>>JR, a higher % of Republicans than Democrats voted for the Civil rights Act. The press in the U.K. in particular likes to downplay this by adjusting for region, but the fact remains that a measurably higher % of U.S. Republicans in Congress voted in favor of it.

Yep- that bill virtually mirrored Republican policy since the Civil War. And yet in Southern States where the Bill would have much effect including places like Birmingham, the Republican vote in Congress was 0% for the bill, was it not? If this is not an explanation for the persistent shift in African American allegiance, what is? And how would you characterize today's Republican position compared to their Civil Rights position of 1964?

>>I generally find card-carrying DNC people to be dishonest, as they attempt to bamboozle Americans into believing that bad ideas are somehow good.

You gotta have more faith in your fellow citizens. Everything good that ever happened to the US (and there's been a lot of that) is down to US citizens voting and taking action. Unless people seriously believe that US voters suddenly became idiots I don't "get" this idea that they're being bamboozled or tricked. For example- the concept that the US people had to be tricked so they wouldn't realize that insurance relies on most of us not claiming so our premiums can go towards those who experience disaster- surely is completely daft if you think it through. People are not half wits. In the case of the ACA, the similarities to Birmingham in 1964 are significant since access to healthcare had become segregated and was full of discrimination that denied more and more people the pursuit of happiness that's meant to be an option for them. IMHO Republican behavior will be a source of shame in future years, you'll see (though some people will insist on focusing on Mitt as if his commentaries are representative.)