Saturday, July 17, 2010

How Can You Call Us Racists?




Republicans like to point out Abraham Lincoln was our first Republican president. The fact is the Republican Party was the progressive party then. They would be until Teddy Roosevelt took the progressives with him when he split into the Bull Moose Party in 1912. The Republicans would go the way of Hoover and it’s easy to see how we got where we are.

In 1956 the Republican Party platform called for "broadened coverage in unemployment insurance" and "better health protection for all our people." It vowed to "continue vigorously to support the United Nations."

It pledged support for "progressive programs" to expand workers' rights. It vowed an immigration policy that ensured that America would remain a "haven for oppressed peoples."

In 1960 the Republican Party platform hailed the GOP's success in extending unemployment insurance. The GOP counted as an achievement its efforts to raise the Federal minimum wage.

The platform hailed expanded Social Security coverage and pledged an aggressive Federal effort to help those struggling with health care costs. It pledged to continue robust Federal intervention to preserve the environment.

Glenn Beck and others are now calling Eisenhower a socialist.

Today Republicans are represented by the Tea Party. They must be proud with spokespeople like Sarah Palin.

Responding to the NAACP’s claims that the Tea Party should renounce racist elements in their group she said, "The charge that Tea Party Americans judge people by the color of their skin is false, appalling, and is a regressive and diversionary tactic to change the subject at hand.,"

Mrs. Palin added that the tea party movement was "beautiful" and full of "equality loving patriots.

Hmm, I wonder how the NAACP got that idea!.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Dave,

I used to consider myself a Republican. Now, I’m a Libertarian if anything. I don’t really see much difference between the actions of the Republican and Democratic parties. They both simply work to get re-elected and bring pork back to their home states. I actually believe, quite strongly, in what the Tea Party (not really a Party) stands for; Fiscal Responsibility, Constitutionally Limited Government and Free Markets. I can’t bring myself to join the Tea Party because of all the nut jobs it attracts. It’s a shame that the Tea Party is losing its message because of all these rednecks.

As for Sarah Palin, she is really dangerous. If the Republicans don’t get a credible candidate, I can really see a scenario where Palin gets the nomination in ’12. The thought of her getting elected to office scares the hell out of me. If both of her brain cells were to bump into each other at the wrong time, who knows what could happen?

I don’t think the Tea Party speaks for the Republican Party. I think they really are a focus group with a few key issues.

I believe most Republicans are thoughtful people with a serious, sincere agenda. Unfortunately the Republican Party has been hijacked by a bunch of self-appointed yahoos like Rush, Hannity and Palin who whip a lot of dim-wits into frenzy, and then they show up a Tea Party rallies with signs like you have shown.

Jamie