History is Hard. For Rep Sheila Jackson-Lee
My latest post at NewsReal:
Actually, not just history is hard for Congresswoman Jackson-Lee (D-TX). It appears as if thinking itself is rather difficult for her. After watching this, I couldn’t decide if I was wiping away tears of laughter or tears of dismay at the state of our alleged representatives in Congress. Via RedState:
Oh, my. Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee is on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. No, really. These are the people in charge of our health care now. How comforting!
It has been pointed out that the one thing she got correct was the number of American troops killed in Vietnam, therefore, she couldn’t have been confusing Vietnam with North and South Korea. Which makes no sense anyway – North and South Korea clearly do not live in harmony. Well, clearly if you are not a damn fool. Additionally, surely the culturally sensitive Jackson Lee wouldn’t confuse two separate cultures and peoples like that, would she? I mean, she’s the one who thought having racially diverse names for hurricanes was of the utmost import.
I expect that next Sheila Jackson-Lee will regale us with more historical tales like “It all ended well, as we know. Brutus and Caesar became super best friends forever!” The worst part? That wasn’t the only idiotic thing she said this week. As Hot Air notes, Gateway Pundit has her remarks from the NAACP meeting, as follow below:
And I thank you professor very much. I’m going to be engaging you with those very powerful numbers that you have offered on what the tea party recognizes, uh, or is recognized as. Might I add my own P.S.? All those who wore sheets a long time ago have now lifted them off and started wearing [applause], uh, clothing, uh, with a name, say, I am part of the tea party. Don’t you be fooled. [voices: “That’s right.”, applause] Those who used to wear sheets are now being able to walk down the aisle and speak as a patriot because you will not speak loudly about the lack of integrity of this movement. Don’t let anybody tell you that those who spit on us as we were walking to vote on a health care bill for all of America or those who said Congresswoman Jackson-Lee’s braids were too tight in her hair had anything to do with justice and equality and empowerment of the American people. Don’t let them fool you on that [applause]….
Sorry, Representative Jackson-Lee but the only fool I see here is you. By the way, another History is Hard moment for you, Ms. Jackson-Lee – the Ku Klux Klan was a Democrat group. And the man you all recently lionized upon his passing, Senator Robert Byrd, was heavily involved in the KKK and was even an “Exalted Cyclops.” But, that’s cool, huh? Because George Bush. Or something.
What delusional, alleged thinking is next, Democrats? Y’all will try to tell us that oil spills and terrorism can be stopped, if only we had more windmills?
Somewhere in Texas, a village is missing its idiot. I think we’ve found her!
Originally posted at NewsReal
Jenny
Lori Ziganto
somegit
Snark And Boobs 
Thank God for the internet or else I would not know what I was missing.
In life’s lottery that is the process of genetic selection Ms Lee was apparently the loser and yet she manages to find enough people who are equally as gifted (perhaps not) as her to vote for her at election time so she can continue offering these “pearls” of wisdom to the world.
It is my fervent hope that the Democrats continue electing statesmen and women of such superb caliber. I just know the nation will continue to prosper under their leadership.
(Tongue firmly pressed into my cheek)
Ms. Lee is an idiot who represents Houston. Some of us Texans are embarrassed by that fact. I do not understand how she keeps getting re-elected. Of course voting “Democrat” is easier than thinking. I suppose stupid people just like voting for stupid people.
I agree with you, Lori. the Ku Klux Klan WAS a Democrat group.
The south used to be predominantly Democratic, and it is now predominantly republican.
You see, there used to be these creatures known as conservative democrats and liberal republicans. I know it’s hard to believe, but the two party labels didn’t necessarily reflect ideology like they do today.
The reason that the south is now predominantly republican is that 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 in droves. 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. Robert Byrd was one of the only conservative segregationist democrats not to switch parties, which gives you your talking point today.
You may have heard of the famous “Conservative Coalition” in the early 20th century. That was when right wing Southern Democrats united around an issue with Northern and Midwestern (and then Western) Republicans. They pretty much always won.
You may also have heard of the more recent “Southern Strategy” employed by Nixon, and acknowledged by GOP party chairmen Ken Mehlman and Michael Steele in the last decade. That strategy used soft money to run a quiet campaign to bring outraged and disappointed white segregationist voters into the Republican party. It demonized blacks and other minorities while also riling up the white conservative base that forms the party now.
Civil Rights and the laws associated with it were passed by liberal/moderate Republicans and liberal/moderate Democrats. The Civil Rights Act was signed into law by Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat. Lyndon knew that by signing the CRA that the south was lost to the Democrats for at least a generation, but he also knew it was the right thing to do.
In the 39 northern states, 100% of Democratic Senators (45 out of 45) and 94% of Democratic Representatives (145 out of 154) voted FOR the Civil Rights Act. That is a historical fact.
The “Dixicrats” in the 11 southern states did mostly vote against the Civil Rights Act, and when it passed, they switched parties and took their constituency with them.
Conservatives like to crow about the Congressional GOP supporting the Civil Rights Act at a higher rate than Congressional Democrats. However, when you look into the matter more closely, you find that non-Southern Democrats supported it at a higher rate than non-Southern Republicans, and even Southern Democrats supported it at a higher, though still tiny, rate than the few Southern Republicans, not one of whom voted for the Civil Rights Act. What accounts for the lower overall Democratic rate of support, is simply that in Congress Southern Democrats dwarfed Republicans in numbers.
Excellent tables here: http://is.gd/d9DvT
In the end, all Republicans can claim is that non-Southern Republicans supported the Civil Rights Act more strongly than Southern Democrats, but not as strongly as non-Southern Democrats. And that isn’t much to crow about.
It would probably be more accurate to label our parties as the “Northern” party and the “Southern” party. The south has always been conservative, the north more liberal. The parties did a 180 shift after the New Deal and the civil rights era, to where the Dems and Repubs are practically polar opposites of what they were 100 years ago.
Linked you. Have a great weekend!
http://mindnumbedrobot.com/2010/07/16/robo-love-experiment-2/1838