Southern Whites’ Loyalty to G.O.P. Nearing That of Blacks to Democrats

[mystery-ak]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/24/upshot/southern-whites-loyalty-to-gop-nearing-that-of-blacks-to-democrats.html

Southern Whites’ Loyalty to G.O.P. Nearing That of Blacks to Democrats

APRIL 23, 2014

Nate Cohn



President Obama’s landslide victory in 2008 was supposed to herald the beginning of a new Democratic era. And yet, six years later, there is not even a clear Democratic majority in the country, let alone one poised for 30 years of dominance.

It’s not because Mr. Obama’s so-called new coalition of young and nonwhite voters failed to live up to its potential. They again turned out in record numbers in 2012. The Democratic majority has failed to materialize because the Republicans made large, countervailing and unappreciated gains of their own among white Southerners.

From the high plains of West Texas to the Atlantic Coast of Georgia, white voters opposed Mr. Obama’s re-election in overwhelming numbers. In many counties 90 percent of white voters chose Mitt Romney, nearly the reversal of the margin by which black voters supported Mr. Obama.

While white Southerners have been voting Republican for decades, the hugeness of the gap was new. Mr. Obama often lost more than 40 percent of Al Gore’s support among white voters south of the historically significant line of the Missouri Compromise. Two centuries later, Southern politics are deeply polarized along racial lines. It is no exaggeration to suggest that in these states the Democrats have become the party of African Americans and that the Republicans are the party of whites.



continued....

[rb224315]

And once again, racism (especially that of those inbred Southern racists) is blamed for the Democrats' inability to foist socialism on the country in ever larger doses.

[jmyrlefuller]

Yet the demographic in question is not breeding enough to counteract this phenomenon.

The fatal flaw in democracy is being witnessed as we speak.

[Fishrrman]

What this really means is that "identity politics" -works-.

Down in the southern states, where blacks make up 30-40% of the population in some areas, the white folks -know- what they have to do, if they are to avoid falling under "black rule" -- which would happen if the white vote was "divided" as it is in many other states between Republicans and democrats. (Of course, the blacks ALL vote democratic, so if a modest number of whites voted for the 'rats, they would win easily.)

So the whites do what they must to maintain (for the most part) "white rule" -- they vote "their identity", and vote Republican.

You are going to reply to my post by saying this isn't the way things should be.
You're going to say that identity politics isn't what the Republic should be about.
And, in a more perfect Union, I might agree.

But reality is what it is.
It is NOT what we believe it to be, or dream that it should be.

The reality is, again, that in an ethnically/racially/culturally divided nation, identity politics can become the only choice "that works".

Southern whites understand this by necessity. Down there, the Republican party now -is- "the white man's party". There is no reason to run from this. Accept it for what it is.

What works in the south for Republicans, can work elsewhere -- particulary in battleground or purple states.

If the Republicans in 2012 had tailored their message towards whites, and if they had increased their share of the white vote by only 5-8% in a number of states, they could have carried those states and won the election.

This also illustrates why trying to pander to non-Euros is a sure road to defeat for the Pubbies -- not only will they NOT win many minority votes, they may actually drive away MORE white votes than they pick up from nonwhites. Looks good from the viewpoint of diversity, but not so good on the election results worksheets...!