Regarding birthright citizenship and DEI

To the Editor:

On February 4 the Northwoods River News published two articles that caught my attention. One had a front-page headline which read “Tiffany reintroduces legislation to ban DEI in the federal government”. The other was an Our View entitled “For the sake of the nation, end birthright citizenship”.  I found neither article surprising given the extremist drift of the Republican Party and the editorial philosophy of the River News.  Here is my opinion on the beginnings of how we got into this polarized mess while at the same time hopefully providing something of an education for our readers.

To understand the current Republican Party, I think it is essential to be aware of Richard Nixon’s Southern strategy after the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964.  That Act outlawed, among other things, discrimination based on race, sex and, years later, being gay. Of the 22 Senators who then represented the states of the old Confederacy, 21 voted against the Act.  So did Barry Goldwater. After losing the 1964 Presidential election, Goldwater, Nixon and the Republican Party initiated their Southern strategy. (Readers: You need to research “Southern strategy” on your computers). This was the plan where the Republicans welcomed all the racist segregationists who were still Democrats into the Republican Party. It was wildly successful.  Virtually all the Strom Thurmond types left the Democratic Party and became Republicans. By 1968 none of the old Confederate states except Texas went for the Democrat Presidential candidate.

The word “woke” originally referred to people who were aware of and attentive to issues of social and racial justice.  Simple as that.  Republicans have now twisted that meaning and substituted “anti-woke” as their rallying cry to mean the real discrimination in America is against white people, especially men.  It is no accident that of 62 African American members of the current House of Representatives, 5 are Republicans; of 45 Latinos, 12 are Republicans; of 5 black Senators, 1 is a Republican; of 125 women in the House, 31 are Republicans; of 25 women Senators, 9 are Republicans.  It is no accident, either, that of 27 members of the House that identify as Jewish, 3 are Republicans.  Of 10 in the Senate, not one is Republican.  Remember this the next time Republicans accuse the Democrats of being antisemite (anti-Jewish) for criticizing Israel’s government.  No wonder Tom Tiffany and his Freedom Caucus buddies want to ban all mention of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from our Federal Government. No wonder Republicans want to end birthright citizenship. They want to hide from Americans what their party has become. 

It is sacrilege for Republicans to call themselves the Party of Lincoln. 

Erik Matson

Rhinelander