The GOP's Race To The Bottom, Con't

When I say Republicans are the party of white supremacy, when I say that white supremacy is in no way a dealbreaker for Republican voters, when I say the stated goal of the Republican party is to end the civil rights era and return the country to white supremacy, a Republican governor literally proclaiming a statewide day to celebrate the founder of the Ku Klux Klan is the evidence that I cite.

Gov. Bill Lee has proclaimed Saturday as Nathan Bedford Forrest Day in Tennessee, a day of observation to honor the former Confederate general and early Ku Klux Klan leader whose bust is on display in the state Capitol.

Per state law, the Tennessee governor is tasked with issuing proclamations for six separate days of special observation, three of which, including the July 13 Forrest Day, pertain to the Confederacy.

Lee — and governors who have come before him — are also required by state law to proclaim Jan. 19 as Robert E. Lee Day, honoring the commander of the Confederate Army, as well as June 3 Confederate Decoration Day, otherwise known as Confederate Memorial Day and the birthday of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

"I signed the bill because the law requires that I do that and I haven’t looked at changing that law," Lee said Thursday.

He declined to say whether he believed state law should be changed to no longer require the governor to issue such proclamations or whether he had reservations about doing so.

A previous effort by Democrats to do so was unsuccessful.

"I haven’t even looked at that law, other than knowing I needed to comply with it, so that’s what I did," Lee said. "When we look at the law, then we’ll see."

Lee signed the proclamation Wednesday.

Hasn't even occurred to the Governor of Tennessee in 2019 that a law mandating the declaration of a statewide celebration of a Confederate traitor and, I can't stress this enough, basically the founder of the Klan, that he might want to, you know, not do this.

And yes, Democratic Gov. Bill Haslam also declared this day in 2015, because he had to by law.  He also said that he didn't agree with the law and wanted to change it.

Go to hell, Bill Lee.  Join Forrest down there and burn for a few millennia.