Why does the south continue to vote Republican? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Superbelt · 09-05-2003, 08:14 AM

http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2004/sc05...050303spt.html

Quote:

You've been voting for Republicans for 30 years; what do you have to show for it? -Howard Dean South Carolina May 3, 2003

Please read the rest of the speech also.

I am very glad that Dean is actually actively campaigning in the south, trying to bring the south back to being competitive and actually represent them unlike how most Democrats have been most of the last 30 years where we say Who the hell cares? about the south.

But the South is the most economically and socially depressed part of our country. And it hasn't been getting any better. They stand for the Republicans who stand for cutting taxes and social programs but these same southern states actually pull in more Federal money than goes out in taxes. Much of this is pork projects.

So anyway. Discuss.

maximusveritas · 09-05-2003, 08:56 AM

its going to be nearly impossible for any Democrat to beat President Bush in the South. Dean is just wasting his time.

Superbelt · 09-05-2003, 09:26 AM

Overall you are right. But I think he could pull out at least one state if he actually campaigns down there.

Mojo_PeiPei · 09-05-2003, 09:32 AM

Perhaps the reason the South votes strongly democrat is 1) they see the democrats as morally bankrupt and 2) all the social programs go to mostly non-white people, or at least thats what I would gather from all the southern stereotypes.

chavos · 09-05-2003, 09:37 AM

moderate democrats can win the south...its been done before and after the dixiecrat revolution. dean may be personally wasting his time, but the dems do need to keep up their work there.

Mojo_PeiPei · 09-05-2003, 09:39 AM

Chavos you have a good point, but lets look at the options...

1) Dean, haha good one
2) Kerry, rich North eastern, doubtful
3) Liberman, well he's a jew, maybe

Perhaps next election.

Superbelt · 09-05-2003, 09:45 AM

Ok well why vote for the Republicans instead? What are they doing for the south?

The_Dude · 09-05-2003, 10:21 AM

South = Bible belt and the Republicans are the strong force down here.

However, Dean is making some progress here and I've seen lots of stuff about his campaigns in Austin (That's IN TEXAS!).

http://www.deanfortexas.org/

I've also signed up to volunteer for deanfortexas campaign

prb · 09-05-2003, 11:54 AM

Republicans have been exploiting Southern voters ever since Nixon learned from George Wallace how to use the words "States' Rights", "quotas"', and "traditional [family] values". I say "exploited" because the Republican party merely pays lip service to the concerns of the majority of conservative Southern voters while fiscally raping them in every way possible. As long as the South continues to have the nation's worst schools, its citizenry will continue to suffer from a dirth of crical thinkers and continue to be conned. Why would the Republican Party be interested in education reform when it would weaken its political base?

prb · 09-05-2003, 11:55 AM

"crical" should be "critical" Sorry.

rodgerd · 09-05-2003, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mojo_PeiPei
Perhaps the reason the South votes strongly democrat is 1) they see the democrats as morally bankrupt and 2) all the social programs go to mostly non-white people, or at least thats what I would gather from all the southern stereotypes.

Yeah, except hard analysis shows that the South is a net consumer (with a few exceptions) of social programs, and a net consumer of corporate welfare (farm subsidies, etc).

rodgerd · 09-05-2003, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by prb
...majority of conservative Southern voters while fiscally raping them in every way possible.

The south does not get "fiscally raped". California and New York, now that's a different matter.

baaa · 09-05-2003, 12:21 PM

i always thought that most southerners were democrates

prb · 09-05-2003, 01:30 PM

rogerd, I did not say that the South gets fiscally raped, I said that Southerners got the raping. They do. Alot of textile and other manufacturing jobs lost, lowest wages in the nation becuase the unions have pretty much been shut out and all states are "employment at will" states, high poverty/low literacy...... Just distract the people by talking about prayer in school, the 10 commandments in the courthouse, or the Second Amendment and they are easily distracted from the reaming they are receiving. Most Southerners were Democrats at one time, but now they are Republican dittoheads.

oldman2003 · 09-05-2003, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by The_Dude
....
I've also signed up to volunteer for deanfortexas campaign

Good for you, Dude! and I mean that in all honesty!

reconmike · 09-05-2003, 05:07 PM

Must be like the major cities voting democrat, just keep those hand outs coming and you have their votes.

RaGe2012 · 09-05-2003, 07:15 PM

IMO, voting democrat or republican is a waste of time. Over the past 50+ years, what has it really done? Democrats...Republicans...anymore its like an election between Hitler and Stalin.

It just proves how easily the masses are swayed.

Zeld2.0 · 09-06-2003, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by reconmike
Must be like the major cities voting democrat, just keep those hand outs coming and you have their votes.

the irony being that the ones in the cities would probably benefit more from republicans and the ones in the rural areas will benefit more from democrats

rodgerd · 09-06-2003, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by prb
rogerd, I did not say that the South gets fiscally raped, I said that Southerners got the raping. They do. Alot of textile and other manufacturing jobs lost, lowest wages in the nation becuase the unions have pretty much been shut out and all states are "employment at will" states, high poverty/low literacy...... Just distract the people by talking about prayer in school, the 10 commandments in the courthouse, or the Second Amendment and they are easily distracted from the reaming they are receiving. Most Southerners were Democrats at one time, but now they are Republican dittoheads.

Thanks for clarifying. For a moment I thought you were flying in the face of the facts about tax burdens/federal funding.

Most of the job losses you're listing, though, have happened in other parts of the US, though, have they not? Consider Detroit, for example, with the Japanese car manufacturers employing more auto workers than the big 3, who have shifted production out of the US.

manalone · 09-08-2003, 02:54 AM

Southern States used to be wildly Democratic. The thing is that this was before the Dems took on the lliberal northern agenda they have now.

