Democrats' Approach To Civil Rights Has Gone Through The Looking Glass

By Noemie Emery 

Racism, it seems, is a mutable element that rises and falls with President Obama's fortunes, receding to a small sliver of cranks in the early months of 2009, before he had a chance to mess up much of anything, then welling up again when he began pushing health care, and reaching gale force in the 2010 midterms, causing a massive resurgence of Ku Klux Klan sentiment that elected record numbers of non-white Republicans to high statewide office, and completely took over states such as Wisconsin, where Confederate feelings have always run high.

It leveled off somewhat in 2012, leading liberals to feel that the worst was over, but in 2013, the news that they were losing their health plans and doctors and having to pay thousands more to get new ones caused millions more people to take up and dust off their white hoods.

Add to this the problems with the IRS and Benghazi, along with the emerging horrors in the veterans' hospitals, and Democrats were soon finding that racism once more was gaining a foothold, leaving the young, vibrant, and sharp as a tack Jay Rockefeller -- a fixture in the Senate since 1984 when he bought his seat with his family's money -- to tell truth to power (i.e. Sen. Ron Johnson, R- Wis.) that he and his cohorts were all of them bigots for finding anything to oppose in the current regime.

As racism goes, so goes its ally, the War on Women, which back in 2012 meant asking women to pay for their own birth control pills, (about $9 a month at your neighborhood Costco), instead of having them put on the taxpayers' tab.

This made an instant sensation of Sandra Fluke, a 31-year-old law student from Georgetown, who felt this an undue strain on her finances and even her intellect, which won her a prime speaking role at the Democratic convention in August and launched a run for state senate in California this year.

But the war on the War on Women now means a War on Women with Cancer, them being the women who took to the press last fall and winter to say that Obamacare's changes had interfered with their treatments, and caused them much higher payments as well.

When Edie Littlefield Sunby in California and Julie Boonstra in Michigan made these complaints, they were attacked by the White House and by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid from the floor of the Senate.

Gary Peters, running for the Senate in Michigan, even threatened to sue any station that aired Boonstra's words.

It also means a War on Women Doctors, as in Monica Wehby, a pediatric surgeon and mother of four, running for the Senate against incumbent Democrat Jeff Merkley in Oregon.

Merkley all but portrayed Wehby as Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction," primed any moment to boil your bunny, or show up in your bathroom with a knife in her hand.

Just how nuts is she? In 2007, she slapped her husband with a notepad while they were divorcing, and in 2013 entered the house of an ex-boyfriend with a key that he gave her while they were winding down their relationship.

How traumatized were they? Both are friends with her, and have contributed money to help fund her campaign.

How far have the Democrats gone since they began their attempt to bring civil rights to the country? A very long way, and all of it downward. Can they start now to work their way up?

Moi...

 

'My father joined our party because the Democrats in Jim Crow Alabama of 1952 would not register him to vote. The Republicans did.’ What will the Obama people do if that sort of thing is thrown in their face? Let them worry about it.'

- Dr Condileeza Rice

'Well the GOP was against Medicare but everyone loves their Medicare.'

- Raul, 10 July 2012

I'd love to give Democrats credit for the programme that is bankrupting America, but your "facts" are not borne out by the, um, facts: 

 Medicare Act of 1965:

"The House adopted the conference report on July 27, 1965, 307-116, with 70 Republicans supporting it. And on July 28, the Senate adopted the final version of the bill by a vote of 70-24, with 13 Republicans in favor of the bill. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Medicare bill into law on July 30, 1965."

There were 68 Democrats in the Senate. 11 Senate Democrats voted AGAINST Medicare  (16.2%).

There were 32 Republicans in the Senate. 13 Senate Republicans voted FOR Medicare (41%).

There were 255 Democrats in the House. 18 House Democrats voted AGAINST it (7.1%).

There were 140 Republicans in the House. 70 House Republicans voted FOR it (50%).

Unlike Obamacare, Medicare was bipartisan.

