Thread by @fliptotheMFflop, Dumbing down the Southern Stagedy. A thread. As noted in the [...]

⚖️ 💙 Flip to the Flop 💙⚖️

fliptotheMFflop

Read on Twitter

Dumbing down the Southern Stagedy.

A thread.

As noted in the map, the country has undergone a drastic change in which states vote red and which ones vote blue.

Dumbing down the Southern Stagedy. A thread. As noted in the map, the country has undergone a drastic change in which states vote red and which ones vote blue.

So what is the Southern Stradegy?

https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/applied-and-social-sciences-magazines/southern-strategy

Now, let’s back up a little bit. The south was always seeded in racism, and was, in fact, a Democratic stronghold. But THAT Democratic Party is not the Democratic Party of today. Let’s take a look at what their platform was: limited government, state sovereignty, and slavery.

Take our the latter, and the first two ideologies are those touted by the Republicans. (We can go back and forth on how modern-day Republicans would view slavery, but it’s moot since it’s now abolished.)

The original Republic party ran on a platform of a strong central government, and a national finance system, and opposed slavery. Until 1854
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/topics/us-politics/republican-party

It all came to a head in 1860, when a completely divided Democrat party propelled the Republican candidate to victory. That candidate was Abraham Lincoln. The victory came at a cost.

Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and by the end of the war, the 13th Amendment was added the the Constitution.

After Lincoln came Jackson, who frustrated Republicans in southern states by his lack of action against the treatment of the newly freed slaves, Radical Republicans in Congress passed legislation protecting the rights of blacks, including civil rights and voting rights.

As white resistance to Reconstruction solidified, these interests, rather than those of blacks in the South, became the main Republican focus, and by the mid-1870s Democratic Southern state legislatures had wiped out most of Reconstruction’s changes.

As the Great Depressoon hit, Americans blamed the Republicans and Roosevelt easily defeated the incumbent Hoover. This resulted in a Democratic stronghold that lasted over half a century.

After WW1, the South began to see a big change as the Democratic Southerners (who were opposed to big government and equality) were appealed by the new Conservative GOP that was emerging.

When Regan was elected in 1980, the Conservative movement took off and military spending was increased, and he was a big advocate for prayer in schools. He was anti-abortion, and was pro capital punishment. He opposed the equal rights amendment.

So, as you can see, what once looked like conservatism was supported by the Democrats of the past, and what is seen as liberal today, was supported by the Republicans of yesteryear. Without a doubt, the parties’ ideologies did flip.

Here is another excellent thread that goes into a lot more detail of the Lilly White Movement