3 chapters across the catalog
Senator Dick Durbin supports the nomination of Kristen Clarke to lead the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, invoking the legacy of Amos Akerman, the first Attorney General to prosecute the KKK during Reconstruction. Durbin emphasizes that Clarke will be the first Senate-confirmed woman of color in the role. The hosts analyze the "woman of color" branding and the strategic use of historical parallels.
The hosts reveal that Amos Akerman, celebrated by Dick Durbin for fighting the KKK, was actually a volunteer in the Confederate Army. They play a clip from the "Behind the Police" podcast that attempts to reconcile this fact. The discussion highlights the hypocrisy of the modern left in "sanitizing" historical figures when their actions serve a current political narrative, despite their ties to the Confederacy.
Historical records show that while Amos Akerman prosecuted hundreds of Klansmen, President Ulysses S. Grant abruptly fired him and commuted the sentences of many convicts. The hosts suggest Akerman was actually removed for challenging Northern capitalists and railroad subsidies. They draw a parallel to modern politics, suggesting Kristen Clarke should focus on Big Pharma's civil rights infringements rather than political posturing.
