Rep. Louie Gohmert would like to see the House of Representatives ban the Democratic Party and urge party leaders to change the name of the caucus because the party once supported slavery.
“A great portion of the history of the Democratic Party is filled with racism and hatred,” Gohmert said. “Since people are demanding we rid ourselves of the entities, symbols, and reminders of the repugnant aspects of our past, then the time has come for Democrats to acknowledge their party’s loathsome and bigoted past and consider changing their party name to something that isn’t so blatantly and offensively tied to slavery, Jim Crow, discrimination, and the Ku Klux Klan.”
On Wednesday, the House voted to take down the statue of former Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee as well as 15 other figures on display inside the U.S. Capitol, deeming them insensitive to racial minorities in America.
“For those of us who are sons of the South, those of us who have endured hardship, discrimination, and a lot of things that are very difficult to even talk about, for this moment in time where we are today, where we are going to start the process of healing and setting the record straight as it relates to the real history of this country, it is fitting and proper that those individuals who fought to keep many of our ancestors enslaved should not have to be recognized in a place where people who do good expect to be recognized,” said Dem. Rep. Bennie Thompson.
On Thursday, Gohmert, a Republican, introduced a resolution that would ban any “names, symbolizes or mentions any political organization or party that has ever held a public position that supported slavery or the Confederacy.”
The Texas congressman included in his resolution more than a dozen instances of Democrats either standing in the way of civil rights reform or promoting racist policies.
These included Woodrow Wilson’s segregation policies in 1912, the Ku Klux Klan’s presence at the 1924 Democratic National Convention, and the prominence of Sen. Robert Byrd, who was one of the country’s most racist lawmakers.
“To avoid triggering innocent bystanders by the racist past of the Democratic Party, I would suggest they change their name,” Gohmert said. “That is the standard to which they are holding everyone else, so the name change needs to occur.”
Gohmert’s resolution was co-sponsored by Reps. Andy Biggs, Jody Hice, Rand Weber, and Andy Harris.
