It's on par with the current crop of 'conservatives' claiming credit for the Civil Rights Act of 1965.
Do you mean the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or the Voting Rights Act passed in '65?
Either way Many of the "current crop" of liberals and of conservatives where not alive in 1964 or '65. As for the current political leaders of both groups, they mostly where alive, but not in positions of power. So the current crop of either group can't reasonably claim credit.
Also either way Republican support was important for advancing the bill in to law.
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The 1964 Civil Rights Act was an update of Republican Senator Charles Sumner's 1875 Civil Rights Act. In striking down that law in 1883, the Supreme Court had ruled that the 14th amendment was not sufficient constitutional authorization, so the 1964 version had to be written in such a way as to rely instead on the interstate commerce clause for its constitutional underpinning.
Mindful of how Democrat opposition had forced the Republicans to weaken their 1957 and 1960 Civil Rights Acts, President Johnson warned Democrats in Congress that this time it was all or nothing. To ensure support from Republicans, he had to promise them that he would not accept any weakening of the bill and also that he would publicly credit our Party for its role in securing congressional approval. Johnson played no direct role in the legislative fight, so that it would not be perceived as a partisan struggle. There was no doubt that the House of Representatives would pass the bill.
In the Senate, Minority Leader Everett Dirksen had little trouble rounding up the votes of most Republicans, and former presidential candidate Richard Nixon also lobbied hard for the bill. Senate Majority Leader Michael Mansfield and Senator Hubert Humphrey led the Democrat drive for passage, while the chief opponents were Democrat Senators Sam Ervin, of later Watergate fame, Albert Gore Sr., and Robert Byrd. Senator Byrd, a former Klansman whom Democrats still call "the conscience of the Senate", filibustered against the civil rights bill for fourteen straight hours before the final vote. The House of Representatives passed the bill by 289 to 126, a vote in which 79% of Republicans and 63% of Democrats voted yes. The Senate vote was 73 to 27, with 21 Democrats and only 6 Republicans voting no. President Johnson signed the new Civil Rights Act into law on July 2, 1964.
gopusa.com
"The myth, which is implied, is that Republicans unilaterally voted against the Act. The truth is that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 received overwhelming support from Republicans (more so than from the Democrats) in both houses of Congress - with 82 per cent Republican support in the House of Representatives and 94 per cent in the Senate.
The Senate vote for the Voting Rights Act was 77 to 19, with Democrats voting 47 to 17 in favor and Republicans 30 to 2 in favor."
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