Meet The Nine Republicans Still In Congress Who Voted Against Martin Luther King Day

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s civil rights legacy was enshrined into law when Martin Luther King, Jr. Day became a federal holiday. Meet the nine current members of Congress who voted against it.

It’s no secret that today’s Republican Party has been home to some of the most-racist beliefs in modern times. A walk through the Facebook pages of many Tea Party Republicans, or the almost regular news reports highlighting the most offensive missives of Republican and conservative leaders serve to bring that sad fact into focus.

Then there’s newly-minted Republican U.S. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who delivered a speech before a white supremacist group as a Louisiana State Representative.

Scalise voted in 1999, as a state representative, against honoring Dr. King’s legacy by making Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a state holiday. He did so again in 2004. As MSNBC today notes, Scalise’s speech before the white supremacist group was neatly sandwiched in between those two votes, in 2002.

Scalise is not the only member of Congress serving today who has voted against Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. 

That notorious list includes eight more Republicans. In the Senate, Richard Shelby (Alabama,) Chuck Grassley (Iowa,) John McCain (Arizona,) and Orrin Hatch (Utah). In the House, Jim Sensenbrenner (Wisconsin) and Hal Rogers (Kentucky). While serving in state legislatures, Rep. John Culberson (Texas) and Sen. Johnny Isakson (Georgia) also voted against the holiday.

A handful of other notable Republican opponents of the holiday during its multiple-year evolution from concept to reality include: President Ronald Reagan, although he did sign it when it arrived on his desk with a veto-proof majority; former Vice President Dick Cheney, who voted against the bill in 1978, but voted for it in 1983; and former Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who was another nay vote in 1983.

McCain, while running for president in 2008, told NBC News he regretted that vote. He was notably a prisoner of war in Vietnam when King was assassinated. Hatch called the vote “one of the worst decisions I have made as senator” in a 2007 book. And Isakson, who is on is way out of office, told The Hill he’d reverse his vote if he could. 

Meanwhile, Scalise has seen his voting record on race examined more closely. For instance, earlier this month New Orleans’ Times-Picayune reported that Scalise had voted against a Louisiana state resolution apologizing for slavery.

“Why are you asking me to apologize for something I didn’t do and had no part of?” Scalise said at the time, according to the paper. “I am not going to apologize for what somebody else did.”

Meanwhile, on this day we honor the memory of and thank Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for his work and incredible sacrifice.

 

Image via Wikimedia
Hat tip: MSNBC and The Hill