GOP erupts over Reid slavery, segregation remarks

[kpete]

Source: Politico

Reid, speaking on the floor of the Senate today, blasted GOP leaders who have urged Democrats opt for a slower, incremental approach to reform instead of the mega-bill the majority hopes to push through the Senate by Christmas

Reid started by mimicking Republicans whom he claims have said: "'Slow down, stop everything, let's start over."

"You think you've heard these same excuses before? You're right," he continued. "In this country there were those who dug in their heels and said, 'Slow down, it's too early. Let's wait. Things aren't bad enough' -- about slavery. When women wanted to vote 'Slow down, there will be a better day to do that -- the day isn't quite right...'"

He finished with: "When this body was on the verge of guaranteeing equal civil rights to everyone regardless of the color of their skin, some senators resorted to the same filibuster threats that we hear today."

Read more: http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/1209/Reid_compares_health_care_foes_to_slavery_supporters.html

[babylonsister]

1. Manufactured Controversy Of The Day

Manufactured Controversy Of The Day

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7175324&mesg_id=7175324

snip//

Republicans may not like being on the wrong side of history -- though, at this point, you'd think they'd be used to it -- but that doesn't make the historical context "inflammatory and irresponsible."

Jim Manley, Reid's spokesperson, said in a statement, "It is hard to believe Senate Republicans are making these charges with a straight face.... {F}or those who are counting, Republicans have now held one press conference on manufactured anger and have issued one manual on how to grind the Senate to a halt -- but have held zero press conferences and issued zero plans on how to help Americans afford to live a healthy life."

[burning rain]

32. I like the term "nontroversy."

.

[vinylsolution]

2. Good job, Harry....

Throwing the GOPs long and disgraceful history of obstruction back in its face is a great tactic!

Onward! :patriot:

[BREMPRO]

3. awe... he hurt their little feelings by reminding them they have consistently been on the wrong side

of history. Republicans are a total waste of oxygen and office space in congress.

[OHdem10]

4. They erupt at the drop of a hat.

[yurbud]

5. maybe Harry is finally taking a leadership role...

[Demeter]

11. I expect Harry will be apologizing in the morning

I've seen this Kabuki show many times before.

[Roland99]

6. And they called anyone not voting for the IWR a coward and siding w/the terrorists.

FUCK THEM!

[emulatorloo]

7. Good, I am glad they are "erupting".

[BlueIdaho]

8. Fuck the republicans and their poutrage.

Americans die every day because they can't afford to see a doctor or get a prescription filled and these bozos stand there in their thousand dollar suits and whine about a few words thrown in their direction.

Fuck them.

[Tejas]

9. Reid is full of..........

Goofball needs to double-check things, makes everyone look stupid.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964


"The bill was reported out of the Judiciary Committee in November 1963, and referred to the Rules Committee, whose chairman, Howard W. Smith, a Democrat and avid segregationist from Virginia, indicated his intention to keep the bill bottled up indefinitely."

"The bill came before the full Senate for debate on March 30, 1964 and the "Southern Bloc" of southern Senators led by Richard Russell (D-GA) launched a filibuster to prevent its passage. Said Russell: "We will resist to the bitter end any measure or any movement which would have a tendency to bring about social equality and intermingling and amalgamation of the races in our (Southern) states."


eta: link to Wiki.

[timo]

10. yup

people dont like to remember the ugly past of the democratic party.
screw harry reid he is a douche!!

[Tejas]

48. He's NRA-endorsed so I say we keep him.

:)

[Demeter]

12. Dixiecrats = latter-day DINOS

the problem is the same, only the names and labels are changed to confuse the public.

[L. Coyote]

13. He wasn't being partisan at all.

It is "just coincidence" that all the obstructionist today are Republicans :rofl:

And, regarding slavery, they were not. But, they have forgotten their own history.

[cannabis_flower]

18. True but..

who were these Democrats? Many of these Democrats later became Republicans. Like Strom Thurman.

[bbinacan]

26. I think Strom was the

only Dixie-crat to become a repub.

[Alexander]

56. Nope. Jesse Helms, James Byrnes, Albert Watson, Trent Lott, Mills Godwin...

Even recent party switchers like Richard Shelby and Virgil Goode.

[bbinacan]

70. I'm talking about those

who filibustered and were in office at the time. Strom is the only one that became a Republican.

[Tejas]

30. "who were these Democrats?" They were Democrats such as

Robert Byrd.


Sorry if I missed the turned-Republican-bandwagon in his case, but don't believe I did. Read the Wiki article, it's all there.

Reid was out of line, enjoy the spin.

[timo]

38. reid said it

so now its true and gospel??? this is a huge gaffe on reids part, the people posting below dont seem to understand.

[laughingliberal]

63. I don't think Reid identified those who stood in the way of progress on these issues of the past

as any particular party. He said, "'those' who resisted putting an end to slavery." He never said what party they were, just that they were wrong and so are the people opposing HCR.

[kenichol]

65. That's how I read what Reid said, too

So I don't think he got it wrong, because he wasn't making any references, party-wise. He was talking about those who don't think the timing is right for 'rights.'
I like what he said, when he said it.

