Old Fashioned Politicians You Miss

[mkregel]

Back in the 70's we had this one Republican (yeah I know) who was very liberal, especially on civil liberties.

-He was personally against abortion, but faught for it's legality.

-He was a born again Christian, but faught like hell to keep prayer out of schools.

-He supported state welfare programs, school funding, etc

Why can't they make these kinds of republicans anymore?

[molly]

1. Are you going to tell us who it is?

[mkregel]

5. I don't remember!!!!

I only remember hearing about him from people at my Church who would use him as an example to describe St. Augustine's City of God.

Yes, I went to a strange church - progressive but I don't know of many Methodist 10 year olds who learned about Augustine.

[BayCityProgressive]

2. LOL

Most Democrats don't even support these things anymore. He must have been a commie pinko traitor :)

[SCantiGOP]

3. go back further

Look at the 50's and 60's, and many of the most progressive members of Congress were Republican. And many of the strongest supporters of civil rights were GOP (of course, the racist Southern Democrats had not yet switched parties). Dirksen, Hatfield, Jacob Javits and others were honorable members of the liberal wing of the Republican Party. Now, a liberal republican is one who does not openly admit that he's a racist homophobe who despises the poor and middle classes.

[luckyluke]

6. Are you saying...

...that Democrats were conservative and Republicans liberal back then? I have heard about Thurmond and the Dixiecrats, of course, but I am too young and foreign to know much else about party politics of the 50s and 60s.

-ll

[SCantiGOP]

7. No, luckyluke

But there where two distinct wings in each party. The GOP tended to be more business oriented, but they had members who were very liberal on social issues. While the Democrats tended to be the party of immigrants, labor and the big cities, they also had the hard core racistists of the solid South. Until the 60's there wasn't a single republican congressman from the deep south. There's a standard arguement these days by republicans trying to say that they are not a racist party, and that is that more republicans than democrats voted for the 1964 civil rights act. But, the reason is that almost all of the southern democrats voted against it. Within a few years, those bigots had found their true home in the GOP. While the democrats still have everthing from firebrand liberals to some fairly conservative members, there is no "non-conservative" activity allowed in the GOP.

[Jokerman]

4. Birch Bayh

Evan's father was a true liberal statesman. Evan is nothing but a political opportunist. He takes whatever stand his big contributors want him to take.

[mkregel]

8. Was Birch Bayh a Republican?

Evan might as well be...I know

[goobergunch]

9. no (n/t)

[jburton]

10. Texas Legend

Bob Bullock. The Godfather of Texas politics.

[CBHagman]

11. Mark Hatfield was one of the progressive Republicans.

I seem to recall that he opposed the Vietnam War.

He was also identified as a devout Christian as well.

[SCantiGOP]

12. Hatfield

Was one of the leaders of the anti-war group in Congress. Several other leaders were also Republican. And, you wouldn't believe it today, but there were several very liberal Southern Democrats who opposed the war, notably Fulbright of Arkansas and Yarborough of Texas.

[Insider]

13. shirely chisholm

http://nh.essortment.com/shirleychisholm_ruol.htm

[realFedUp]

14. Dale Bumpers

Wish he was still in office.