Before you make the same mistake relative to Social Security...

Social Security Act of 1935:

"[O]n Aug. 8, 1935, the conference report — the final version of the bill that melds together changes made in the House and in the Senate — passed in the House 372-33, with 81 Republicans voting in support. The next day, the bill was passed in the Senate 77-6, with 16 Republicans supporting the legislation. So Social Security did pass with Republican support."

There were 73 Democrats in the Senate.  12 Senate Democrats voted AGAINST Social Security (16.4%).

There were 21 Republicans in the Senate. 16 Senate Republicans voted FOR Social Security (77.2%).

There were 322 Democrats in the House.   31 House Democrats voted AGAINST Social Security (9.6%). 

There were 103 Republicans in the House. 81 House Republicans voted FOR it (78.7%).

Unlike Obamacare, Social Security was bipartisan.   It shouldn't have been passed, but it was bipartisan.

Undoubtedly, this is only the tip of the propaganda that has become established "fact" in your mind.  Since I have the time today, I'll debunk a little more...

 

'Democrats are unwavering in our support of equal opportunity for all Americans. That’s why WE'VE WORKED TO PASS EVERY ONE OF OUR NATION'S CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS, and every law that protects workers. Most recently, Democrats stood together to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act....ON EVERY CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE, DEMOCRATS HAVE LED THE FIGHT. We support vigorous enforcement of existing laws, and remain committed to protecting fundamental civil rights in America.

DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and Democrats.org

Really?  The truth hurts...

The Thirteenth Amendment:

Passed during the Civil War years, when southern congressional representatives were not present for debate, one would think today that it must have been easy to pass the final version of the Thirteenth Amendment--the one ending slavery. Not true. As a matter of fact, although passed in April 1864 by the Senate, with a vote of 38 to 6, the required two-thirds majority was defeated in the House of Representatives by a vote of 93 to 65. Abolishing slavery was almost exclusively a Republican party effort--only four Democrats voted for it.

In the final vote, all 86 Republicans had voted in favour of the Thirteenth Amendment, along with 15 Democrats, 14 Unconditional Unionists, and 4 Union men; opposition came from 50 Democrats and 6 Union men.

It was then that President Abraham Lincoln took an active role in pushing it through congress. He insisted that the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment be added to the Republican party platform for the upcoming presidential elections. He used all of his political skill and influence to convince additional democrats to support the amendments' passage. His efforts finally met with success, when the House passed the bill in January 1865 with a vote of 119-56. Finally, Lincoln supported those congressmen that insisted southern state legislatures must adopt the Thirteenth Amendment before their states would be allowed to return with full rights to Congress.

The fact that Lincoln had difficulty in gaining passage of the amendment towards the closing months of the war and after his Emancipation Proclamation had been in effect 12 full months, is illustrative. There was still a reasonably large body of the northern people, or at least their elected representatives, that were either indifferent towards, or directly opposed to, freeing the slaves. 

There were 9 Democrats in the Senate.  4 Senate Democrats voted AGAINST ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment  (50% - 1NV).

There were 30 Republicans in the Senate. All 30 Senate Republicans voted FOR ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment (100%).

There were 4 Unionists in the Senate.  Three Senate Unionists voted FOR ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment (75% - 1NV)

There was 1 Unconditional Unionist in the Senate.  He voted FOR ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment (100%).

There were 65 Democrats in the House.   50 House Democrats voted AGAINST ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment (76.9%).

There were 86 Republicans in the House.  86 House Republicans voted FOR ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment (100%).

There were 14 Unconditional Unionists in the House.  14 House Unconditional Unionists voted FOR ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment (100%).

There were 10 Unionists in the House.  6 House Unionists voted AGAINST ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment (60%). 

