GOP/KKK
By Michael J.W. Stickings
Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) really, really, really supports the Iraq War. And in really, really, really supporting the war (and the troops) on the floor of the House, he quoted, of all people, one Nathan Bedford Forrest, a "successful Confederate general".
Forrest was indeed a Confederate general, and quite a celebrated one, a "wizard of the saddle" (according to this bio), but what Poe neglected to mention was that Forrest was also a slave trader, a war criminal (see Fort Pillow Massacre), and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. For more on the real Forrest, rather than the one held in high regard by modern-day sympathizers and apologists, see this report by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Think Progress has the video/transcript of Poe's remarks.
Eugene Volokh is right that Poe was quoting Forrest's "famous military advice". And he is also right that many highly quotable historical figures, such as Napoleon and Mao, Luther and Stalin, did or said or believed horrible things. And Ed Morrissey also makes good points about "glass houses".
All of which is to say: This is, in my view, much ado about not very much.
It was insensitive and perhaps stupid of Poe to quote Forrest, but he was not, in quoting him, endorsing his racism or the Klan. If anything, he was just exposing his own ignorance for public view.
Furthermore, this episode hardly proves that the Republican Party is racist.
Still, it was my good friend Steve Benen who started what has become a blogospheric maelstrom, linking to the original piece in Roll Call and providing the initial commentary. I must disagree with his assertion that this should "be a bigger deal," that it is all "rather scandalous". I must also therefore disagree with another friend, Melissa McEwan, who agrees with Steve. However, Steve and Melissa are quite right to mention the Republican Party's "race problems," with Melissa reminding us of the specific problems of the GOP's recent past. This is precisely why I found Poe's remarks insensitive and perhaps stupid, if not nearly as meaningful as Steve and Melissa found them.
This episode is getting quite a bit of attention at the moment, but what I take from it is that some politicians are amazingly ignorant and that Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest was a truly reprehensible man. That's about it.
Genuine bigotry is to be found elsewhere.
Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) really, really, really supports the Iraq War. And in really, really, really supporting the war (and the troops) on the floor of the House, he quoted, of all people, one Nathan Bedford Forrest, a "successful Confederate general".
Forrest was indeed a Confederate general, and quite a celebrated one, a "wizard of the saddle" (according to this bio), but what Poe neglected to mention was that Forrest was also a slave trader, a war criminal (see Fort Pillow Massacre), and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. For more on the real Forrest, rather than the one held in high regard by modern-day sympathizers and apologists, see this report by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Think Progress has the video/transcript of Poe's remarks.
Eugene Volokh is right that Poe was quoting Forrest's "famous military advice". And he is also right that many highly quotable historical figures, such as Napoleon and Mao, Luther and Stalin, did or said or believed horrible things. And Ed Morrissey also makes good points about "glass houses".
All of which is to say: This is, in my view, much ado about not very much.
It was insensitive and perhaps stupid of Poe to quote Forrest, but he was not, in quoting him, endorsing his racism or the Klan. If anything, he was just exposing his own ignorance for public view.
Furthermore, this episode hardly proves that the Republican Party is racist.
Still, it was my good friend Steve Benen who started what has become a blogospheric maelstrom, linking to the original piece in Roll Call and providing the initial commentary. I must disagree with his assertion that this should "be a bigger deal," that it is all "rather scandalous". I must also therefore disagree with another friend, Melissa McEwan, who agrees with Steve. However, Steve and Melissa are quite right to mention the Republican Party's "race problems," with Melissa reminding us of the specific problems of the GOP's recent past. This is precisely why I found Poe's remarks insensitive and perhaps stupid, if not nearly as meaningful as Steve and Melissa found them.
This episode is getting quite a bit of attention at the moment, but what I take from it is that some politicians are amazingly ignorant and that Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest was a truly reprehensible man. That's about it.
Genuine bigotry is to be found elsewhere.
Labels: Congress, history, racism, U.S. Civil War
posted by Michael J.W. Stickings at
12:32 AM
1 Comments:
Yes, I think that's a fair assessment of the situation. Did Poe even know that Forrest was in the Klan?
By
That guy, at 2:19 AM
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