[laughingliberal]

66. Yes, and I just now saw a clip of his remarks on MSNBC which confirmed my reading of it

I like what he said, too.

[WyLoochka]

21. That's taking things somewhat out of context

Yesterday's Dixiecrats (southern Dems) are today's Republicans - literally. They were welcomed into the GOP, starting in the late 60's (after the Civil rights Act had passed over their entrenched opposition) with open arms - complete with their bigotry and racism.

Basically, the problem then was the south. The Dem President at the time took the lead against his fellow southerners - remember? And a coalition of the northern Dems and enough "liberal Rockefeller Republicans" came together to finally get the Civil Rights Act passed.

Today there are no "Liberal Republicans," and the problem on Health Care is still largely the south and the tiny states (like mine in the west).

Party composition today is not like it was in the 60's where real consensus could be built across party lines. And back then, the Republicans did not lead on Civil Rights - their 1964 nominee - Goldwater was vehemently opposed to civil rights.

Harry Reid knows what he is talking about here.

[Hawaii Hiker]

28. And many Dixiecrats also opposed JFK's decision to

allow James Meredith to enroll at Ole Miss...


"Many older Democrats still revere JFK as the greatest President since FDR. For a lot of them, a high point of his administration occurred in Sept. 1962 when he sent his brother, Robert F. Kennedy, the Attorney-General of the United States, to the University of Mississippi to allow a black man, James Meredith, to enroll as a student at Ole Miss against the unrelenting and virulent opposition of archsegregationist governor Ross Barnett. Bobby, as he was usually called, was accompanied by 500 armed federal marshalls who eventually forced Barnett to stop blocking the schoolhouse door, but not before two people were killed and hundreds injured in the ensuing riot. The event was a turning point of the civil rights movement and the subject of at least one book. Kennedy did what he thought was right, even though he knew it would cost his party votes (in fact, the entire South, which was then solidly Democratic)".

http://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2008/Pres/Maps/Jan28.html

[Octafish]

51. JFK also ordered Secret Service to integrate...

...the first African American Secret Service agent to serve on the White House detail, Abraham Bolden, quit because he thought security for President Kennedy was too lax.

[Tejas]

29. No, not out of context whatsoever.

We can sit around and be emotional all night long, that won't change the plain English that Reid used. In your world, those Democrats were actually "Republicans" back in 1964.


I disagree and stand by my comment that Reid is a fool, at least today. He has however deservedly gotten NRA endorsements so he's not all bad.

;)

[Hassin Bin Sober]

59. What "plain English"? Specifically please. What statement leads you to say he was out of line?

[Confusious]

46. All those senators crossed over the the Republican party

After the 1964 civil rights legislation. Not a big fan of harry, but he is right.

[K8-EEE]

54. It's the conservatives who oppose positive change party has nothing to do with it

Everybody knows the parties realigned ideologically over civil rights in the 60s. I would have probably been a Republican in the 50's re: that issue. Has nothing to do with it.

[shawn703]

57. What are you talking about?

I read his quotes as an attack against those who tried to stop reforms that were for the good of the country. Just because the Republicans are filling that role now, doesn't mean he was saying the Republicans filled that role exclusively in the past.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

58. I re-read the quotes and watched the video. Where does he say it was ...

.... republicans or ONLY republicans that blocked the legislation?

He doesn't.


You have your panties in a twist over nothing.

[rateyes]

60. Those Dixiecrats switched parties, and are now Republicans...

including the Blue Dogs--Republicans who call themselves Democrats.

[CANDO]

14. They squeal the loudest at the most truthful of statements!

Do they really fancy themselves as that different from their GOP ancestors?

[BrklynLiberal]

25. That is so very true. The louder the noise, the closer you have come to hitting the nerve

[loyalkydem]

15. Truth hurts

Doesn't it. Karma's a bitch isn't it.

[DBoon]

16. exactly

[bc3000]

19. yup

[WriteDown]

17. This was a very poor analogy....

There were loads of better ones to pick from.

[bc3000]

20. How so?

It's not even really an analogy. He's talking about history. Conservatives have repeatedly been on the wrong side of modern US history and I see nothing wrong with pointing that out. Rather than pick a better example, I think he should have gone more in depth and recited more examples.

[WriteDown]

22. When he said "some senators"

He should have been aware that those "some" were southern dems. Now, he'll just be torn apart.

[24601]

43. Al Gore, Sr. voted against the 1964 Civil Rights Bill. Who will be

the 1st to accuse him of being a repug? Face it, we don't have the best record on civil rights and you can't blame the repugs for the miscreants in our party.

[K8-EEE]

55. It has nothing to do with party but with conservative ideology which now

Is GOP. I mean can we stay in the present time for current events??

[BrklynLiberal]

23. Awww. Are the poor little repukeys upset???

http://www.auburn.edu/~murraba/elucid/baby,crying,tantrum.jpg

[laughingliberal]

31. I love that! nt

[msongs]

24. way to go Harry.....now DON'T apologize for gosh sakes nt

[pansypoo53219]

27. the truth hurts

unfortunately NOT fatal.