The Fourteenth Amendment:

The passage of the 14th Amendment, much like the 13th Amendment, was also along partisan lines. In the House, it passed 138 to 36. According to the Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States of America, Vol. 63, 13 June 1866, pp 833-834, of the 134 Republicans in the House, 128 (96%) voted to provide civil rights to former slaves; of the 36 Democrats, none (0%) voted to give civil rights to African Americans; and of the 11 third-party representatives, 10 (91%) voted in favor of racial civil rights.  In the Senate, the vote was 33 to 11. According to the Journal of the Senate of the United States of America, Vol. 58, 8 June 1866, p 505, of the 32 Republican Senators, 30 (94%) voted for the measure; of the 6 Democrats, none (0%) voted for civil rights; and of the 6 others, 3 (50%) voted for racial civil rights. 

There were 6 Democrats in the Senate.  6 Senate Democrats voted AGAINST ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment  (100%).

There were 30 Republicans in the Senate.  All 30 Senate Republicans voted FOR ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment (100%).

There were 6 Unionists in the Senate.  Three Senate Unionists voted FOR ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment (50%).

There were 36 Democrats in the House.   36 House Democrats voted AGAINST ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment (100%).

There were 134 Republicans in the House.  128 House Republicans voted FOR ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment (96%).

There were 11 Unionists in the House.  10 House Unionists voted AGAINST ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment (91%).

The Fifteenth Amendment:

The House of Representatives passed the 15th Amendment on 25 February 1869, by a vote of 144 to 44, and the Senate passed the 15th Amendment on 26 February 1869, by a vote of 39 to 13. On 30 March 1870, Secretary of State Hamilton Fish issued a proclamation certifying the ratification of the 15th Amendment by the states.

There were 13 Democrats in the Senate.  13 Senate Democrats voted AGAINST ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment  (100%).

There were 55 Republicans in the Senate.  39 Senate Republicans voted FOR ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment (100% - 16-NP or NV).

There were 67 Democrats in the House.   67 House Democrats voted AGAINST ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment (100%).

There were 171 Republicans in the House.  168 House Republicans voted FOR ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment (98.2%).

 Civil Rights Act of 1866:

The Civil Rights Act of 1866, 14 Stat. 27, enacted 9 April 1866,was passed mainly with the intention of protecting the civil rights of African-Americans following Civil War. The Act was enacted by Congress in 1865, but it was vetoed by President Andrew Johnson, a Democrat. In April 1866, Congress again passed the bill.  President Johnson again vetoed it, but this time a two-thirds majority in each house overcame the veto and the bill became law.

Republicans voted unanimously for the 14th Amendment, while Democrats voted unanimously against it.

There were 9 Democrats in the Senate.  9 Senate Democrats voted AGAINST ratification of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 (100%).

There were 41 Republicans in the Senate.  41 Senate Republicans voted FOR ratification of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 (100%).

There were 47 Democrats in the House.   47 House Democrats voted AGAINST ratification of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 (100%).

There were 173 Republicans in the House.  173 House Republicans voted FOR ratification of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 (100%). 

Civil Rights Act of 1870:

The Civil Rights Act of 1870 (The Enforcement Act), 16 Stat. 140 (1870) a/k/a the First Ku Klux Klan Act prohibited discrimination in voter registration on the basis of race, colour, or previous condition of servitude. It established penalties for interfering with a person’s right to vote. Gave federal courts the power to enforce the act and to employ the use of federal marshals and the army to uphold it. It was passed by the 41st Congress (1869–1871) as H.R. 1293.

There were 11 Democrats in the Senate.  All 10 of the Senate Democrats voting voted AGAINST the Civil Rights Act of 1870 (100%).

There were 46 Republicans in the Senate.  45 of the 46 Senate Republicans voting voted FOR (97.8%) and 1 Senate Republican voted AGAINST the Civil Rights Act of 1870 (2.2%).

There were 59 Democrats in the House.  All 41 of the House Democrats voting voted  AGAINST the Civil Rights Act of 1870 (100%).

