Ok, let’s go back to the conformist, racist, sexist, homophobic, red-baiting 1950’s.

For him to cite the voting on the Civil Rights Act is simply irrelevant to the subject of Liberals/Conservatives or to modern Republicans/Democrats regarding civil rights

I agree with this, but that was not Thomas Sowell’s point, he is addressing overall historical party, and which one has done what for minorities. For whatever the reason, when push came to shove, and we start talking about real civil rights accomplishments, Republicans came through more than Democrats, atleast in the civil rights acts.

As far as the southern strategy goes, Democrats too put politics over civil rights. After all, while in one hand LBJ was nominating Thurgood Marshall, he was calling him the N-word in the other. Both parties played politics with race.

Michael,

There is a big difference between getting drunk and being a member of the KKK, I think we can agree on that. Yes Byrd renounced his membership, but he was still given life long membership by the Klan. He must have been a very effective member at the time…

This is a deceptive post. Senator Byrd is not a loife long member of the Klan. He renounced the Klan several decades ago. He quit the Klan in 1946 before Civil Rights voting came across congress. It was reprehensible for him to have joined the Klan something he has apoligized for many times. Somehow zealots like Hannity can forgive a guy for drunk driving in his late 30’s as a youthful indiscretion, but someone who made a mistake in his twenties and is a democrat is fair game to bring up despite his long record opposing his prior beliefs. Just as McCain’s dalliance as a member of the Keating 5 has made him a huge crusader against campaign finance improprities so has
Byrd’s mistakes asa young southern racists. Unlike Helms, Thurmon etc. he changed his ways.

The democratic party also includes Congressman Lewis from Georgia who was attacked on the bridge in Alabama in those very riots you were talking abouut.

Also , New York had relatively few if any race riots in the ’60’s. Newark did 20 miles down the road, but not NY.

The fact that Democrats at the time were dominant in the South means nearly nothing. For heaven’s sake, Sowell knows this. For him to cite the voting on the Civil Rights Act is simply irrelevant to the subject of Liberals/Conservatives or to modern Republicans/Democrats regarding civil rights.

It is a well-known historical fact (not an interpretation, but a fact!) that the Republican Party capitulated to bigotry during the Civil Rights era; which resulted in a steady flow of Southern bigots from the Democrat to the Republican parties that continues today.

This was the “Southern Strategy” that current Republican Party Chairman Mehlman recently apologized to American blacks for. This is the historical record. For Sowell to ignore it is simply absurd.

This came out June 12th. Gee who was president in 1991.