The Party of the People

Many people seem to think that the Democratic Party is the "party of the people." And, certainly, on the surface, they really do seem like it. They make claims that they want to have more gender and racial equality, that they want have more economic equality, that they want to help the poor and elderly, and that the Republicans are old white men that rich, racist, closed-minded chauvinists that only work for themselves.

Perhaps there have been some Republicans that fit that description; I don't claim to know every Republican ever and how they thought and felt. But, I do know many Republicans (or people who don't really want to use the name Republican for themselves but line up with Republican values) today, and I don know how those men and women think. I have also been a student of history for a very long time. I know who the real revisionists are. (Hint: It's not the Republicans.)

Today, Democrats level the charge of racism against Republicans. However, if you truly dig into history, you'll find that the Republicans were the ones that led the fight to end slavery. Abraham Lincoln was a Republican. Most abolitionists were Republican. The term Southern Democrat was widely popular until as late as the 1950s. And there have been several "Southern Democrats" in political power since then (I'm looking at you LBJ and Jimmy Carter). In fact, the Republican party was started specifically for African-Americans. In 1872 in the state of Alabama, the government was in the hands of the Republicans. And who served on the state legislature as well? African-Americans. This wasn't forgotten, because, in the presidential election of 1928, the Democrats put out an election ad that showed the picture, adding at the bottom, "If you are willing to risk a Republican and Negroe legislature..., vote for Herbert Hoover. If you believe in White Supremacy, vote the straight Democratic ticket." Democratic racism has been seen as recently as Senator Robert Byrd, who was an active member of the Ku Klux Klan.

Democrats also like to call the Republicans chauvinists and misogynists. True, the country had a Democrat president when the nineteenth amendment (the amendment that granted women the right to vote) was ratified. However, the Republicans held power in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Woodrow Wilson had little to no choice but to play ball. When the House and Senate passed the proposed amendment, Wilson could have chosen to veto it; the Republican super majority, though, would have overturned his veto, leaving Wilson looking like the fool that tried to keep women from voting. If he wanted to continue a political career, signing the bill into law was his only real choice. The Republicans were going to pass it with or without him. They had that power, and Wilson knew it. Instead of showing his hand as a Democratic misogynist, he allowed the Republican agenda to go through.

As well as the charges of racist and misogynist, the Republicans are frequently accused of being closed-minded. Most Republicans call themselves "conservative," which by definition means holding to traditional values and practices while being cautious of change. But, most of the factory owners and innovators in the Industrial Revolution could be considered Republican, yet they embraced change because they knew that it was the better way of doing things. They saw possibilities, and they seized them. Democrats, on the other hand, will always side with other Democrats - regardless of whether they are blatantly wrong and even criminal (such as the late Ted Kennedy and the Democratic presidential nominee). They toe the party line; they close ranks. Republicans are hard on each other; they are whistle-blowers on each other. And the Republican citizens don't always agree with their party nominee. Often, they'll find someone that they like better. Just look at the last presidential race. The Republicans started off with seventeen candidates to choose from, with a wide representation of diversity. There were women, African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, young, and old alike. And each had his own individual ideas and platforms, because Republicans are free-thinkers by nature. The Democrats had four candidates - all of whom were white and over 65. And, let's get real here, they all sounded essentially the same.

Republicans want freedom and representation for all - no matter who, no matter where. They like elections and politics and open discussion. They want transparency with their constituents. Democrats are not as fond of that system. People who get too close to the truth are beaten back by cries of oppression and injustice. My sister believes - and I think she's gotten it just right - has always said that, if you're accusing someone else of doing something wrong, it's far more likely that you're the one who's actually doing it. Distraction is the best way to avoid being caught. With cries of racism, injustice, and misogyny, Democrats have been trying to cover their tracks for years. The part of the people, indeed.