There were 160 Republicans in the House.  128 of the 129 House Republicans voting voted FOR it (99.2%) and 1 House Republican voted AGAINST the Civil Rights Act of 1870 (0.8%).

Also in 1870, Hiram R Revels, a Republican African-American, is elected to fill US Senate seat formerly held by Jefferson Davis and Joseph H Rainey is elected as the first African-American Congressman - also Republican.

 Civil Rights Act of 1871:

The Civil Rights Act of 1871 (The Enforcement Act of 1871), 16 Stat. 433–440 a/k/a the Second Ku Klux Klan Act placed all elections in both the North and South under Federal control. Allowed for the appointment of election supervisors by Federal circuit judges. Further, it authorised US Marshals to employ deputies to maintain order at polling places. Passed by the 41st Congress as H.R. 2634.

There were 9 Democrats in the Senate.  All 7 of the Senate Democrats voting voted AGAINST the Civil Rights Act of 1871 (100%).

There were 54 Republicans and 5 Liberal Republicans in the Senate.  39 Senate Republicans voted FOR (97.4%) and 1 voted AGAINST the Civil Rights Act of 1871 (0.6%).  None of the Liberal Republicans voted.

There were 64 Democrats in the House.   All 58 of the House Democrats voting voted AGAINST the Civil Rights Act of 1871 (100%).

There were 168 Republicans in the House.  143 of the 146 House Republicans voting voted FOR the Civil Rights Act of 1871 (97.9%).

Although mostly overturned in a later Supreme Court decision (United States v. Harris, 106 U.S. 629, 1 S. Ct. 601, 27 L. Ed. 290 (1883) struck down the criminal provisions of the Act's second section on the ground that protecting individuals from private conspiracies was a state and not federal function), the Act succeeded in its main mission:  Destroying the Ku Klux Klan...or, at least, destroying it until its resurrection during the administration of Progressive President Woodrow Wilson.

 Second Civil Rights Act of 1871:

The Second Civil Rights Act of 1871 (The Second Enforcement Act of 1871), 17 Stat. 3-15 a/k/a the Third Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 enforced the 14th Amendment by guaranteeing all citizens of the United States the rights afforded by the Constitution and provided legal protection under the law. Passed by the 42nd Congress (1871–1873) as H.R. 320. 

There were 13 Democrats in the Senate.  All 13 of the Senate Democrats voted AGAINST the Second Civil Rights Act of 1871 (100%).

There were 36 Republicans.  All 36 Senate Republicans voted FOR the Civil Rights Act of 1871 (100%).

There were 86 Democrats in the House.   All 74 of the House Democrats voting voted AGAINST the Second Civil Rights Act of 1871 (100%).

There were 141 Republicans in the House.  118 of the 118 House Republicans voting voted FOR the Second Civil Rights Act of 1871 (100%).

There were 5 members associated with third parties.  All voted AGAINST the Second Civil Rights Act of 1871 (100%). 

In 1884, Congressman John Lynch, a former slave, chaired the Republican National Convention.   A speech seconding his nomination for the post marked the entrance onto the national stage of a 25-year old delegate named Theodore Roosevelt. 

'You must take care of the civil rights bill – my bill, the civil rights bill.  Don’t let it fail.'

 - Senator Charles Sumner, to a Republican colleague on his deathbed in 1874 

 

 

The Civil Rights Act of 1875:

 

In March 1875, the Republican-controlled Congress passed Sumner's civil rights bill.  It was the most comprehensive civil rights legislation ever.    Among its provisions, the Civil Rights Act of 1875 barred discrimination in public accommodations and on public conveyances on land and water. It also prohibited exclusion of African Americans from jury duty. It was passed by the 43rd Congress (1873–1875) as H.R. 796.  President Ulysses Grant signed the bill into law that same day.

 

There were 18 Democrats in the Senate.  All 18 of the Senate Democrats voted AGAINST the Civil Rights Act of 1875 (100%).

