fervent believer in family planning.
4. He spoke out strongly against Goldwater.
5. King expressed skepticism about the Democrats, but he cited the Dixiecrats as the problem.
I personally and professionally watched the Dixiecrats turn Republican from the 70’s through the 90’s in Texas. The trigger was LBJ passing the Voting Rights Act and Civil Rights Act. The party switching continued as the Democrats became strongly opposed to racism and just about any kind of discrimination you can think of. Down here, race was the reason, and it largely still is.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Jr.
I watched the documentary last night, I really enjoyed it! Convinced me to try wearing a shorter collar shirt from Gant with a thin Brooks Brothers tie today.
More importantly, it was inspiring to see young and brave collegiate African Americans join in solidarity for their rights peacefully, especially when the response could be so violent. The story about the two young men being killed at Southern University, and how it was seemingly set-up, was so alarming as well.
How did these well-dressed young men manage without Ralph Lauren?
As Will Richardson so astutely taught me, the Democrats are the party of the KKK. Also, the Nazis were leftists.
Go back to college, SJW’s.
Wrong again, Joel.
The southenr KKK members were probably Dems 54 damned years ago, but they quickly migrated to the R’s. They’re yours now, not ours.
Further, the Nazis were considered Right Wing and still are. From Wikipedia’s first sentence on Nazism: “..Nazism is the ideology and set of practices associated with the 20th-century German Nazi Party in Nazi Germany and of other far-right groups.
Get your facts together.
I left off the end quote for the punctuationists.
whiskeydent
Strange that the Republicans didn’t take control of the South till the 1990s, although they did go Republican in presidential elections prior. I would suggest that the South turned Republican for economic reasons, a growing middle class and the Southern Baptists opposition to eugenics.
It’s also strange that the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1960 signed by Eisenhower didn’t cause the Southern blacks to turn Republican, something they all were prior to FDR’s New Deal dole. Nor did they all turn Republican when Nixon integrated all the public Southern schools by the end of his first term, sch
Judging by JFK’s policies would he be a Democrat by today’s standards?
Why wouldn’t Dixicrats or anyone be opposed to Sec 5 of the 1965 Act that targeted only Southern states?
Yes, true, JFK was an early proponent of trickle down economics and knew that the Laffer curve was maximized at a top tax rate of only 71%. It’s a shame that the SJW’s raised the total bracket back to 99% and tanked the economy.
Not even Trump can save our freedom from the authoritarians taking over our college campuses and jailing anyone who dares to wear button down collars. I spent a month in a gulag because I dared to tell a trans woman that he should be wearing a tie instead of a dress.
Sort yourselves out.
@Joel: you “spent a month in a gulag”? Please elaborate.
The 1957 and 1960 Civil Right Acts were difficult to enforce and a rising young preacher, Martin Luther King, strongly criticized both. These toothless bills didn’t really impact how the South worked.
Shortly thereafter the number of riots and non-violent protests increased dramatically, bringing much more national attention to the issue. People watched it unfold on their TV sets in their living rooms.
In 1963, Kennedy called for a new, much stronger civil rights bill, which was pretty bold for an otherwise very cautious politicians. Perhaps that’s also why MLK said he would have endorsed. him After the assassination, LBJ then passed the Civil Rights Act in ’64 and the Voting Rights Act in ’65 (I probably should have pegged the catalyst to ’65 instead of ’64).
Together, those bills were extremely far-reaching and southern whites viewed them as a threat to their power. In addition, dozens of lawsuit had been filed by then as a result of Brown vs Board of Education, which outlawed school segregation. I listened to my right-wing southern mother go on and on about LBJ, the Kennedy’s, black rioters, MLK and blacks (insert epithet) and Hispanics (insert epithet) taking over.
However, the impact was gradual. Many Dixiecrats stayed with the party out of loyalty but over time they started saying “I didn’t leave the party, the party left me.” Meanwhile, Republicans had a hard time capitalizing right away because they had so little organization down here. It took them a while to build the powerful machine they have today.
As for Kennedy’s party affiliation today, I think his willingness to strengthen civil rights laws significantly shows something. Sure, he cut the tax rate, but nothing like where it is today. I also would point out that every single Kennedy that followed him was a Democrat.
And most importantly, politics and politicians change over time. Most any 1964 liberal would appear more moderate or conservative today. Democrats are the party of change. JFK would have evolved with the party — because, for one thing, he was not poisoned by racism.
One other point about my mother. Her father was a klansman, and she was a staunch Republican.
I know my way around this issue.
Please excuse the typos.
The Burkeans (true conservatives) know that any and all change that’s sudden or immediate (and therefore a shock to a system–political, cultural, or economic) won’t last. From a purely evolutionary perspective, we’re not wired to welcome, endorse, or support change that’s hard-and-fast. Revolution isn’t just messy. It’s inefficient, and, over the long term, ineffective. For all democratic capitalism’s* flaws and shortcomings, it gets this absolutely right: all real, lasting change is rooted in slow-and-steady persuasion. We’re sheep, and sheep won’t be pushed or shoved. They must be led.
*http://www.aei.org/publication/the-spirit-of-democratic-capitalism-thirty-years-later/
Joel spent a month in a gulag and the experience was life-changing. When he got his freedom back, he swore an oath to devote his time to leaving anonymous troll comments on websites.
Christian: You have Joel pegged exactly.
And good stuff from whiskeydent an S.E. as well.
And good stuff from whiskeydent and S.E. as well.
Reading these comments honestly makes me regret putting this post together. No good thing goes unpunished!
It puts your perseverance through 1000+ posts into perspective, CC.
This reminds me of something John Oliver once said: “Nazis are like cats. If they like you, it’s because you’re feeding them.”
I was put in a gulag one time. The food was pretty good but the reading material stunk.
Eighty degrees in Hampton Roads today. Blue and white university stripe OCBD, RL flat front khakis, Trafalgar belt, Alden for BB cordovan loafers, no socks. Spring in February.
Cheers,
Will
When I saw the pictures, I didn’t think about Democrats or Republicans. I thought how nice the young men looked, and how awful college boys look now, especially in comparison.