A
comment below, suggesting Martin Luther King was a Republican, started this. It is true that King, Sr. was a lifelong registered
Republican, but did apparently vote for JFK.
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In
October 1960, when Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested at a peaceful
sit-in in Atlanta, Robert Kennedy telephoned the judge and helped
secure King's release. Although King, Sr. had previously opposed
Kennedy because he was a Catholic, he expressed his appreciation for
these calls and switched his support to Kennedy. King, Sr. had been a
lifelong registered Republican, and had endorsed Republican Richard
Nixon. King, Jr. made no endorsement, -- wikipedia
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A few years back there was a furor over this radio ad by the National Black Republicans
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The
debate surrounding the ad is the latest skirmish in the ongoing battle
over the King legacy. Foes of affirmative action, for example, often
cite a line from King's "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963 in which he
prayed that his children would not be judged by the color of their skin
but by the "content of their character," an adoption that makes black
liberals fume. But in the latest fight, civil rights veterans may be
surprised to find that some black conservatives agree with them.
Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele (R), who is running for the U.S.
Senate, denounced the King ad, and Donald E. Scoggins, president of
Republicans for Black Empowerment and a former member of the
association, said it was a terrible idea. -- [Controversial Ad Links MLK, GOP]
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That
same WaPost article reported, "The younger King voted for Kennedy, and
for Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson
four years later. In that election, King publicly denounced the
Republican candidate, Barry Goldwater." I don't know how the Post
knows who he voted for, but it does comport with intuition. Still, I
think most reasonable folk would find that ad far less objectionable
than recent ads run by the NAACP, warning that a vote for Republicans
is a vote for church burning and lynchings.
In a recent article Why Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Republican, the National Black Republican Association continue making the claim
that Jr. was a Republican. However, while they make solid points about
why he should have been one, they offer no proof. If there is any
proof to the charge made in this billboard Yes, that's me, then of course he would be a Democrat. I'm just saying.
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