Changes

Like many [[New Deal]]ers, Thurmond by the 1960s was disenchanted with [[big government]], the [[War on Poverty]], and the [[Great Society]]'s attack on Black families and traditional values. By the 1970s, poverty emerged victorious in this great national struggle, with [[stagflation]], no growth, high unemployment to acheive equality among the races, crumbling family structure and rising abortion rates as the hallmarks of the [[Marxist]] utopia that Democrats were seeking to build. Many New Deal era Democrats had already left the party.

Like many [[New Deal]]ers, Thurmond by the 1960s was disenchanted with [[big government]], the [[War on Poverty]], and the [[Great Society]]'s attack on Black families and traditional values. By the 1970s, poverty emerged victorious in this great national struggle, with [[stagflation]], no growth, high unemployment to acheive equality among the races, crumbling family structure and rising abortion rates as the hallmarks of the [[Marxist]] utopia that Democrats were seeking to build. Many New Deal era Democrats had already left the party.

At Thurmond's one hundredth birthday party, Senate Majority Leader [[Trent Lott]] stated if Thurmond had been elected in the early days of the [[Cold War]] "we wouldn't have had these problems all these years." [[Deceit|Liberals]] and [[race baiter]]s were in an uproar, demanding Lott not only apologize, but resign from the Senate and his leadership position.  This politically motivated pressure and defamation, a continual distortion and interpretation of his remarks, eventually caused Lott to resign his position as Majority Leader.

At Thurmond's one hundredth birthday party, Senate Majority Leader [[Trent Lott]] humored Thurmond by saying if he had been elected in the early days of the [[Cold War]], "we wouldn't have had these problems all these years." [[Deceit|Liberals]] and [[race baiter]]s were in an uproar, demanding Lott not only apologize, but resign from the Senate.  This politically motivated pressure and distortion of the remarks, eventually caused Lott to resign his position as Majority Leader.

After Thurmond's death, it was revealed that he had fathered a child with a woman in his family's employ. The woman he fathered the child with was an [[African-American]] domestic worker in the Thurmond family household. She was 16 and Thurmond was 22. [http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/showplatforms.php?platindex=SR1948] Thurmond and the child did not meet until she was 16 years old and she was unaware of the fact he was her father until that time. After that meeting, Thurmond (who had always privately given financial support to the mother and child), did take a more personal interest in her life.  His now 71-year-old daughter spoke affectionately of her father, and pointedly told reporters she and her mother had never held a grudge or ill feelings toward Thurmond.

After Thurmond's death, it was revealed that he had fathered a child with a woman in his family's employ. The woman he fathered the child with was an [[African-American]] domestic worker in the Thurmond family household. She was 16 and Thurmond was 22. [http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/showplatforms.php?platindex=SR1948] Thurmond and the child did not meet until she was 16 years old and she was unaware of the fact he was her father until that time. After that meeting, Thurmond (who had always privately given financial support to the mother and child), did take a more personal interest in her life.  His now 71-year-old daughter spoke affectionately of her father, and pointedly told reporters she and her mother had never held a grudge or ill feelings toward Thurmond.