Politics

Why conservatives want to rewrite civil rights history

9:44 AM on 09/08/2010

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Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, left, talks to the media giving his support to Rick Scott, right, as Scott as he continues his Unity Tour in Miami, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2010. Scott is the Republican candidate for governor of Florida. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Recently, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour said some things that surprised me. And they should surprise you as well. In an interview with Human Events, a conservative website, Barbour discussed growing up in an integrated, tolerant and inclusive South. In his opinion, it was the "old Democrats who had fought for segregation so hard." Speaking of the change in party affiliation from Democrat to Republican in the South, Barbour continued.

"The people that led the change of parties in the South, just as I mentioned earlier, was my generation. My generation, who went to integrated schools. I went to an integrated college. Never thought twice about it. It was the old Democrats who had fought for segregation so hard. By my time, people realized that was the past. It was indefensible, wasn't going to be that way anymore."

Barbour-- who is being touted as the most prominent Republican and the face of the GOP-- is head of the Republican Governors Association. In reality, Barbour was born under Jim Crow segregation and attended segregated public schools. He attended college with only a handful of black students. And he sent his children to Manchester Academy, one of the "segregation academies" established so that white parents could avoid sending their daughters to integrated schools, where they would undoubtedly date black boys. Manchester Academy did not integrate until 1996, when it admitted its first African-American student.

And while Barbour would have you believe that the Republican Party is such a dominant force in the South today because of its support of integration. But the reality is that the GOP inherited the segregationist mantle from the Dixiecrats. After President Johnson signed the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts into law, the Democrats would lose the South for generations. Moreover, beginning with Nixon, the GOP employed a "Southern Strategy" to attract segregationist sympathizers and other disaffected whites from the Democratic Party. All of the talk about taxes, small government, welfare and the like were code for hating black folks.

WATCH RACHEL MADDOW ON HALEY BARBOUR AND REPUBLICANS:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

As chief architect of the Southern Strategy, the late Lee Atwater explained how it worked: "You start out in 1954 by saying, 'N****r, n****r, n****r,' " said Atwater. "By 1968, you can't say 'n****r' -- that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states' rights, and all that stuff. You're getting so abstract now [that] you're talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you're talking about are totally economic things, and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites."

But Governor Barbour is not alone in his attempt to rewrite American history and re-brand his party. The Republicans and the conservative movement smell blood, an opportunity to seize power from the Democrats and turn the nation into one big frightening Tea Party. Polls show that 71 percent of people believe President Bush created the current economic problems. At the same time, the public is so frustrated by the economic recession that they are inclined to vote against the party in power, which happens to be the Democrats, rather than vote for the Republicans. A bad economy is giving the president a 43 percent approval rating, and Republicans are licking their chops.

Further, the Democrats suffer from an enthusiasm gap. Some elements of the Democratic base, including young people, women, blacks and Latinos, may feel abandoned and slighted by the White House. They could sit out the midterm elections if the Obama team fails to change its policy, direction and attitude and energize the base. And it seems that are not Democrats are failing to articulate a narrative of their successes in areas such as health care and financial reform (however watered down the final product), and the economic stimulus package (however insufficient in lifting the country out of what increasingly looks like a second depression).

Meanwhile, the GOP is crafting their narrative, all based on lies and fabrications. After all, they have an image problem regarding race that will preclude them picking up moderate white voters who fled the party in droves, as well as black and Latino voters who are forever lost to them. The Republican Party's only hope is to re-brand themselves, change their sheets, clean up their image and rewrite history to make it look as if they are the good guys on race and segregation.

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Recently, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour said some things that surprised me. And they should surprise you as well. In an "interview":http://www.mediaite.com/online/rachel-maddow-calls-out-haley-barbours-memory-of-civil-rights-race-relations-and-the-gop/ with Human Events, a conservative website, Barbour discussed growing up in an integrated, tolerant and inclusive South. In his opinion, it was the "old Democrats who had fought for segregation so hard." Speaking of the change in party affiliation from Democrat to Republican in the South, Barbour continued. "The people that led the change of parties in the South, just as I mentioned earlier, was my generation. My generation, who went to integrated schools. I went to an integrated college. Never thought twice about it. It was the old Democrats who had fought for segregation so hard. By my time, people realized that was the past. It was indefensible, wasn't going to be that way anymore." Barbour-- who is being touted as the most prominent Republican and the face of the GOP-- is head of the Republican Governors Association. In reality, Barbour was born under Jim Crow segregation and attended segregated public schools. He "attended college with only a handful of black students":http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/index.php/site/comments/maddow_fact_checks_barbours_fake_history_090310/. And he sent his children to Manchester Academy, one of the "segregation academies" established so that white parents could avoid sending their daughters to integrated schools, where they would undoubtedly date black boys. Manchester Academy did not integrate until 1996, when it admitted its first African-American student. And while Barbour would have you believe that the Republican Party is such a dominant force in the South today because of its support of integration. But the reality is that the GOP inherited the segregationist mantle from the Dixiecrats. After President Johnson signed the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts into law, the Democrats would lose the South for generations. Moreover, beginning with Nixon, the GOP employed a "Southern Strategy" to attract segregationist sympathizers and other disaffected whites from the Democratic Party. All of the talk about taxes, small government, welfare and the like were code for hating black folks. WATCH RACHEL MADDOW ON HALEY BARBOUR AND REPUBLICANS:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

As chief architect of the Southern Strategy, the late "Lee Atwater":http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/25/opinion/25herbert.html?_r=1 explained how it worked: "You start out in 1954 by saying, 'N****r, n****r, n****r,' " said Atwater. "By 1968, you can't say 'n****r' -- that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states' rights, and all that stuff. You're getting so abstract now [that] you're talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you're talking about are totally economic things, and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites." But Governor Barbour is not alone in his attempt to rewrite American history and re-brand his party. The Republicans and the conservative movement smell blood, an opportunity to seize power from the Democrats and turn the nation into one big frightening Tea Party. Polls show that "71 percent":http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/801-economy/117187-majority-say-bush-to-blame-for-the-economy of people believe President Bush created the current economic problems. At the same time, the public is so frustrated by the economic recession that they are inclined to vote against the party in power, which happens to be the Democrats, rather than vote for the Republicans. A bad economy is giving the president a "43 percent approval rating":http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2010-09-02-poll-longer-version_N.htm, and Republicans are licking their chops. Further, the Democrats suffer from an "enthusiasm gap":http://www.salon.com/news/politics/democratic_party/?story=/opinion/greenwald/2010/09/02/parties. Some elements of the Democratic base, including young people, women, blacks and Latinos, may feel abandoned and slighted by the White House. They could sit out the midterm elections if the Obama team fails to change its policy, direction and attitude and energize the base. And it seems that are not Democrats are failing to articulate a narrative of their successes in areas such as health care and financial reform (however watered down the final product), and the economic stimulus package (however insufficient in lifting the country out of what increasingly looks like a second depression). Meanwhile, the GOP is crafting their narrative, all based on lies and fabrications. After all, they have an image problem regarding race that will preclude them picking up moderate white voters who fled the party in droves, as well as black and Latino voters who are forever lost to them. The Republican Party's only hope is to re-brand themselves, change their sheets, clean up their image and rewrite history to make it look as if they are the good guys on race and segregation.