Several things strike me as odd about the last two posts by Eugene Kane at the Journal.  A few days ago he found the idea that the Black Panthers may have been the first black conservatives interesting:

His reasoning is that the original Black Panthers carried guns, didn't wait on government to solve problems and didn't think all black people were exempt from being called "racist".

And yet today, the idea that Martin Luther King Jr. being a Republican is preposterous:

It strikes me as nothing more than an attention grabbing stunt that has rightfully been denounced by black folks on both side of the political aisle.

Anybody who reads history knows King was about equal rights, affirmative action, helping the poor and compassion for the most powerless people in society.
Does that really sound like a Republican to you?

This reminds me of our local radio host Charlie Sykes who put together a radio ad attacking Gov. Jim Doyle by comparing him to racist Southern govenors who refused to let black schoolchildren enroll in white schools.

Anyone care to venture a guess as to what political party those Southern governors belong to?  You guessed it... they were Democrats.  In fact, Southern Democrats did more to harm the cause of equal rights for blacks than Republicans ever have... then or since.  And while Dr. King fought bravely and tirelessly for equal rights... did he promote affirmative action?  Was affirmative action even in the national lexicon at the time?

The idea behind the ad is a good one I think.  It's an effort by some to show that Democrats have been taking the minority vote for granted... and don't do nearly as much as people think to help them.  And perhaps... just perhaps... Republican ideals (not that Republicans have been good at implementing those ideals) are something Dr. King identified with more than people are willing to admit.

More on this over at Ask Me Later.