Hillary’s troops fire first salvo against Obama creating black /white controversy

We should all be familiar with the Civil Rights Act of 1965.

Today’s South Carolina State Newspaper reports that we may be witnessing the start of another war reminding me of an earlier battle involving Fort Sumter, S.C. almost 150 years ago.

In this case Hillary supporters comments overlooking Martin Luther King are creating a black/white divide in South Carolina days before that critical primary election.

According to the story some of the angst relates to comments made by Hillary “when she credited President Lyndon Baines Johnson, not the assassinated John F. Kennedy or King, for passing civil rights legislation.” The story continues “it is one thing to run a campaign and be respectful of everyone’s motives and actions, and it is something else to denigrate those,” Clybum told the Times. “That bothered me a great deal.” Note: Dem. U.S. Representative Jim Clybum is the South Carolina’s only African American Congressman. The Times reports that “he had pledged to remain neutral as Democrats competed for votes in the state’s primary.”

Well folks. This is where you need to heed the wisdom of Ronald Reagan. “Trust, but verify.” Technically, LBJ was president when the Civil Rights Act was signed. Let’s be real here. There is no “i” in teamwork. You should use caution in crediting people without the whole story. Without the non-violent efforts of activists like Martin Luther King there would not have been a Civil Rights Act to start with.

Let me share one of the key players, a Republican Senator, whose name was not mentioned in the discussion. While recognized for his contributions by MLK, Hillary seems to have forgotten his name along with others cited by the State. The following text is from the Dirksen Congressional Center web site.

“People matter. Everett Dirksen was uniquely suited for his role on behalf of civil rights in 1964 and 1965. Martin Luther King, Jr. hailed Dirksen’s “able and courageous leadership.” The Chicago Defender, the largest black-owned daily in the world, praised him “for the grand manner of his generalship behind the passage of the best civil rights measures that have ever been enacted into law since Reconstruction.” Just as it mattered that Lyndon Johnson not Barry Goldwater sat in the White House, it mattered that Everett McKinley Dirksen not Bourke Hickenlooper led the Republicans.”

Just to give credit where credit is due. Don’t engage in ready, fire, aim if you can.

Fasten your seat belts. Hillary Clinton is coming to a town near you as she seeks the keys to her former Pennsylvania Avenue residence. Having taken the White House stationary which bears the Clinton name we can save on printing costs.

About Larry Gilbert