Because when that picture was taken at the end of the 1920s, the Klan wasn't just tied to one political party.
It had well-documented ties to Democrats and Republicans alike.
Anyone insisting otherwise is either ignorant or lying.
It had well-documented ties to Democrats and Republicans alike.
Anyone insisting otherwise is either ignorant or lying.
The bipartisan reach of the 1920s Klan is something historians have written about endlessly.
I did a thread about it here, after reviewing Linda Gordon's recent book on it all:
I did a thread about it here, after reviewing Linda Gordon's recent book on it all:
The Klan's ties to political parties varied by region.
In the South, the KKK was overwhelmingly aligned with the Democrats.
But in other parts of the nation -- especially places where Democrats were linked to Catholics and immigrants -- the nativist Klan sided with the GOP.
In the South, the KKK was overwhelmingly aligned with the Democrats.
But in other parts of the nation -- especially places where Democrats were linked to Catholics and immigrants -- the nativist Klan sided with the GOP.
As I noted in the earlier thread, this was clearest in Indiana.
It had arguably the strongest Klan presence of any state, and the Grand Dragon there was a Republican who exercised tremendous influence in (and brought a huge scandal to) the state GOP.
It had arguably the strongest Klan presence of any state, and the Grand Dragon there was a Republican who exercised tremendous influence in (and brought a huge scandal to) the state GOP.
Even after the Grand Dragon and his GOP allies went down, the Indiana GOP still was known for its ties to the Klan.
Here's a piece on a 1927 speech by the NAACP president, urging African Americans to vote against "the Klan-controlled Republican Party of that state."
Here's a piece on a 1927 speech by the NAACP president, urging African Americans to vote against "the Klan-controlled Republican Party of that state."
Indiana was the most prominent state in which the Klan and Republicans aligned, but not the only one.
Here's a report on Colorado politics in 1924, for instance.
Here's a report on Colorado politics in 1924, for instance.
In Kansas, meanwhile, the Democrats came out against the Klan, while the Republicans were split on the issue.
The 1924 gubernatorial nominee was backed by the Klan, but other Republicans (like famous editor W.A. White) opposed them.
The 1924 gubernatorial nominee was backed by the Klan, but other Republicans (like famous editor W.A. White) opposed them.
Indiana, Colorado and Kansas were the most significant states for Klan-Republican ties, but there were others.
Here's Maine in 1924, where the GOP's candidate for governor was backed by the Klan while the Democratic candidate opposed them.
Here's Maine in 1924, where the GOP's candidate for governor was backed by the Klan while the Democratic candidate opposed them.
That same year, the very same dynamic played out in Oklahoma, where the Republican Party aligned with the Klan and the Democrats positioned themselves as its enemies.
I could go on like that, but you get the point.
In several states across the nation in 1924, the Klan placed its political bets with the Republicans rather than the Democrats -- and notably, those bets largely paid off.
In several states across the nation in 1924, the Klan placed its political bets with the Republicans rather than the Democrats -- and notably, those bets largely paid off.
As the Klan made inroads with Republicans in these states (and Democrats elsewhere), both national parties were rocked by the issue in 1924.
See this thread on the facts & fictions of the Democrats' "Klanbake" and the Republicans' "Kleveland Konvention"
See this thread on the facts & fictions of the Democrats' "Klanbake" and the Republicans' "Kleveland Konvention"
And as I've noted before, in the 1928 election -- when Democrats nominated a Catholic for president, to the Klan's horror -- the Klan came decisively down on the Republican side.
Now, again, my point here is not to argue that the 1920s Klan was exclusively tied to the Republicans.
Such a claim would be just as willfully dishonest as the claim that the Klan was exclusively tied to the Democrats.
Such a claim would be just as willfully dishonest as the claim that the Klan was exclusively tied to the Democrats.
Instead, my point -- which was @Travon's basic point as well -- is that the Klan was a thoroughly American organization.
It's not a new point. I stressed this in my review of Linda Gordon's The Second Coming of the KKK two years ago.
It's not a new point. I stressed this in my review of Linda Gordon's The Second Coming of the KKK two years ago.
So yes, @DineshDSouza, if you want to blame someone for the crimes of the Ku Klux Klan, you have to cast it widely on "America" and not just pretend it was solely the fault of one political party.
Because if you did that, you'd just come off like an embarrassing partisan hack.
Because if you did that, you'd just come off like an embarrassing partisan hack.
