Ironic Quote of the Day: Frederick Douglass

I am a Republican, a black, dyed in the wool Republican, and I never intend to belong to any other party than the party of freedom and progress. - Frederick Douglass

There's little doubt that that quote is utter bizarre when we look at the Republican party of the day. There has been a rather odd switch in party loyalty over the years. The positions of Republicans like Lincoln and Douglass are now only found within the Democratic party and the traditional Democratic party positions are the staple of modern Republican party. It's a sad monument that the party of Lincoln died in the south. There had been a number of shifts over the 20th century and finally sealed the fate in 1963 with the Civil Rights Act, that's when the Democratic party lost the south, and in an odd twist took every position as the party of Lincoln.

House vote:

* Southern Democrats: 7-87 (7%-93%)
* Southern Republicans: 0-10 (0%-100%)

* Northern Democrats: 145-9 (94%-6%)
* Northern Republicans: 138-24 (85%-15%)

Over the next several years, the parties just flipped over. And in the 1994 slaughter-fest, the Democrats lost the south completely. And in 2006 the Republicans lost what bit of the NE they still had. Though, there are senators in Maine still and perhaps a straggler or two.

The supporters of the party of Lincoln would be the first to vote against Bush.