Just for the record, I want to get this off my chest.

[Vietnameravet]

19. Isnt the answer simple history?

I'm sure most of you know the history but just in case there are some who do not, let me briefly summarize.

It is true that the party of Abraham Lincoln, the Republicans, was the party that ultimately freed the slaves. It is also true that Democrats were the party of what was called "Popular Sovereignty", which essentially meant that it was up to the citizens of each state to decide whether or not they wanted slavery. It sounds very democratic to a nation torn by strife but Lincoln pointed out that there are some rights which cannot be taken away by popular vote.

Angry over the loss of their "peculiar" institution, as they liked to call slavery, the South remained solidly Democratic for 100 years. It all changed in 1965 when Pres. Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat, past the Civil Rights Act of 1965 which put an end to legalized discrimination in the South. At that instant, the southern Democrats, commonly known as Dixiecrat's, left the Democratic Party and joined the Republicans and the South has remained solidly Republican ever since. Try telling me racial animosity had nothing to do with that switch and the current Southern loyalty to the Republicans?

Republicans like to spin this point as well by saying that a greater percentage of Republicans voted for the Civil Rights Act than did the Democrats. But they forget to mention the rest of the story, which is that nearly all of those Democrats that voted against the law left the party and joined Republicans where they have remained ever since.

When Richard Nixon became president after Johnson, he hit upon what was called the Southern Strategy which was very simply this; get as many black people as possible to register as Democrats and that would drive the racist Southerners into the arms of the Republican Party.

Today the history continues with Republicans and the conservative allies being in the forefront of all the hate, lies, rumors, charges and vicious accusations against Pres. Obama. Are we to look at history and say racism is not part of all this?

Now of course they will deny they are racist but although it is no longer fashionable to be openly racist the feelings are still there as evidenced by their eager willingness to spread any rumor and believe any lie about Pres. Obama.

You can explain it to them this way, but in view of their underlying motives for believing what they do I sincerely doubt they will listen.