The Montgomery Advertiser---soon to become the largest daily newspaper in Alabama---includes an interesting report this morning on the ever-changing South.
Great article! It gives me hope to be living in a "more nuanced" and "ever-changing" South rather than "the solid South." I found it interesting that Haley Barbour said that "Besides African-Americans, who are pretty firm (for Democrats), most other groups ebb and flow." Did he forget that the Republicans got more African American votes until Roosevelt and then Truman ran for office? Even after that Republicans got a decent share of African American votes until Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act. (Cf. http://www.factcheck.org/2008/04/blacks-and-the-democratic-party/) Even now, some younger African Americans are moving to the Republican Party, so there is some "ebb and flow" even in that demographic but for some reason Barbour has written them off - very telling but not surprising from an Old South politician.
Great article! It gives me hope to be living in a "more nuanced" and "ever-changing" South rather than "the solid South." I found it interesting that Haley Barbour said that "Besides African-Americans, who are pretty firm (for Democrats), most other groups ebb and flow." Did he forget that the Republicans got more African American votes until Roosevelt and then Truman ran for office? Even after that Republicans got a decent share of African American votes until Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act. (Cf. http://www.factcheck.org/2008/04/blacks-and-the-democratic-party/) Even now, some younger African Americans are moving to the Republican Party, so there is some "ebb and flow" even in that demographic but for some reason Barbour has written them off - very telling but not surprising from an Old South politician.
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