Clearly. Tennessee, now a red state was a grey state during our Civil War, and the republicans in the south were against segregation too....
Politically convenient or not, if he moved from darkness to the light, more power to him. You should try it some time, perhaps join the human race and sprout some social conscience....
the repubs have a better record on civil rights. the party of lincoln, greater %age of them voted for the civil rights act of 1964. and now, in the realm of racial preferences/quotas, which are racial discrimination redux, it is the dems who support this concept in much greater #'s and repubs who oppose it in much greater #'s, preferring to judge people by the content of their character as opposed to the dems who play identity politix. then of course there is the fact that (maybe it is just coincidence?) that the most politically powerful minorities in the history of the US are in power under a republican president - bush. condi being the most conspicuous example.
Would you mind listing the republican African Americans that currently hold elected office at a well known level? Let's see if the voters of the republican party are as color blind as you suggest..... Then lets see the republican women, republican Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, etc. that the republicans have put up to run for office. p.s. If you think the current republican party is fully representative of Lincoln, you are nutz...
Would "social conscience" allow me to buy a Volvo and then duplicitously rant about evil greedy corporations sending high paying jobs overseas? Would it allow me to trade securities at better levels then pension systems and then opine without guilt at the plight of retirees losing their benefits? Would it allow me to live in the white bread Big Boy's world of suburban San Diego and not feel like I have zero street cred when I yap about white American's being prejudiced against blacks..... For many the preachy displays of social conscience means no conscience.