I’ve mentioned it here several times that I’m a big movie buff. A while back i was watching a movie that literally had me saying “what the ■■■■ is this?”, and sent me scrambling to the web to find an answer.
So a few years ago I was watching the movie Claudine starring Diahann Carroll and James Earl Jones. Claudine (Carroll) is an unwed mother living in early 1970s New York City. She’s on welfare and working a cash paying job when she meets Roop (Jones). The two begin a relationship and after a night spent at Claudine’s apartment, a social worker makes an unannounced visit. The pair scramble to get Roop out of sight before the social worker sees him and she loses her benefits.
On the internet I read a few articles that talked about this issue. For instance,
this one from 1992 talks about “southern conservatives” being to blame. But when I look at this Congressional Delegation list for South Carolina for instance, (pick another and it’ll be the same) I see mostly DEMOCRATS straight up through the 80s or early 90s.
Or this article
which specifically mentions “New York City’s man in the house rule”
So I looked for a list of mayors of New York City and found this one
And aside from one Republican who switched parties and became a dimocrat, the rest were all DEMOCRATS during that era.
I’ve brought up the “man in the house rules” on the boards before, but people always run away from the issue without discussion.
All of this predates me and my interest in politics. Maybe some of the old-timers here that lived through it and remember the policy can give some better details.
Was this a policy that was enforced nationwide or just in certain areas?? Was it enforced regardless of race, or just for black people?? Were there any Republicans that also voted to make this a rule and keep this policy in place??
What were the effects of this policy?? I think I know.
Thanks.
Claudine was decent btw, but very dated. James Earl Jones was very good and Diahann Carroll was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar.
