Your opinion of Orval Faubus

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Horrible. At least Wallace recanted his position

Faubus did too, actually endorsing Jesse Jackson in 1984.

Quite interesting figure, influenced by Eugene Debs in youth, elected as progressive protege of Sid McMath. Yet, because of his segregationist switch, I can't vote other way than HP.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Sorry, I just can't vote FF for any politically active race baiter, regardless of how good the rest of his policies were.

Lester Maddox is a good example of this. Right, he was surprisingly moderate and effective Governor, but he never apologized for his violently racist past, always maintaining he did a "right thing."

I could vote FF had Faubus changes his positions for better while Governor. That'd be a very courageous act. But he did not until retirement.

I would vote FF for Fritz Hollings because, despite starting off as segregationist, he actually undertake a very courageous steps toward intergation and peaceful trasition while still Governor. That was something that took guts and he risked his political future. Doing George Wallace of Ross Barnett would be cheap and safe. He didn't.

I would vote FF for Lister Hill. He did support segregation, but never used hateful rethorics nor played major role in resisting civil rights bills, while being useful in transition. I believe what he did in other areas for all Americans (like health care) outweights nominal support for Jim Crow.

Millions of Southerners supported segregation for variety of reasons. Mostly, because they were brought up in this belief. It's not easy to overcome this and it's unfair to cast all of them as pure evil. I can't say what I would believe if I were born in the Old South. None of you can.

That being said, there's a difference between a nominal and non-malignant support for "old ways" and being a race baiterl