There were 48 Republicans and 4 Liberal Republicans in the Senate.  38 Senate Republicans voted FOR (90.5%) and 4 voted AGAINST the Civil Rights Act of 1875 (9.5%).

There were 4 Liberal Republicans in the Senate.  1 Liberal Republican voted FOR (25%) and 3 voted AGAINST the Civil Rights Act of 1875 (75%) .

There were 90 Democrats in the House.   All 82 of the House Democrats voting voted AGAINST the Civil Rights Act of 1875 (100%).

There were 193 Republicans in the House.  150 of the 158 House Republicans voting voted FOR the Civil Rights Act of 1875 (94.9%).

Though struck down by the Supreme Court eight years later, the Civil Rights Act of 1875 would be reborn as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 -- 89 years later.

Also in 1875, Romualdo Pacheco, a Republican, became the 12th Governor of California and the first Hispanic elected as Governor of any state.  In 1863, he had been elected state treasurer of California and was then to the state legislature.  In 1871, he was elected Lt. Governor.   After serving 10 months as Governor, Pacheco won three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and then served as ambassador to Honduras and Guatemala during Republican President Benjamin Harrison’s administration.

Let's just take a minute and run through the FACTS about the Democratic Party's positions on slavery, segregation, lynching, Jim Crow, etc., in the 19th century up to 1920 before we turn to modern era civil rights legislation:

*  Supported slavery in 6 platforms from 1840-1860.

*  Opposed the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution that successively wiped out slavery and gave both legal rights and voting rights to black Americans.

*  Supported segregation actively or by silence in 20 platforms from 1868-1948.

*  Opposed anti-lynching laws, specifically supported by the GOP in four platforms between 1912 and 1928.

*  Opposed the GOP-sponsored Civil Rights Acts of 1866, which focused on legal equality for blacks.

*  Opposed the GOP on giving voting rights to blacks in the District of Columbia in 1867. The legislation was passed over the Democrats' objection.

*  Nominated an 1868 presidential ticket of New York Governor Horatio Seymour and ex-Missouri Congressman Francis Blair. The Democrats pledged they would declare the Civil Rights laws passed by the GOP "null and void" and would refuse to enforce them. They lost to Ulysses Grant.

*  Opposed the Enforcement Acts, three laws passed by the GOP between 1870 and 1871 targeting the rise of the Ku Klux Klan and making it a federal crime to block the right of blacks to vote, hold office, serve on juries and have equal protection of the laws with whites.

*  Opposed the GOP Civil Rights Act of 1875, which prohibited discrimination of blacks in public accommodations.

*  Used the Ku Klux Klan as what Columbia University historian Eric Foner calls "a military force serving the interests of the Democratic Party." Nor is there reference to University of North Carolina historian Allen Trelease's description of the Klan as the "terrorist arm of the Democratic Party." Nor is there mention of the infamous 1924 Democratic Convention -- the "Klanbake" as it is known to history because hundreds of the delegates were Klan members. The Klan-written platform mixed the traditional Democratic message of progressivism and racism in the Klan-written platform.

*  Repealed the Civil Rights laws enacted by GOP Congresses and presidents, already damaged by the Supreme Court. When Democrats gained control of both Congress and the White House in 1892, the Democrats' President Grover Cleveland signed the repeal on February 8, 1894.

Nineteenth Amendment:

In 1896,  Republican Sen. A. A. Sargent of California introduced a proposal in the Senate to give women the right to vote. The proposal was defeated four times in the Democratic-controlled Senate.  When the Republican Party regained control of Congress, the Equal Suffrage Amendment finally passed (304-88). Only 16 Republicans opposed the amendment.  On 4 June 1919, the amendment, having already been passed by the House, passed the Senate by a vote of 56 to 25 and was sent to the states for ratification.

There were 56 Democrats in the Senate.  20 Senate Democrats vote FOR (35.7%) and 17 Senate Democrats voted AGAINST ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment  (30.4%).

