Strom's Jeffersonian Connection

December 14, 2003 10:05 AM

Woman claims she's Strom Thurmond's mixed-race daughterEveryone's favorite segregationist dixiecrat had an out-of-wedlock, mixed-race daughter that he "provided financial support" to from 1941 on. The mind boggles how, at any moment in the last 60 years, this news could have deep-sixed Strom's political career -- but somehow didn't.
posted by dogmatic (18 comments total)

Not to mention her mother was 16 at the time he got her pregnant. And he was still denouncing the mixing of the races when his daughter was 20 years old. He apparently had a good relationship with her, so there are many paradoxes here.
posted by Slagman at 11:40 AM on December 14, 2003

Another excellent exampe of how people can disconnect one part of their mind from another. Hopefully the genengineers can fix this problem too.
posted by billsaysthis at 11:41 AM on December 14, 2003

See also The Black White Supremacist.
posted by eastlakestandard at 11:55 AM on December 14, 2003

The first couple comments are pretty forgiving, to me it makes him a reprehinsible figure.The first couple comments are pretty forgiving; to me, this makes him simply a reprehensible figure. For years, he fought ardently for positions that would deny basic equality for his daughter and lover. He embraced nakedly bigoted sentiments that, by all indications, he held until his death. He furthered his monstrous career by denying the existence of one of his own. To me, that’s irredeemable.
posted by BigPicnic at 11:57 AM on December 14, 2003

And as Anil points out, Slate had reported on this 6 months ago.
posted by momus at 12:03 PM on December 14, 2003

Chalk it up to typical right wing dissonance due to narcissistic personalities that gravitate towards such black/white world views.
posted by nofundy at 1:46 PM on December 14, 2003

This hasn't been much of a secret for a long time. It's just that with all involved parties denying that it was true, there was no way to prove it.

My impression of Thurmond is that his racism was political, and it was not necessarily what he believed. Whether that is a positive or a negative I don't know.
posted by gspira at 2:13 PM on December 14, 2003

My impression of Thurmond is that his racism was political, and it was not necessarily what he believed.

I never personally got that impression, but it is an interesting point: that it's almost impossible to win in the southern states without pandering to racists. I mean, it's almost sad: you pander in Ohio with steel tariffs, in Nebraska with farm subsidies and in South Carolina, it's 'I don't see how it's racist to hang the battle flag over the state capitol building from a war you guys fought against the rest of the country, specifically to keep slavery legal.' Nothing increases my esteem for the Democratic Party as much as the states which they are unable to win.
posted by boaz at 2:31 PM on December 14, 2003

see also
posted by shoepal at 3:38 PM on December 14, 2003

There's a fine old tradition of white Southern racist men having children by black servants.
posted by Nelson at 5:41 PM on December 14, 2003

No kidding. It's like, the only thing Faulkner ever wrote about.
posted by Hildago at 6:37 PM on December 14, 2003

There's a fine old tradition of white Southern racist men having children by black servants.
So, there are little dark trent lotts running around?
posted by amberglow at 7:47 PM on December 14, 2003

So, there are little dark trent lotts running around?

We Can Only Hope & Dream ;)
posted by Dreamghost at 12:28 AM on December 15, 2003

Woman claims she's Strom Thurmond's mixed-race daughter

She only "claims" this because it is true.
posted by nofundy at 12:07 PM on December 15, 2003

His family acknowedges it!!! omg! and how sad having to be hidden and listen to your father spout hate against you for so many years...
posted by amberglow at 7:15 PM on December 15, 2003

oops...can't spell today..make that acknowledges : >
posted by amberglow at 7:16 PM on December 15, 2003

So Strom really did believe that blacks were actually beneath him?

Especially for instances of statutory rape!

No wonder the right wingers worshipped the man!
posted by nofundy at 5:16 AM on December 16, 2003

nofundy, I've known plenty of self-described conservatives, but I've yet to meet anyone who had much nice to say about Thurmond, let alone "worshipped" him.

But hey, if wanna see legions of right-wing boogeymen under your bed, be my guest. I'm sure Strom saw commies and radicals under his. Maybe in the afterworld you could share stories around the campfire.
posted by jonmc at 9:53 AM on December 16, 2003