A Note On Race And Political Parties

This is a note to all about race and political parties.

It is true:

• The Democratic party was the party that supported slavery.
• A founding principal of the Republican party was abolition of slavery.
• The Democratic party was the party that fought to maintain white supremacy after Reconstruction.
• Many southern Democrats fought civil rights legislation.
• Republicans were vital to the passing of civil rights legislation.
• Democrats were vital to the passing of civil rights legislation.
• At one time the majority of Blacks were Republicans.

However, all of that is in the past forms of the Democratic and Republican parties. That is not the present makeup of both parties. I'm not saying the Republican party would support slavery today, however, the Southern Strategy, as Michael Steele has stated, was real and it was wrong. Today, I contend the Republican party, largely, actively avoids going after the Black vote. This is not the Republican party of years gone by. Nor is the segregationist roots of the Democratic party the Democratic party of today.

Today, the Democratic party is Barack Obama's party. By winning the Democratic presidential nomination, he is the effective leader of the party.

My fellow Republicans, no matter what, at this point, it cannot be said the Democratic party is the party of racists. They have shed that past, Sen. Robert Bryd not withstanding.