The Inconvenient Truth About the Republican Party

[Marcus Aurelius]

I have to confess that I haven't studied the history of the Republican party. (I'm more interested in philosophy than politics.) Are the claims in this video correct? I've always thought of the Democratic party as the one more sympathetic to blacks and women.

[Chris]

It's true. Republicans have historically been against racism, Democrats historically racist. Expect Democrats to rewrite history.

[Mister D]

PragerU videos trigger some of our members. Just keep that in mind.

[IMPress Polly]

I have to confess that I haven't studied the history of the Republican party. (I'm more interested in philosophy than politics.) Are the claims in this video correct? I've always thought of the Democratic party as the one more sympathetic to blacks and women.

Most of that video's contents are accurate, and that's a matter of historical fact. In fact, we could even extend the analysis into the early 1970s to show that, even that recently, it was still predominantly Republicans who voted to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in 1972 amidst the second feminist wave of activism.

The difference between then and now is the Reagan Revolution of the 1980s, which was calculated to win over the U.S. South for the Republican Party. It worked. At the expense of the North (especially the Northeast), which resultantly switched to the Democratic Party. During the 1980s, there were mass conversions of elected officials in my state of Vermont from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party and the reverse was true across the Southern states. So in essence today's Democratic Party IS yesteryear's Republican Party and to a substantial degree. I mean in terms of who actually composes it demographically.

The Republican Party began reversing course on a lot of issues in the 1980s. For example, you remember how I just pointed out that it was mostly Republicans who voted to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in 1972? Well, in their 1980 platform, by contrast, they became the only of the two major parties to officially oppose and condemn the ERA, thus beginning their long term shift in a different direction on these issues, by contrast.

[Mister D]

Most of that video's contents are accurate, and that's a matter of historical fact. In fact, we could even extend the analysis into the early 1970s to show that, even that recently, it was still predominantly Republicans who voted to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in 1972 amidst the second feminist wave of activism.

The difference between then and now is the Reagan Revolution of the 1980s, which was calculated to win over the U.S. South for the Republican Party. It worked. At the expense of the North (especially the Northeast), which resultantly switched to the Democratic Party. During the 1980s, there were mass conversions of elected officials in my state of Vermont from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party and the reverse was true across the Southern states. So in essence today's Democratic Party IS yesteryear's Republican Party and to a substantial degree. I mean in terms of who actually composes it demographically.

The Republican Party began reversing course on a lot of issues in the 1980s. For example, you remember how I just pointed out that it was mostly Republicans who voted to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in 1972? Well, in their 1980 platform, by contrast, they became the only of the two major parties to officially oppose and condemn the ERA, thus beginning their long term shift in a different direction on these issues, by contrast.

Reagan won Vermont twice. He also won almost the entire northeast...twice.

[jet57]

It's true. Republicans have historically been against racism, Democrats historically racist. Expect Democrats to rewrite history.

Wrong again booboo. Republicans, created at the time of the buildup to our civil war and while anti slavery, they were and always have been very pro business. Republicans were the party of the north. The Democrats, having surrounded Thomas Jefferson as a leader in 1790-1 began to refer to themselves as "Republicans" later on. The Democratic party came with Andrew Jackson and the "Southern Democrats" formed as a response to the northern oligarchy/ industrialists, of which the original Democrats surround Jefferson were firmly against. The northern Democrats were always for the little guy and were very much anti slavery which split the party in 1860. THOSE descendants of southern Democrats joined the Republican part after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. All you have to do is look at the racist Republican leaders of today.

[Mister D]

Wrong again booboo. Republicans, created at the time of the buildup to our civil war and while anti slavery, they were and always have been very pro business. Republicans were the party of the north. The Democrats, having surrounded Thomas Jefferson as a leader in 1790-1 began to refer to themselves as "Republicans" later on. The Democratic party came with Andrew Jackson and the "Southern Democrats" formed as a response to the northern oligarchy/ industrialists, of which the original Democrats surround Jefferson were firmly against. The northern Democrats were always for the little guy and were very much anti slavery which split the party in 1860. THOSE descendants of southern Democrats joined the Republican part after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. All you have to do is look at the racist Republican leaders of today.

Says Chris is wrong about racism. Starts babbling about business.

[IMPress Polly]

Reagan won Vermont twice. He also won almost the entire northeast...twice.

The conversion of Vermont to a Democratic state took place over the course of the 1980s. Look to the post-Cold-War record: Vermont hasn't voted to elect a Republican president even once since the start of the 1990s.

What I'm trying to get at in essence is that my state hasn't changed so much as the parties have. Vermont was always a civil rights state. The Republican Party just isn't a civil rights party anymore.

I'm not saying that civil rights is always a good lawmaking concept, I'm just saying that that's how it is and has been.

[jet57]

Says Chris is wrong about racism. Starts babbling about business.

Wrong again: I was repeating the factual history of both political parties. If you ever pick up a book and learn something yourself, you'll be qualified enough to engage and compete in learned discussion rather than just make trolling drive by posts.

[Mister D]

The conversion of Vermont to a Democratic state took place over the course of the 1980s. Look to the post-Cold-War record: Vermont hasn't voted to elect a Republican president even once since the start of the 1990s.

Reagan won Vermont and virtually the entire northeast twice. I appreciate the attempt to move away from the false narrative claiming a Republican takeover of the south after the CRA of 1964 (they were still electing Democratic majorities when you were a child) but you and reality still haven't met in person.