A Forgetful Elephant

They say an elephant never forgets, but in 1986 Congress passed a bill to sanction South Africa for the continuation of Apartheid and ongoing imprisonment of, among others, Nelson Mandela, and the GOP seems to have forgotten some important players in that episode.

Obviously, we ought to start with the GOP Hero, Ronald Reagan, who vetoed the thing in the first place.

Then, in addition to the obvious opponents like Goldwater, Strom Thermond and Jessie Helms, the veto was also opposed by:

Robert Dole

Alan Simpson

Chuck Grassley

Orrin Hatch

Dick Cheney

So, if you hear any of these folks morning the passing of Nelson Mandela, remember, when they had the chance to vote on it, they voted against pressuring South Africa to free him. Unless it comes with a heartfelt apology, any statement from these men deserves laughter and scorn.

For more detailed viewing, here are the rollcall votes from the veto override.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1blw3tti64h3kuj/congress_votes_99-1986_h829.csv

https://www.dropbox.com/s/azp9smfv93e8lhg/congress_votes_99-1986_s692.csv