On Tuesday's PoliticsNation show, MSNBC contributor Goldie Taylor described the Republican Party as "built out of the old Dixiecrats" who "wouldn't want black and brown people living in their community" as she and MSNBC host Al Sharpton responded to RNC Chairman Reince Priebus alluding to the GOP's history of supporting the Civil Rights Movement. After a clip of Priebus, Sharpton posed:
The Republican Party was the party of equality. But we're not in the 1950s anymore. I mean, is this the best they can do?
After taking a jab at Republicans talking about "rebranding" the party, she continued:
You know, the fact of the matter is Republicans did for a very long time in this country represent the party of equal protection. But then we had something called the Civil Rights Act happen. And a major re-alignment of parties happened in this country. And so, now today, you've got a Republican party built out of the old Dixiecrats.
As Sharpton injected, "Right," she added:
And those are the very same Dixiecrats who wouldn't want black and brown people living in their community. Certainly, wouldn't want LGBT members of that community in their community.
A bit later, responding to comments from several conservative figures criticizing President Obama, Taylor introduced the words "bigoted rhetoric" as she observed that establishment Republicans do not control conservative activists:
But the power has shifted largely because of these right-wing talkers. You've got the Tea Party, you've got evangelicals and you got the establishments. These two groups are largely self-fun funded. They drive themselves to the polls. So, there is no more accountability to the D.C. elites, there's less than there ever has been.
And so, these people are really waging their own war. So will they drop this harsh right wing bigoted rhetoric? No, they won't. They won't blame the idea that Cuccinelli was a bad candidate. They want to turn around and say things like President Obama put together a PAC and put in a fake libertarian. They`re going to blame other things and not themselves.
Below are transcripts of relevant portions of the Tuesday, November 5, PoliticsNation on MSNBC:
AL SHARPTON: The Republican Party was the party of equality. But we're not in the 1950s anymore. I mean, is this the best they can do?
GOLDIE TAYLOR, MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR: You know, I really do think that it is the best that they could do. Look, Reince Priebus put together what we called an autopsy. I think what this party needs is a coroner's inquest. I think they need to go back and take another look at the body. Because obviously, they got it wrong on this so-called rebranding effort.
You know, the fact of the matter is Republicans did for a very long time in this country represent the party of equal protection. But then we had something called the Civil Rights Act happen. And a major re-alignment of parties happened in this country. And so, now today, you've got a Republican party built out of the old Dixiecrats.
SHARPTON: Right.
TAYLOR: And those are the very same Dixiecrats who wouldn't want black and brown people living in their community. Certainly, wouldn't want LGBT members of that community in their community.
And so I just think that to take a look at this party in the very shrinking tent that it seems to be embracing really defies what we really need in this country which is a very strong two-party system. Without that, we don't get the best solutions. We don't get the best governing. What we get is kind of this hamstrung gridlock we're seeing today.
(...)
SHARPTON: Now, Goldie, if in fact they lose Virginia, if in fact a moderate governor who embraced the president wins in New Jersey, if they take these big losses, will they stop dropping some of the rhetoric and stop the echoing what a lot of these right-wing talkers are saying?
TAYLOR: In a word, no. You know, the establishment isn't in charge anymore. There used to be a strong national GOP chairman who would call the parties in and say look, this is how it's going to go.
SHARPTON: Right,
TAYLOR: But the power has shifted largely because of these right-wing talkers. You've got the Tea Party, you've got evangelicals and you got the establishments. These two groups are largely self-fun funded. They drive themselves to the polls. So, there is no more accountability to the D.C. elites, there's less than there ever has been.
And so, these people are really waging their own war. So will they drop this harsh right wing bigoted rhetoric? No, they won't. They won't blame the idea that Cuccinelli was a bad candidate. They want to turn around and say things like President Obama put together a PAC and put in a fake libertarian. They`re going to blame other things and not themselves.
--Brad Wilmouth is a news analyst at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow Brad Wilmouth on Twitter.
