Posted on 04/05/2008 3:44:32 PM PDT by Tennessee Nana
Friday marks 40 years since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed as he stood on the balcony of the Loraine Motel in Memphis.
Claiming King as a member, the Tennessee Republican Party is honoring him.
A release released by the state GOP Party states, in part, "Growing up in a republican household, Martin Luther King Jr. embraced the bedrock republican ideals of liberty and justice for all."
Republican Party Chair Robin Smith added, "Dr. King... and his fellow republicans passed civil rights legislation over the objection of many democrats of that era."
Some area democrats are angered by the claim.
"I think she was way out of line... Frankly, I think it is shameful," said State Democratic Party chairman Gray Sasser. "I think it demeans Dr. King's legacy for any political party, for any single person to try to claim that mantle. Dr. King's legacy transgresses political parties, it even transgresses national boundaries and we need to celebrate that legacy and try to live up to it rather than use it as a legacy to score political points."
Democrat Bob Tuke, running against republican Senator Lamar Alexander, called the release "a perverse distortion of Dr. King's legacy."
In response, Tennessee Republican Party spokesman Bill Hobbs said, "The release speaks for itself."
In addition, a radio ad from the National Black Republican Association makes the same claim.
Former editor of the Tennessean and a member of the Freedom Riders, John Seigenthaler said, "This just strikes me as ludicrous."
Ceremonies marking the death of Dr. King will be held on Friday in Memphis.
Along with state officials, republican presidential candidate John McCain and democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will be in attendance.
Why? mlk was a pubbie.
Are they saying that Dr. King was an Anti State’s Rights Republican?
I hear Don King is a patriotic Republican, too. As was Jackie Robinson.
Don King says he is a oppurtunicrat, neither republican or democrat.
Somebody please get this fool a dictionary. Did he mean transcend?
For most of its history, the Republican party has opposed "states rights." Strange? No; it was the states that fought individual rights in the 19th century. Now fear of our massive central government is changing the party.
Somebody please get this fool a dictionary. Did he mean transcend?
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Though it would be beneath me to attempt to explain the liberal mind, it would appear that the word “transcend” may be the word that the Party Chairman was intending to pronounce when he became emotional and “transgressed” language proprieties..
All the fault of President Bush and the GOP of course...
:)
Have you ever told a black person that MLK was a republican?Try it, you wont believe the look you will get.I do it all the time and the responses are well interesting.
Nope. Post #11.
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