Gov. Northam D-Va. in Blackface?

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by Chicks

ROFLMAO! Thanks, Whell, you never fail to provide a good chuckle with my morning coffee. Welcome back!

He spews nothing but shopworn wingnut memes and accuses others of strawman arguments. Go figure.

[Chicks]

Originally Posted by finnbow

He spews nothing but shopworn wingnut memes and accuses others of strawman arguments. Go figure.

He’s like a mean Dan Quayle. Dumb as a rock, but oh so full of himself, lol.

[whell]

Originally Posted by finnbow

Nobody considers Byrd a hero other than West Virginians because of the incredible amount of federal funding he secured for the Mountain State.

Wrong again, Finn.

From the AP:Byrd evolved from segregationist to liberal hero

From the NY Times: Robert C. Byrd, a Pillar of the Senate, Dies at 92

And then there's Hillary: Hillary Clinton Remembers ‘Friend and Mentor’ Robert Byrd

[donquixote99]

Originally Posted by whell

Wrong again, Finn.

From the AP:Byrd evolved from segregationist to liberal hero

From the NY Times: Robert C. Byrd, a Pillar of the Senate, Dies at 92

And then there's Hillary: Hillary Clinton Remembers ‘Friend and Mentor’ Robert Byrd

Sure. Saying especially good stuff on the occasion of someone's death is customary. He's mostly forgotten now, except when dug up by folks who want to use his long bones as clubs.

Funny you have to dig up a years-dead southern democrat to find someone to distract from all the live-and-in-our-faces Republican bigots we are plagued-with now.

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by whell

Wrong again, Finn.

From the AP:Byrd evolved from segregationist to liberal hero

From the NY Times: Robert C. Byrd, a Pillar of the Senate, Dies at 92

And then there's Hillary: Hillary Clinton Remembers ‘Friend and Mentor’ Robert Byrd

These are eulogies, dimwit. The true heroes of the Democratic Party are FDR and JFK. Byrd was recognized for his length of service and his willingness to stay with the party when LBJ helped turned the party's back on its racist past and then fight for civil rights (unlike the other Dixiecrats who switched to the GOP in disgust of LBJ's civil and voting rights initiatives). Byrd is only revered as a hero in West Virginia and that's for his pork barrel prowess, not his ideology.

He was appreciated for his willingness to renounce his racist past and become a true warrior for the cause of civil rights. In the words of the NAACP following his death, “Senator Byrd reflects the transformative power of this nation. Senator Byrd went from being an active member of the KKK to a being a stalwart supporter of the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act and many other pieces of seminal legislation that advanced the civil rights and liberties of our country."

[whell]

Originally Posted by finnbow

You said "In contrast, its Dems leading the charge to revise / erase history by insisting that Confederate military statues must be torn down." This conservative meme belies the fact that these statues were not erected for educational or historical purposes. They were erected during the Jim Crow era with the express purpose of reasserting white supremacy and promoting the Lost Cause of the Confederacy (which itself is revisionist history).

Well, that's the Southern Poverty Law Center's conclusion. I don't think anyone - except maybe some of the inhabitants of this forum - would regard the SPLC as a reliable, unbiased source of historical fact. Could be that the SPLC wants to rewrite the history of the Jim Crowe era because it was the Southern Democrats who were running that show?

Sensibilities about history, and certain people's role in history, change over time. There's nothing new about this. There's nothing new about tearing down statues and likenesses of historical figures, whether its here in the US or elsewhere in the world. Statues are symbols. To some they commemorate and to some they glorify.

However, there's no question that in the wake of the destruction and tearing down of historically relevant statues and monuments, a certain amount of historical revisionism takes place.

Yet, the very reasons for the Civil War are still debated today. To many, both historical scholars and non-scholars, the war was only about slavery, and those folks are likely to view Southern politicians and military figures through the lens of race. Yet, records from that time indicate that while preservation of the institution of slavery was not always the primary reason cited by some of the states that seceded.

Robert E Lee - reasonable example of this. Many view him as a racist slave owner. Yet his history and writings reveal a bit more complexity. I think the rush to remove him from history is short-sighted.

Similarly, some might remove Byrd from history, or at least remove his name from Federal buildings. Is that the right course, or is it a wrong-headed attempt to erase lessons that could be learned from someone whose history might be a bit more complex to other folks.

Similarly, is the desire to throw Northam under the bus driven by the revelations his actions in the 1980's which are abhorent based on today's sensibilities, or because those actions came to light at a time that might be politically inconvenient? Do we need to throw anyone who has ever dressed up in blackface under the bus too (as images continue to surface of prominent celebs who have dressed up in blackface)?

[whell]

Originally Posted by finnbow

These are eulogies, dimwit. [/I]

Wrong again, road apple. The examples from the NY Times and the AP were news stories. Hillary was eulogizing, but in the context of this thread, her comments provide appropriate historical perspective.

[whell]

Originally Posted by donquixote99

Sure. Saying especially good stuff on the occasion of someone's death is customary. He's mostly forgotten now, except when dug up by folks who want to use his long bones as clubs.

Funny you have to dig up a years-dead southern democrat to find someone to distract from all the live-and-in-our-faces Republican bigots we are plagued-with now.

Northam is a Repub? Wow, who knew??

[Chicks]

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump

Today Elizabeth Warren, sometimes referred to by me as Pocahontas, joined the race for President. Will she run as our first Native American presidential candidate, or has she decided that after 32 years, this is not playing so well anymore? See you on the campaign TRAIL, Liz!

2:54 PM - 9 Feb 2019


Ryan Hill @RyanHillMI
Replying to @realDonaldTrump
The President has once again reaffirmed for the world what a despicable, racist, culturally insensitive excuse for a human being he is.

As he continues to make light of some of the darkest times of American History,

For many (with a soul).. The “TRAIL” of Tears isn't a Joke!

---------------------

Whell's racist "hero". Both are despicable.

[donquixote99]

Originally Posted by whell

Northam is a Repub? Wow, who knew??

This is you all over. A serious, civil post is "answered" with nothing but annoying sarcasm. Hell of a way to behave. If that's all you have, please don't bother to reply in the future.