The Lie That Won’t Die: How the GOP Uses History to Hide Hate

They say the Republican Party freed the slaves.
They say Democrats are the real racists.
They say Lincoln would vote red today.

But while they hide behind 1865, they're banning books about Black history in 2025.
They’re gutting voting rights, erasing DEI, mocking Juneteenth, and protecting a rapist named Trump.

In this episode, we tear down the myth that Republicans are the party of racial justice.
We walk you through the party switch — not just in names, but in values.
We expose the Southern Strategy, the dog whistles, the classroom bans, and the deadly consequences of their fake patriotism — from Texas flood deaths to school shootings they refuse to stop.

We call out the GOP’s rebranded racism — and we hold establishment Democrats accountable too. Because failure isn’t the same as sabotage. And silence isn’t neutrality.

Sources & References:

Party Realignment & Southern Strategy

• Kevin M. Kruse & Julian Zelizer, Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974

• Rick Perlstein, Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America

• Lee Atwater interview (1981), via Rick Perlstein archives / CNN

• Joseph Crespino, Strom Thurmond’s America

• Pew Research: “The changing face of the Democratic and Republican parties”

Voter Suppression

• Brennan Center for Justice: “Voting Laws Roundup” (2023–2025)

• Shelby County v. Holder, 570 U.S. 529 (2013)

• U.S. Commission on Civil Rights: “An Assessment of Minority Voting Access” (2021)

Book Bans & Curriculum Censorship

• PEN America: “Banned in the USA” Reports (2023–2025)

• Florida Dept. of Education, 2023 curriculum guidelines

• Texas Tribune: “Greg Abbott blocks AP African American Studies course”

• NBC News: “DeSantis defends new slavery standards”

Trump’s Legal & Racial History

• E. Jean Carroll case (Trump found liable for sexual abuse and defamation)

• NYT: “A Running List of Trump’s Accusers”

• Washington Post: “Trump’s use of racist rhetoric”

• BBC News: “Trump and the Proud Boys — ‘stand back and stand by’”

• ACLU: “The Muslim Ban: Timeline of Discrimination”

Gun Violence & Republican Inaction

• Everytown for Gun Safety: “Tracking State Gun Laws”

• CDC: Firearm death statistics by state (2020–2024)

• Texas Tribune: “Despite mass shootings, Texas GOP loosens gun laws”

Texas Floods (2025 Disaster)

• Houston Chronicle (July 2025): “Record Floods Kill Over 120 — Emergency Response in Crisis”

• Climate Central: “Texas floodplain risk worsens as regulations stall”

• FEMA Funding Rollbacks (2023–2024) and Congressional Budget Data

General Context & Historical Analysis

• Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow

• Isabel Wilkerson, Caste

• James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time

• 1619 Project by The New York Times