Remorse, Racist Politicians, and Forgiveness

Here is a list of politicians who have been members of the KKK in the United States.

Robert Byrd went on to get a 100 percent rating from the NAACP, and Hugo Black became one of the leading white voices for integration. Both thought it was necessary to become Klan members in order to further their political careers at the time.

Was it really required to be a Klansman to advance a political career in 2002 Louisiana? Byrd and Black went on to deeply regret their affiliation with the Klan. Steve Scalise didn’t seem to regret anything — he just seemed to be spinning the whole thing. I’m not sure someone can spin their way out of this in the modern era, but doubling down doesn’t seem like a good strategy either.

Trent Lott was unable to salvage his career, yet Truman, Black, and Byrd were. Admitting you were wrong and moving to the left on race is the only way to overcome this sort of political problem historically. If that’s true — if you have to move left to overcome being labeled a racist — I don’t think Scalise will survive it.