[laughingliberal]

33. Oh, F*** the Republicans. Cornryn's on Fox Sunday comparing Reid to Stalin and their

panties are in a twist cause they were called out on their regressive, obstructionist tactics. I am ROFL for the first time today. Reid needs to take a page from Alan Grayson's playbook:

"Sure I'll apologize. Look for my apology when they open an ice skating rink in hell. The American people deserve better than a party obstructing health care reform cause they're still pouting over getting their keisters kicked in the last 2 election cycles."

[fascisthunter]

34. lol... it's pretty much true

[LynnTheDem]

35. GOP...erupts...pimples...

Word association.

So...what did Reid say that wasn't in fact TRUE?

*chirp* *chirp*


Dear republics;

Fuck off and get out of the fucking way. You ARE the problem.

[classysassy]

36. WOW,Harry

you hurt the lil boys and girls of the fox news party,too damn bad, the truth hurts,and those racist bastards can't stand the truth.

[unkachuck]

37. oh my....thank you, Harry....

....I actually liked what you've said....keep up the good work....

[robcon]

39. Remember, the filibuster of the Civil Rights Act was led by Democrats.

Republicans were far more likely to vote for the Civil Rights Act of 1964...

Cloture in the Senate:

* Democratic Party: 44-23 (66%-34%)
* Republican Party: 27-6 (82%-18%)

[tomhayes]

40. And then many of those Dems switched to the Republican party

Um, did you forget that part???

[robcon]

41. I didn't forget that at all. Nixon's Southern Strategy changed the party in the South.

I think Reid forgot it, though.

[24601]

44. Please feel free to name the Dem Senators who filibustered the

Civil Rights Act and then switched parties. After Strom Thurmond, the list dries up.

Better to say "Yeah, our history is flawed, But Senator Byrd is the only one left who filibustered the Civil Rights Act - so we've made him 3rd in line for Presidential Succession after the VP and House Speaker. But he's the only one left and the rest of us are different now."

[shanti]

42. a hit dog will holler

yeah....

[UrbScotty]

45. I heard RFK Jr. speak at my campus several years ago

He made similar comparisons as Reid is making.

Not Harry Reid's biggest fan, but he's spot-on here.

[defendandprotect]

47. Well, I'm happily shocked by Ole Harry's gumption here . . .Wow!!

What brought that on?

Well .... I'm thinking that probably the American desire for single payer health

care -- MEDICARE FOR ALL -- is so strong that even ole Harry had to move on it?????

At least, move on something?????

Keep pushing, folks ---

Also think that Obama probably had a landslide vote and huge mandate which was hidden --

read something recently where it was suggested GOP stole 23-24 Congressional seats.

Sounds about right to me!!!

[lynne]

49. It was Sen. BYRD of WV who filibustered 14+ HOURS AGAINST the civil rights legislation -

- Good job, Reid, of opening mouth and inserting foot. You might want to check a history book before spouting off as it just makes you look uninformed and gives Republicans ammo to use against you. Justified ammo, in this unfortunate case.

Like it or not, our civil rights record isn't pretty and isn't something we should be reminding people of.

[Kolesar]

52. 41 years ago

This is not granpa's Democratic Party.

[lynne]

61. Time doesn't change the facts of history -

- and the fact is that Reid was wrong on the facts.

[laughingliberal]

64. Reid didn't blame either party for resisting the end to slavery

He just said those obstructing health care reform are as wrong and using the same tired, old arguments that those who resisted ending slavery did.

[lynne]

67. You are right, I misread the quote -

- while he didn't point out any party I still feel it a statement best left unsaid. All it has done is highlight our "less than civil" civil rights record. I doubt that Senator Byrd appreciated having that old history dug up, either.

[laughingliberal]

69. While I agree he could have found a better example of assholes opposing

ideas which are right for the country his message was dead on. And I'm sick of Republican whining. Cornryn was on Fox on Sunday spewing about Stalin and health care gulags. Their righteous indignation is contrived and hypocritical.

[mbperrin]

50. I think Reid should consider an apology just as soon as Dick Cheney

apologizes for telling Patrick Leahy on the Senate floor to go fuck himself.

Never treat fuckers better than they treat you. Ever. Kick, hit, and slap them every chance you get. Think of it as tough love. REALLY tough love.

[K8-EEE]

53. He's totally right it's NEVER the good time for the status quo to change

They ALWAYS have to be forced to do it.

Good for him!

[newtothegame]

62. I'm not saying it's right or it's wrong.

But it's these kind of comments that cheapen the meaning of "racism," "sexism," etc. If we hadn't used these kinds of statements willy nilly in the past as a political tool of convenience, they might still mean something to the average American.

Another example: how many times in a typical year do we hear one side or the other called "Nazis?" The word means nothing anymore.

[karynnj]

68. If Reid wanted to use it, he should have said it was obstructed by Southern Conservative DEMOCRATS

The point would still be the same, and the fact is most of those Southern Conservative Democrats became Republicans. (No< Reid should NOT have said that.)

Had he done this the point would stand and attacking him would be MUCH harder.

[MadMaddie]

71. Geeze the GOP really hates it when facts rule the day don't they?

Reid is correct on this one!!