There were 39 Republicans in the Senate.  36 Senate Republicans voted FOR (92.3%) and 3 Senate Republicans voted AGAINST ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment  (7.7%).

There were 213 Democrats in the House.   104 House Democrats voted FOR (48.8%) and 109 House Democrats voted AGAINST ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment  (51.2%). 

There were 216 Republicans in the House.  200 House Republicans voted FOR ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment (98.2%).

When the 19th Amendment finally was added to the Constitution, 26 of 36 state legislatures that had voted to ratify it were under Republican control. The first woman elected to Congress was a Republican, Jeanette Rankin from Montana in 1917.

In the 26 major civil rights votes after 1933, a majority of Democrats opposed civil rights legislation in over 80% of the votes. By contrast, the Republican majority favoured  civil rights in over 96% of the votes.

Also, let's review the voting record on the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the Civil Rights Act of 1960, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 

Civil Rights Act of 1957:

The goal of the 1957 Civil Rights Act was to ensure that all Americans could exercise their right to vote.  By 1957, only about 20% of African Americans were registered to vote.  The Democratic Senate Majority Leader, Lyndon Baines Johnson from Texas, sought recognition from civil rights advocates for passing the bill, while also receiving recognition from the mostly southern anti-civil rights Democrats for reducing it so much as to kill it.  Strom Thurmond, then a Democrat, was a pro-segregation Senator from South Carolina. He vehemently opposed passage of the Act with the longest (although ultimately unsuccessful) filibuster ever conducted by a single Senator, speaking for 24 hours and 18 minutes.  Along with Strom Thurmond, Al Gore, Sr., Richard Russell, James Eastland, Robert C Byrd, etc., Senator John F Kennedy voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1957. 

This bill was passed in the House of Representatives on 27 August 1957, by a margin of 279 to 97. On August 29 the Senate passed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 by a margin of 60 to 15. President Eisenhower signed P.L. 85–315 on 9 September 1957, and the Civil Rights Act became law.

There were 49 Democrats in the Senate.  21 Senate Democrats voted AGAINST the Civil Rights Act of 1957 (42.9%) .

There were 43 Republicans in the Senate. All Senate Republicans voting voted FOR it (100%).

There were 229 Democrats in the House.  107 House Democrats voted AGAINST it (46.7%).

There were 191 Republicans in the House.  167 House Republicans voted FOR it (87.4%).

Civil Rights Act of 1960:

After amendments in the Senate, H.R. 8601 was approved by the Senate on 8 April 1960 by a vote of 71-18. The House of Representatives approved the Senate amendments on 21 April 1960 by a vote of 295-288 and the Civil Rights Act of 1960 was signed into law by President Dwight D Eisenhower on 6 May 1960.

There were 65 Democrats in the Senate.  18 of the Senate Democrats voting voted AGAINST the Civil Rights Act of 1960 (30% - 5NV) .

There were 35 Republicans in the Senate.  All 29 Senate Republicans voting voted FOR it (100% -  6NV). 

Civil Rights Act of 1964:

When Senator Robert C Byrd's marathon, 14 hour and 13 minute filibuster was over, the Congressional Quarterly of 26 June 1964 (p 1323) recorded that, in the Senate, only 69% of Democrats (46 for, 21 against) voted for the Civil Rights Act as compared to 82% of Republicans (27 for, 6 against).  In the House of Representatives, 61% of Democrats (152 for, 96 against) voted for the Civil Rights Act. Among Republicans, 80% (138 for, 34 against) voted for it. President Johnson signed the new Civil Rights Act into law on 2 July 1964.

There were 65 Democrats in the Senate.  21 Senate Democrats voted AGAINST the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (31%) .

There were 33 Republicans in the Senate.  21 Senate Republicans voted FOR it (82%).

There were 258 Democrats in the House.  96 House Democrats voted AGAINST it (39%). 

There were 172 Republicans in the House.  138 House Republicans voted FOR it (80%).