I recommend you look into the Dixiecrat rebellions of the 60's. Strom Thurmond was involved, so there was a lot about them recently.

Quote:

DIXIECRAT PARTY
In 1948, the Democratic National Convention was splintered by debate over controversial new civil rights planks that had been proposed for addition to the party platform. Adoption of the planks, urged by a group led by Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota, was resisted by delegates from southern states. In the middle, trying to hold together the New Deal coalition he had inherited from Franklin D. Roosevelt, was President Harry S. Truman. As a compromise, he was prepared to settle for the adoption of only those planks that had been in the 1944 platform. But Truman's own civil rights initiatives, including the formation of the Committee on Civil Rights and the Fair Employment Practices Commission, had advanced the civil rights debate to a new level, and he could not turn the clock back. The planks were adopted, prompting thirty-five southern Democrats to walk out. They formed the States' Rights party, which came to be popularly known as the Dixiecrats.

Meeting in Birmingham, Alabama, the Dixiecrats nominated South Carolina governor Strom Thurmond as their candidate for president. In the November election, Thurmond carried four states: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. He received well over a million popular votes, and his thirty-nine electoral votes represented more than 7 percent of the total.

The Dixiecrat episode was one of the most significant third-party efforts in America's history. Truman won reelection, but the strong showing put forth by the Dixiecrats signaled impending changes in electoral politics. It was the most visible sign of the postwar erosion of the New Deal coalition

http://<br /> <a href="http://colle...ratpar.htm</a>

The real question is: how do you unite the Liberal (by US standards) northern Dems with the Southern Dems?

09-05-2003, 09:32 AM	#4 (permalink)
Mojo_PeiPei Kiss of Death Location: Perpetual wind and sorrow	Perhaps the reason the South votes strongly democrat is 1) they see the democrats as morally bankrupt and 2) all the social programs go to mostly non-white people, or at least thats what I would gather from all the southern stereotypes. __________________ To win a war you must serve no master but your ambition.

09-05-2003, 09:39 AM	#6 (permalink)
Mojo_PeiPei Kiss of Death Location: Perpetual wind and sorrow	Chavos you have a good point, but lets look at the options... 1) Dean, haha good one 2) Kerry, rich North eastern, doubtful 3) Liberman, well he's a jew, maybe Perhaps next election. __________________ To win a war you must serve no master but your ambition.

09-05-2003, 10:21 AM	#8 (permalink)
The_Dude The GrandDaddy of them all! Location: Austin, TX	South = Bible belt and the Republicans are the strong force down here. However, Dean is making some progress here and I've seen lots of stuff about his campaigns in Austin (That's IN TEXAS!). http://www.deanfortexas.org/ I've also signed up to volunteer for deanfortexas campaign __________________ "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." - Darrel K Royal

09-05-2003, 05:07 PM	#16 (permalink)
reconmike Thank You Jesus Location: Twilight Zone	Must be like the major cities voting democrat, just keep those hand outs coming and you have their votes. __________________ Where is Darwin when ya need him?

09-05-2003, 07:15 PM	#17 (permalink)
RaGe2012 Upright Location: New Jersey	IMO, voting democrat or republican is a waste of time. Over the past 50+ years, what has it really done? Democrats...Republicans...anymore its like an election between Hitler and Stalin. It just proves how easily the masses are swayed. __________________ "Yesterday we bowed our heads to kings and bent our necks to emperors. But today we kneel only to truth..." - Kahlil Gibran

09-05-2003, 08:56 AM	#2 (permalink)
maximusveritas Winner	its going to be nearly impossible for any Democrat to beat President Bush in the South. Dean is just wasting his time.

09-05-2003, 09:26 AM	#3 (permalink)
Superbelt This vexes me. I am terribly vexed. Location: Grantville, Pa	Overall you are right. But I think he could pull out at least one state if he actually campaigns down there.

09-05-2003, 09:37 AM	#5 (permalink)
chavos Banned Location: St. Paul, MN	moderate democrats can win the south...its been done before and after the dixiecrat revolution. dean may be personally wasting his time, but the dems do need to keep up their work there.

09-05-2003, 09:45 AM	#7 (permalink)
Superbelt This vexes me. I am terribly vexed. Location: Grantville, Pa	Ok well why vote for the Republicans instead? What are they doing for the south?

09-05-2003, 11:54 AM	#9 (permalink)
prb Psycho	Republicans have been exploiting Southern voters ever since Nixon learned from George Wallace how to use the words "States' Rights", "quotas"', and "traditional [family] values". I say "exploited" because the Republican party merely pays lip service to the concerns of the majority of conservative Southern voters while fiscally raping them in every way possible. As long as the South continues to have the nation's worst schools, its citizenry will continue to suffer from a dirth of crical thinkers and continue to be conned. Why would the Republican Party be interested in education reform when it would weaken its political base?

09-05-2003, 11:55 AM	#10 (permalink)
prb Psycho	"crical" should be "critical" Sorry.

09-05-2003, 12:21 PM	#13 (permalink)
baaa Banned Location: ville	i always thought that most southerners were democrates

09-05-2003, 01:30 PM	#14 (permalink)
prb Psycho	rogerd, I did not say that the South gets fiscally raped, I said that Southerners got the raping. They do. Alot of textile and other manufacturing jobs lost, lowest wages in the nation becuase the unions have pretty much been shut out and all states are "employment at will" states, high poverty/low literacy...... Just distract the people by talking about prayer in school, the 10 commandments in the courthouse, or the Second Amendment and they are easily distracted from the reaming they are receiving. Most Southerners were Democrats at one time, but now they are Republican dittoheads.