[rdtsc]

> from the party that "began as a neo-Nazi movement in the 1980s

Good find. By the same token though, the Democratic Party in US was the white supremacist party in the 19th century. There is probably ideological demagoguery involved with them as well.

[anonfordays]

>By the same token though, the Democratic Party in US was the white supremacist party in the 19th century.

You likely meant the 20th century. White supremacists were voting solidly Democratic up til around the 1960s.

[rdtsc]

Ah, good point. And even below I pointed out we can see a connection down to the the current president. Though, with a public repentance, for whatever that's worth from a politician.

[fifilura]

The difference is how long time has passed. The current party leader joined the youth movement in 1994, when the party was still full of Neo-Nazi ideology.

[rdtsc]

I mean Joe Biden would hang out and campaigned with Byrd, an ex-KKK member. Even came to his funeral in 2010.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/164821-biden-rem...

> “A mentor and a dear friend”

Make what you will of it. Just saying that not that long of a time has passed. We’re talking about the sitting US president.

[aguaviva]

an ex-KKK member

In the 1940s. Mentioning this, but the fact he would publicly denounce the Klan by the end of the decade, and spend the rest of his life profusely apologizing for having been so stupid as a younger person -- is just smear, basically.

  Byrd later called joining the KKK "the greatest mistake I ever made".  In his last autobiography, Byrd explained that he was a KKK member because he "was sorely afflicted with tunnel vision — a jejune and immature outlook—seeing only what I wanted to see because I thought the Klan could provide an outlet for my talents and ambitions".[37] Byrd also said in 2005, "I know now I was wrong. Intolerance had no place in America. I apologized a thousand times … and I don't mind apologizing over and over again. I can't erase what happened".

[paulddraper]

So people can change their viewpoints from their youth?

[rdtsc]

Now imagine a politician from a political party we don’t like, apologized publicly about it. Would you believe them?

As an example if Vance apologized for being in the KKK, how eager would we be to forgive him?

[aguaviva]

If they're a full-on toady windbag like Vance, it doesn't matter which party they're from.

[consteval]

Not very, because Vance isn't very old. When was he in the KKK? It would be very unusual to be in the KKK in, say, 1995. Someone would have to be extremely committed to white supremacist ideology to be in such a position, I would think.

[fifilura]

Still pushing stories about Haitians and cats?

Probably not. Even if - as in this case - it was 30-50 years later. (That Biden said kind words about Byrd)

[fifilura]

Byrd later apologized thoroughly as I understand it.

Jimmie Åkesson just says "I saw nothing of that".