A Southern Republican Apology

I am Southern. I didn’t ask to be born in the south. I just was. My family has lived in the rolling hills of north Georgia for generations. Prior to that, I am told that my band of Grizzles lived in North Carolina after relocating from Virginia. Some very informal genealogy research I’ve conducted suggests we Grizzles (once spelled Grissell) sailed from England to Virginia in the mid-1600’s. I don’t think you can get much more Southern than that.

This is not the worst of my crimes. I am . . .well . . .a Republican. There, I said it. I am a Southern Republican. Actually, it gets worse. I am also a Baptist. Not just any Baptist. Yep. You guessed it. A Southern Baptist. The worst breed of citizen I suppose, but it is true. The scandal surrounding Senator Lott has given me cause for some serious self-evaluation as I come to terms with my inbred evil.

I am proud to say that I did enjoy a multi-cultural educational experience. In elementary school I had a Jewish classmate. His name was Scott Horowitz. In fact he almost converted me during Hanukah one year. It had nothing to do with theology. I guess it was the immoral consumer-centric-free-marketer in me. He received gifts each day of the festival. Me? I was limited to just Christmas day. My friend moved before he and I were old enough to discuss theology so my almost conversion was more of envy than conviction. I’m sorry Scott.

My high school experience was equally diverse. In fact, ours was a racially integrated school thanks to the Hamiltons. They were very nice people. I used to take Michael home from marching band practice every now and then.

But not having been exposed to much beyond cracker life in Hall County, Georgia, I hope it’s understandable why I missed some of the racial underpinnings of the Republican Party. I thought for example the 10th Amendment was designed to protect me from the careless whims of New Englanders and Californians. I didn’t realize that “States Rights” was a “code-word” for suppressing blacks.

I promise to read the fine print of the Republican platform. I bet the foot notes in the Federalist Papers go into more detail on this. Republicans tend to quote them a lot. I should have done more research. I’m sorry Michael.

One of my best friends in high school recently married an African American Lawyer. I was honored to be a groomsman. Of course, he is an Irish Libertarian Lawyer. Luckily he does not carry the same racial baggage as a Southern Republican else his story might be similar to that of Romeo and Juliet. I love my friend, but I’m also glad that I was not his Mercutio. I guess that’s makes me a racist on some level. I’m sorry Patrick and Tonnye.

I suspect I also do not fully appreciate the benefits of affirmative action. The previously mentioned Irish Libertarian Lawyer taught me the frustrations of reverse discrimination as he sweat out the admissions process at the University Of Georgia Law School. Despite his hard work and excellent academic history, he was desperately afraid he would be rejected because of his unfortunate race and gender. My friend found my sympathies, and the Republicans found my vote.

However, I now know that despite graduating with honors at a notable university in North Carolina as well as the University of Georgia Law School plus SAT scores that continue to shame me, without Affirmative Action Tonnye would not have been able to choose from so many schools when she decided to add a master’s degree to her resume. Sorry again Tonnye.

I used to like the whole equal opportunity point of view. Seems that a fellow Georgian did too with his “not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” speech. But being a Southern Republican, I’m sure I’m somehow missing the context of that statement. After all, we southerners tend to be on the naïve side anyway. I guess I now need to go “across the board” with Affirmative Action. Sorry again Patrick.

I see there’s a lot I need to change about me. To be honest, I was not aware of the Dixiecrat platform that Strom Thurmond trumpeted in 1948. Victim of an inferior southern education I suppose. My parents were in the yet-to-be-conceived phase of their existence in1948, so politics of that era was never much of a topic at dinner.

The same goes for the Civil Rights debate that the media has helpfully brought back from the sixties. Take school vouchers for instance. I know it was African Americans who pressed the Supreme Court case for school vouchers in that dismal Ohio school district, but the inherent racism of vouchers occurred to me yesterday. Republicans have pulled a fast one here I’ve discovered.

Let’s assume vouchers become the norm. On the one hand you have soccer moms able to drive across town in their SUV’s dropping their children off to a voucher subsidized school. In another section of town you have an African American mother who is unable to do the same thing because they can’t afford a car. So how does one solve this problem? Forced busing of course! It is all becoming clear to me now.

