Could Bush’s Americans with Disabilities Act Pass Today?

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Bill, there's a reason why 90% of African-Americans vote Democrat and have for over four decades. The GOP is a racist party. The fact that you fail to see the historic north/south issue regarding US political parties shows your utter inability to understand American politics and history. There are very few southern Democrats; they've all become Republicans!! The GOP won over the entire deep south by pandering to their racism. Every deep southern state of the former confederacy is now Republican. It's no wonder southern GOP elected officials whitewash slavery and annually celebrate Confederate history. Read the following comments regarding the stance of two Southern Republican governors on Confederate history month. The GOP under Lincoln that fought against the Confederacy has no connection to today's GOP.
"It was bad enough when Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell proclaimed Confederate History Month without mentioning slavery, but at least he came to his senses and apologized. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour’s contention that the whole controversy “doesn’t amount to diddly” is much worse. “I don’t know what you would say about slavery,” Barbour told CNN, “but anybody that thinks that you have to explain to people that slavery is a bad thing, I think that goes without saying.” And that’s the problem—Barbour thinks it “goes without saying.” The governor of the state whose population includes the highest percentage of African-Americans in the nation believes it is appropriate to “honor” those who fought for the Confederacy. Clearly, he has no problem with revisiting the distant past. Yet he sees no reason to mention the vile, unthinkable practices—state-sanctioned kidnapping, torture and rape—that those Confederate soldiers were fighting to protect."
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_confederacy_isnt_something_to_be_proud_of_20100412/P100/
Oliver Willis explains the recent history;
"Conservative Democrats left the party in opposition to civil rights and became Republicans. After the Civil Rights law was signed into law, conservative Democrats left the party. Strom Thurmond, who ran as a segregationist in 1948, became a Republican, as did Jesse Helms (who went on to filibuster against making Martin Luther King Jr. day a federal holiday). Republicans used racial resentment for elections, while Democrats became more racially inclusive. As the Republican party became more ideologically conservative in the post-Goldwater era, they increasingly used racially divisive politics for electoral gain. The GOP employed what is now known as “the southern stategy” (acknowledged by GOP party chairmen Ken Mehlman and Michael Steele in the last decade) to demonize blacks and other minorities while also riling up the white, male conservative base that forms the party now."
http://www.oliverwillis.com/2010/07/10/history-democrats-republicans-on-civil-rights-equality/
Spare me the right wing propaganda, Bill. I know US history and so do 90% of African-Americans.

steve of IL 7:27PM July 26, 2010

“Note that NO southern Republicans voted for the Act while 5% southern dems did”.
Steve why did say no Republican but 5% of southern Democrats did.
Why not 0 southern Republican and 1 southern Democrat. Think 5% sounds more impressive ? Compare APPLES TO APPLES Steve. Not number to %.
Father Bush sure signed didn't he.

Bill Hedges of MO 6:54PM July 26, 2010

First off made mistake Disability was Father Bush.
Disability is civil rights. Same in my book. Discrimination is discrimination. I do not distingush by race.
Steve says "Every lying right wing blogger has taken to smearing the Democrats as "racist."". Steve likes to separate North from south Democrats. Not trying to make Democrat racist. I say racist are racist. But Steve likes to give credit to Democrats for legislation. History does not back him.
I have shown All DEMOCRAT VOTES AGAUNST CIVIL RIGHT LEGISLATION. That is both NORTH and SOUTH. That is not “lying right wing ” that is the TRUTH.
1800 civil rights was much harder to pass in its day. Fighting those Democrats. Republican party came into exist from Democrat party to fight for blacks.

Bill Hedges of MO 6:41PM July 26, 2010

Every lying right wing blogger has taken to smearing the Democrats as "racist." In fact, it was Democrats who passed the two most important pieces of legislation in US Civil Rights history, the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Everyone knows that the Democratic Party was a divided party, north and south. Racism was regionally based not based on party affiliation. Here is the regional and party breakdown of the 1964 Civil Rights Act vote in both houses;
"Southern", as used in this section, refers to members of Congress from the eleven states that made up the Confederate States of America in the American Civil War. "Northern" refers to members from the other 39 states, regardless of the geographic location of those states.
The original House version:
* Southern Democrats: 7-87 (7%-93%)
* Southern Republicans: 0-10 (0%-100%)
* Northern Democrats: 145-9 (94%-6%)
* Northern Republicans: 138-24 (85%-15%)
The Senate version:
* Southern Democrats: 1-20 (5%-95%)
* Southern Republicans: 0-1 (0%-100%)
* Northern Democrats: 45-1 (98%-2%)
* Northern Republicans: 27-5 (84%-16%)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964
Note that NO southern Republicans voted for the Act while 5% southern dems did. Dems initiated and overwhelmingly supported the act. It was a Democratic piece of legislation and is seen as such. Ditto for the Voting Rights act of 1965. Final vote on VRA;
Conference Report:
Senate: 79–18
* Democrats: 49–17
* Republicans: 30–1
House: 328–74
* Democrats: 217–54
* Republicans: 111–20
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_Rights_Act
This was a bill to end voter suppression in the deep south. Notice the voting patterns. It was basically north vs. south not GOP vs. Dems. The most interesting thing about the bill is that it could have passed without any GOP support (although the GOP did overwhelmingly support it).
Oliver Willis, an African-American blogger sets the record straight;
"Conservative Democrats left the party in opposition to civil rights and became Republicans. After the Civil Rights law was signed into law, conservative Democrats left the party. Strom Thurmond, who ran as a segregationist in 1948, became a Republican, as did Jesse Helms (who went on to filibuster against making Martin Luther King Jr. day a federal holiday)...As the Republican party became more ideologically conservative in the post-Goldwater era, they increasingly used racially divisive politics for electoral gain. The GOP employed what is now known as “the southern stategy...”
http://www.oliverwillis.com/2010/07/10/history-democrats-republicans-on-civil-rights-equality/
The GOP gained the south by pandering to its racism. This is why the GOP now ironically celebrates confederate heritage contrary to their former abolitionist stance during the US Civil War.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_confederacy_isnt_something_to_be_proud_of_20100412/P100/

steve of IL 6:04PM July 26, 2010

No civil rights laws passed after Newt and the boys were elected. Adoption was passed and this.
I am thank for that both passed and think both could be passed in January.

Bill Hedges of MO 4:55PM July 26, 2010