News sources — with the exception of the Huffington Post — are
reporting on the findings of this year's Pew survey indicating
that "Republicans know more than Democrats" about politics,
political history and current events, a trend that has held true
for similar surveys in recent years. Here are some facts and a
few myths about the Republican Party. Fact: Abraham Lincoln was
the first Republican President, but according to the Pew survey,
only 54% of Democrats knew this fact, and among all surveyed
with a high school education or less, only 46% were aware that
Lincoln was a Republican. President Lincoln routinely ranks on
top of historical presidential ratings. Myth: Republicans hate
African Americans and are racists who have always opposed civil
rights. The first African American members of the House of
Representatives and the Senate were Republicans. Hiram Revels
was the first African American Senator, serving from 1870 to
1876. The first non-Reconstruction African American senator,
Republican Edward Willia