We’ve heard it said, “I didn’t leave the Democrat Party, the party left me.” Members of my family left in the ‘60s and on Thursday I saw why it’s still happening as a hearing on censorship in the U.S. House devolved into obvious attempts to censor fellow Democrat, RFK Jr.
It began with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-FL, offering a motion for a “closed session” which would have stopped RFK from being heard live. In 2016, Wasserman Schultz resigned as DNC Chair when leaked leaked emails revealed a plot against Hillary Clinton’s opponent, Bernie Samders (Guardian 8/25/16).
After asking RFK a question, Democrats often talked over him saying, “I reclaim my time.” D-Stacey Plaskett, a “non-voting delegate”, broke rules by interjecting herself into the time of a Republican member to argue with Kennedy. No stranger to controversy (Daily Mail 6/19/23; Dallas Express 6/25/23), the Virgin Island delegate also was fuming because RFK was called as a witness.
“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech” (Benjamin Franklin). It’s no coincidence that only one network showed live hearings. Back in June, 2022, PBS interrupted children’s programming to show hearings held by House Democrats.
It’s obvious who wants to decide what is harmful speech, what is protected speech and what we hear. Not seeing it live to judge for yourself in context, you‘re left to trust the media’s narrative. After watching these hearings, it’s clear why some say the party left them.
Ralph Miller
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Ralphie, hope you know, as a child of the sixties, as I recall....those Southerners, aka Dixiecrats, even Barry Goldwater feared were too extreme, left the Democratic Party in the '60s because it became too diverse and inclusive. They didn't like that. And Goldwater never met a racist he didn't like. But even he feared their extremism would come to be an albatross around the necks of the Republican Party.
Republicans used the "Southern Strategy" to lure traditional-Southern white segregationist voters, aka Dixiecrats, who, among several displeasures, didn't think 'God' intended for little white children and little black children to attend school together, away from the Democratic Party.
Although the 'Southern Strategy' was initially of Barry Goldwater's creation in 1964, Nixon was said to have "perfected" it in 1968, using those Southern white segregationists' votes to get elected.
Brenda Washington
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So, a committee of Congress, stacked with the most extremist members of the authoritarian right, held a hearing on government censorship. How quaint.
After 40 years of deregulation, our public agencies must now appeal to the content moderators of social media giants to allow vital public health information to be conveyed to the public despite the open sewage that flows through those media. Meanwhile, a few global corporations conspire in the theft of virtually every bit of private information about you…, and without compensating you no less.
I fail to see what any of that has to do with government censorship. It is government censorship when authoritarian right-wing governors and legislatures ban books and forbid the full and factual teaching of social studies, civics, and history, even requiring teachers in Florida to serve as fonts for Confederate “lost cause” narratives like the stupid notion that some slaves “benefited from slavery.”
Somehow, the dominant voices in the Republican Party have come to believe free speech means they have the right to a free platform, microphone, and amplifier to drown out all out all other voices. Meanwhile, they have worked incessantly to suppress free speech that draws public attention away from their white nationalist culture war. In the process, they have quite purposefully deprived the public of honest debate on economic and social policy that might actually serve the people.
I cannot count how many times I have tried to engage someone in an honest, fact-based discussion about public policy only to be accused of being a Democrat. Having not been involved in Democratic Party activity since the late Eighties, I find that odd. I am, however, happy to see the Democratic Party coming back to me.
For those Republicans who see their party moving away from them I can only say, you weren’t born a Republican. Put the people and the country above party and let us return to honest discussion and debate on public policy.
Frank Wrinn
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Growing up in the late 50's and 60's my family were staunch Femocrats and very proud of our party. However, I'm no longer a Democrat but am proud to be a right wing Republican. The Democrat's of yesteryear had morals, decency and were trustworthy.
Today's Democrats are everything but that, political thieves, misinformers, liars, cheats and now have resorted to cannibalism in the case of RFK Jr. A man from the great Democrat bloodline of yesteryear that chose to run for President against Joe Biden. So his current party is displeased and chooses to rip him apart, discredit him and do all but injest him.
It's true, if you are a Democrat and don't go along with the top brass they will eat you up and spit you out.
If you Democrats want to do the American people a great justice, then have a cannibalism feast of the Bidens, DOJ and FBI as your main course.
Michael Mansfield
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As usual, Brenda is long on rhetoric and short on facts. So Senator Goldwater never met a racist he didn't like?
That's funny since his family department store was the first in Phoenix to hire black people. He was a Major General in the Arizona National Guard and desegregated that unit two years before the Armed Forces.
He was a lifetime member of the NAACP and received a 50 year humanitarian award from the National Urban League.
On his first day in the Senate he demanded one of his black assistants be admitted to the cafeteria. He did vote against the 64 Civil Rights Act, but you know who else did, Brenda? Good old Albert Gore, Sr.
Oh, and the last Klan members in the Senate were Democrats Fritz Hollings and Bobby (Sheets) Byrd from West Virginia.
Douglas Jones