Seems Strom Thurmond was messin with the help even though he was raciest back then.


http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/12/17/thu...ity/index.html

 

well, he was a gentleman after all, he helped that poor black girl become half better.........now that was sarcasm to all of you that couldn't fiure it out

 

It must have been incredibly difficult for him all those years keeping his personal feeling separated from what he obviously believed was in the best interest of the citizens. IF that was the case.

None the less, he has a well chronicled and very long history of doing far more good than bad in my opinion - regardless of any race issues.

He was as far as I can tell, an atypical career politician for the most part.

FWIW - only.
P.S. I think if you will research it you will find that in 1925 it was socially acceptable to . . . poke, the hired help *with consent* in the South.

 

Anecdotal reports from older folks I know in SC agree that it was not unusual. Rural surroundings, power relationships, and just plain biology mean such things would happen.
By the standards of the time, Strom did the honorable thing and took care of her discreetly. Given the danger revealing the relationship would pose to him, and the fact that in those days he could easily have had her disposed of, his choices were interesting. Her choice to conceal the information until Strom was dead speaks volumes about the loyalty he inspired.

 

I've been unable to extract more out of this than that as a young man he was physically attracted to a young woman.

His daughter is eloquent and well-educated.

 

He still lived two lives....................
Two views.......................

 

Strom Thurmond was a hypocrite, pure and simple. His daughter and her mother can either be seen as heroes or cowards depending on whether you're white or black. He expoused separationist views but couldn't keep himself separated from the hired help. had they come forward, he surely would have lost all of his stature and credibility. They would have lost any chance that they had of living normal lives. I'm glad that I wasn't in their shoes. What a moral dilemma. Do they remain silent and enjoy a comfortable living or come forward and topple an avowed separatist..............

 

They don't need to be viewed as either heroes or cowards. They made their decisions by the standard customs of their time and their personal relationship. IMO each showed restraint and consideration for the other. Family ties, even to family you wish weren't, are exceptionally strong in the South.
Strom didn't deny his offspring private contact, (or have the inconvenient family whacked and tossed in a swamp, which was a genuine option) and the Williams family didn't dime him out while he was alive, which was also a real option and would have gone over well with his opponents. Can you imagine the affect it would have had in the 1960s?!?
They were not convenient family, but they were family, and chose accordingly from a tough list of options.
Bystanders have their views of what they would LIKE either side to have done, but their mutual decision stood for decades.

 

I wasn't making a judgement on his daughter or her mother, only him. He was a hyprocite, pure and simple.