  

'Although the Democratic-controlled Congress watered them down, the Administration's recommendations resulted in significant and effective civil rights legislation in both 1957 and 1960 - the first civil rights statutes to be passed in more than 80 years.'

 -
 'The Republican Party 1960 Civil Rights Platform,' Congressional Quarterly, May 1964

'[On 5 April 1963] a group of eight Republican senators in March joined in introducing a series of 12 civil rights bills that would implement many of the recommendations made in the Civil Rights Commission report of 1961.'

 -'The Republican Party 1960 Civil Rights Platform,' Congressional Quarterly, May 1964

The principal measures introduced by these Republicans broadened the Civil Rights Act of 1964, making it "designed to pass unlike Democratic 'public relations' attempts" (CQ, 15 February 1963, p 191). Republican senators overwhelmingly "chided" President John Kennedy about his "failure to act in this field (civil rights)." Republican senators criticised the Kennedy Administration's 28 February 1963 civil rights message as "falling far short" of the Civil Rights Commission's recommendations and both party platforms.

'If [President Kennedy] will not assume the leadership in getting through Congress urgently needed civil rights measures, then Congress must take the initiative.'

- Republican "Gang of 8" on Civil Rights, Congressional Quarterly, 5 April 1963, p 527

At the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, President Lyndon B Johnson praised the Republicans for their "overwhelming" support. Roy Wilkins, then-NAACP chairman, awarded Republican Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen of Illinois the Leadership Conference of Civil Rights Award for his "remarkable civil rights leadership."

'The southern segregationists were all Democrats, and it was black Republicans... who could effectively influence the appointment of federal judges in the South.'

- Andrew Young, former mayor, ambassador, and civil rights leader,  An Easy Burden, p 96

Young added that the best civil rights judges were Republicans appointed by President Dwight Eisenhower and that "these judges are among the many unsung heroes of the civil rights movement."

Voting Rights Act of 1965:

When the Voting Rights Act hit the floor in 1965, the vote results mirrored those of the Civil Rights Act. In the House, the measure passed by a 333-85 margin, with 78% of Democrats backing it (221 yeas and 61 nays) and 82% of Republicans backing it (112 yeas to 24 nays).  In the Senate, the measure passed by a 77-19 vote, with 73% of Democrats and 94% of Republicans supporting the bill.

There were 65 Democrats in the Senate.  47 Senate Democrats voted FOR (72.3%) and 17 Senate Democrats voted AGAINST the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (26.2%).

There were 35 Republicans in the Senate.  30 Senate Republicans voted FOR (93.8%) and 2 Senate Republicans voted AGAINST the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (5.7%).

There were 255 Democrats in the House.  221 Democrats voted FOR (78%) and 61 House Democrats voted AGAINST it (22%).

There were 140 Republicans in the House.  112 House Republicans voted FOR it (82%) and 24 House Republicans voted AGAINST the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (18%).

The South did not send a majority of Republicans to the House of Representatives until the 'Gingrich Revolution' in 1994 and, from Reconstruction until the 2000s, Democrats controlled the majority of Governors' Mansions and state legislatures in the South.

A few more 'Fun Facts': 

'The Republicans began to lose their hold on the black vote in the 1930s, not the 1960s, and the proximate cause was the New Deal, not civil-rights legislation — all of which, including the 1964 act, was passed on Republican support in the face of Democratic opposition. The majority of black Americans became Democrats by the 1940s, not in the 1950s or 1960s — Truman won nearly 80% of the black vote in 1948. The last Republican presidential nominee to win the black vote was Herbert Hoover. Fred Vinson, the chief obstacle to the Brown desegregation mandate, was the last chief justice appointed by a Democrat. And the Deep South did not abandon the Democrats after 1964: Republicans did not win a majority of southern congressional seats until the 1994 election, 30 years later.'

Democrats and revisionist history go hand-in-hand.  Democrats have a predictable history and an unpredictable past....

Related Reading: 

The Tired, Old "Southern Strategy" Canard