Voting Rights - 1965 - Racists Flock to the GOP

In 1965, the NYTIMES columnist assigned to the Washington beat was Thomas Wicker, who wrote under the byline, Tom Wicker. After the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, he wrote that the LEAST likely result of the voting rights act would be that Blacks became isolated in the Democratic Party, and that the GOP would "turn itself into a larger white man’s party.”

He was wrong on that count. That is in fact EXACTLY what happened. 

Wicker also believed at the time that “Where the pocketbook collides with the race issue, the pocketbook usually wins.” - In other words, poor whites would side with Blacks because they shared a common interest. He was wrong on that count as well.

As today's NYTIMES columnist, Charles Blow writes:

"History has shown us over and over that white racists will consistently vote and act against their own interest so as to oppose or deny Black people."

Wicker, though, was prescient on another point when he wrote: 

“Racist politics, in the final analysis, depends on exclusion of Negroes from voting.” - Tom Wicker - NYTIMES - 1965 -- Wow, did HE nail it!

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/25/opinion/tom-wicker-racism.html 

CaG's View on Denying Voting Rights

5321   PM:   Christians   [Quote]     -- 6:11pm -- Thu, Feb 14, 19 pst

A literacy test of the issues and candidates, yes. As well as votes ought be weighted in approximate terms to the social value of the individual voter. Someone who contributes nothing to this country ought not have any say in how it is governed.



5350   PM:   Christians   [Quote]     -- 6:16pm -- Thu, Feb 14, 19 pst

I would ship the feminists to a small island with standing room only, permitting them one phone call to the states per month. Normal women of course would continue to help build the country.