Richard Remembers Joe Pyne: Joe Pyne Interviews Governor Lester Maddox (1968)

Source:Richard Remember Joe Pyne- Governor Lester Maddox (Democrat, Georgia) talking to Joe Pyne in 1968.

Source:The New Democrat 

"GOVERNOR LESTER MADDOX, Governor of Georgia, argues with Joe Pyne about the current state of the nation and his role; after about 25 minutes of acrimonious dialogue, Governor Maddox stalks off the set and refuses to return." is the description on the film can, courtesy of Hartwest Productions, Inc.  Filmed/broadcast date circa November 1968. Joe Pyne."  

From Richard Remembers Joe Pyne

Joe Pyne to the left of Lester Maddux in this interview. Which just goes to show you that there's a certain point for smart right-wingers as far as how they'll go even when it comes to how we treat criminals and convicted inmates when they say: "Enough is enough, these people are people to and deserve to be treated like human beings. Criminals and inmates sure, but that doesn't mean treating people even inmates like animals, but people in prison that deserve the respect of being treated like a human being".

Guy John: Governor Lester Maddox Says It's Not About Race

Source:The Daily Beast- Governor Lester Maddox (Democrat, Georgia)

"Gov. Lester Maddox explains that he does not serve those who feel he must serve them, whether white, black, red-headed, or bald."

Source:Guy John 

H.L. Mencken: "When someone says it's not about the money, it's about the money." When Governor Lester Maddox said it's not about race, referring to why he wouldn't let African-Americans have access to Caucasian own businesses in Georgia, of course it was about race. He saw African-Americans as second-class citizens in America, pure and simple.

Lester Maddux who unless I'm mistaken was Governor of Georgia at one point, but him saying that denying African-Americans service to his business "is not about race", reminds me of the famous bank robber Willy Sutton saying that robbing banks "is not about the money". Who are they trying to fool? 

Of course the racial discrimination that came about in the form of denying African-Americans service was about race. And it was also about skin-color as well. The Anglo-Saxon South lost the ability to treat Africans as property thanks to them losing the Civil War in the 1860s. Their response was that "if we can't treat them like property, we'll do the next best things. Separating the Africans from the Caucasians. And denying them the same quality of service that we give ourselves and for the ability for African-Americans to achieve any type of education in life that will allow for them to be successful in America". 

The Neo-Confederate South lost all of the civil rights battles and losing the ability to deny service to African-Americans, I guess was Lester Maddux's last straw.

The LBJ Library: President Lyndon Johnson's Meeting With Governor George C. Wallace (3/18/65)

Source:The New Democrat

President Lyndon Johnson talking about the need for Alabama Governor George C. Wallace's need to enforce the law in Alabama. And in this case the law was a Federal court order that said civil rights marchers in Alabama had a right to march and that Alabama was responsible for keeping the peace and keep order in Alabama. What Governor Wallace I believe was trying to tell the President was that keeping order during this march would be difficult. And what President Johnson was saying was that he would help him do that in anyway he can.

The LBJ Library: President Lyndon Johnson's Meeting With Governor George C. Wallace (3/18/65)

Source:The New Democrat

Lyndon Johnson vs. George C. Wallace was a mismatch at least when it came to persuasion. Because Governor Wallace was a master at propaganda and touting his own, well excuse my French, but bullshit. Even though I doubt he believed his own bullshit, but instead use it to hold power. But LBJ wasn't someone you bullshitted without any response and LBJ would cut people off if they knew they were simply wrong. And tell them "don't shit me! We both know better and tell them what is actually going on" and ask them "what you intend to do about it?"

What I believe happened here during this conversation between President Johnson and Governor Wallace at least according to the LBJ tapes, was the Governor trying to convince the President that he was limited in what he can do to see that everyone in Alabama can vote. Because he governed his own administration, but not all of the local governments in Alabama. And what the President said was "don't shit me George! We both know who has the power in Alabama and that person is you. Now are you going to enforce the civil rights laws down there or, am I going to do that for you?

Mike Gardner: The Today Show: George Wallace On The Eve of The 1972 Florida Primary

Source:The New Democrat

If George Wallace couldn't win in Florida in 1972, he wasn't going to win anywhere outside of Alabama. Because Florida looked like Alabama, Mississippi and South Carolina culturally and politically in 1972. Not to pick on those three states, but only Florida has progressed somewhat economically and culturally to the point where you don't have to be with the Religious Right in order to do well in the state politically. So if Governor Wallace doesn't win Florida, he might of well just ended his presidential campaign then and there.

Mike Gardner: CBS Evening News: Ohio 1972 Presidential Democratic Primary

Source:The New Democrat

The Democratic Party didn't have a traditional frontrunner for president in 1972. They were out of the White House and even though Hubert Humphrey who was their nominee for president in 1968 was still running for president the Democratic Party was very divided between the progressive establishment that then in 1972 Senator Humphrey came from, the New Left in the party that I least call the McGovernites led by Senator George McGovern and the George Wallace Dixiecrats.

Firing Line With William F. Buckley: Leander Perez- 'The Wallace Crusade (1968)'

Source:Firing Line With William F. Buckley- interviewing Judge Leander Perez.

Source:The New Democrat

"Firing Line with William F. Buckley Jr.: The Wallace Movement. Episode 095, Recorded on April 15, 1968: Guest: Leander Perez."

From Firing Line With William F. Buckley 

"Firing Line with William F. Buckley Jr.: The Wallace Crusade. Episode 088, Recorded on January 24, 1968 Guest: George C. (George Corley) Wallace." 

Source:Firing Line With William F. Buckley- interviewing Governor George C. Wallace.

From Firing Line With William F. Buckley 

"Firing Line with William F. Buckley Jr.: The Wallace Crusade. Episode 088, Recorded on January 24, 1968 Guest: George C. (George Corley) Wallace For more information about this program, see... 

Source:Firing Line With William F. Buckley- Governor George C. Wallace (Independent, Alabama)

From Rick Donald 

Bill Buckley was a true Conservative and he would've taken the more progressive or liberal stance against Wallace when it came to civil rights and segregation. Or least that it how it would seem. I even as a Liberal believe you can be a Conservative and still believe in commonsense American values like liberty, equality, equal rights and civil liberties. But that is me.

I never heard of Leander Perez from Louisiana before I saw this video. But apparently he was both Governor of Louisiana and a judge in Louisiana and this interview was done in 1968. And they were talking segregation and the civil rights laws. And the Governor telling Bill Buckley that he’s not a racist even though he says Negros (which is what African-Americans back then were called) are morally inferior to Caucasian-Americans. And Perez saying that he’s being honest and that is the truth, “why hide it”? With Buckley replying “so you are an honest bigot”.

Governor George C. Wallace was a Dixiecrat, a right-wing (at least on social cultural issues) Nationalist who was basically still fighting the Civil War and wanting to lead Confederates in that war. Not ready to perhaps even see African-Americans as people, let alone as Americans deserving of the same rights and protections, as well as responsibilities as European-Americans. Bill Buckley was a Conservative. And one of the conservative values is treating individuals as exactly that. And not treating people as members of groups. Worst or better simply because of their race.

The so-called Wallace Movement of the South of the 1960s and 1970s, was different. And more of a racially based nationalistic movement of Southern Caucasians, predominantly Protestant and perhaps even Anglo-Saxon. Who felt having African-Americans in their community was some type of an invasion. When the fact was and still is that Africans are just as American as Europeans and as such deserving of the same rights as European-Americans and every other race in America. The Wallace Movement simply saw African-Americans as inferior. And not deserving of the same rights and protections.