In the days ahead, I promise I will purge myself of racism. I will do my best to mend my ways and educate myself on ways to be more progressive. I will take down my poster of “Ronbo” (Ronald Reagan’s head set atop Sty Stallone’s body wrapped in an ammunition belt from the M-60 he is firing) and replace it with a portrait of Condi Rice. I’m fully aware she too is a Republican, but she used to be a Democrat. Hopefully this act of repentance will give me the tokens I need for the tollbooth on the road to recovery. Besides, I kind of have a crush on her anyway. Just don’t tell my wife.

Thanks for the compliment. In case you've missed the debate, it has been fashionable of late for the left to say that the only reason that Southerns vote Republican is because we are racists. No one on the left has made the point that more Southerns serve in the military than any other region. They don't correlate our "Bible Belt" hertage to our conservative political convictions. Nope. We're simply racists. To illustrate my point, I present the following quotes: "I think the way the Republicans have treated Senator Lott is pretty hypocritical since right now their policy is, in my view, inimical to everything that this country stands for. How do they think they got a majority in the South anyway?" Bill Clinton "The simple fact is that the modern Republican Party has built a Southern power base by accommodating racists." Atlanta Journal and Constitution. I could go on. I hope you noticed the Southern stereotypes I included in my essay (inbred, inferior education, naive). This was deliberate. I used them to show how fashionable it is to malign us, even from former Presidents. However, God forbid we disagree with liberal policies. To do so is simply . . .everyone say it with me . . . Racist!. Sorry the lengthy reply! I'm just passionate I guess. I am very disappointed that the Republicans have failed to articulate the foundations of Republican principles. I simply tried to illustrate the logic behind our views. Someone has to do it! --

Sorry the lengthy reply! I'm just passionate I guess. To the contrary -- thank you for a lengthy reply. And thank you also for being passionate: we need more of that, not less; I am afraid we have become a nation of dispassionate sheep.

Your points are well taken. I think the difficulty many Southerners face is intrinsic and unavoidable: one is often held responsible, however irrational that may be, for the sins of one's forefathers.

In the past, I often thought about what is is like to be a German that is born after the war. What would I feel having discovered, for instance, that my uncle or my father worked for Gestapo? It is much easier when all this in the abstract and so much harder when it is a member of one's family, isn't it. Personally, as a Jew who lost a sizable portion of his family in the Holocaust, I should be least inclined to be sympathetic in this area. But I am: it's not easy to deal with the legacy of one's predecessors, in creation of which one had no input whatsoever.

I do not know whether you would agree with me, but I think that this is what we are dealing with today. Southeners are unfairly stereotyped, although many people like you have lived their own lives and made personal choices vert different from that stereotye. What is one to do?

My personal opinion that the only way to combat the stereotype is to show clearly adherence to principles. Why should I even be in the same room with a racist, for instance?

Yet, this is what Lott did. No he is not a racist himself. But one need not bend over backwards to accomodate a person with history like Thurmond's and to "encourage him to feel good about himself." As I mentioned on the other thread, just like the rest of us: he did not have to attend the party even if invited; if attending, he did not have to give speeches; if compelled to give a speech, he did not have to make it particularly warm. Even if Thurmond has "changed his mind" about the race issues, his life's sum total does not warrant such praises.

That is what bothered me. Some said, "But Lott is not a racist." Why such a low standard? I am not only not a racist, I do not interact with such. Period. That cannot be said about Lott.

His is a good example of why the problem perpetuates. No, he should not be apologizing for being a racist because he is not. But he was not diligent in making clear where he stands. In my opinion, this is the only way to break the stereotypes, for which many decent people like you pay with unearned disrespect of others.

Ovbserve that, in your own capacity and with resources given to you, you have done successfully what Lott has failed to accomplish. In your nice post you told us where you stand, what you life was and is like, and about your own experiences. I personally am richer because of that, and your (screen)name will come to mind if someone in my presence attacks Southeners indiscriminately. You gave me an extra weapon to speak up and an extra bullet to fire.

I wish all Southeners did that also. Thurmond should have been retired by the people long, long time ago. And younger representatives, such as Lott, should have been selected with stricter standards on sensitive issues. This is not pandering to PC crowd: given the demonstrated durability of bigotry and prejudice in the world one has to be very clear on this issues even the PC crowd did not exist.

I guess, we'll have to wait for people of your generation to flex their muscles. Perhaps, you too should consider running for office some day --- in self-defense: as you can see, others fail to represent you properly.

You have nothing to apologize for. Just insist that people who purport to represent you do their job well.

Thank you again for your original post and your nice reply to me.

Best wishes and regards,
Merry Christmas to you and yours,
TQ

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