During his election, LBJ made a fateful decision. He decided that he was going to pursue a Civil Rights bill. In doing this he betrayed his fellow Southerners and gave the South away to the Republicans. He made this decision, not because it was the best thing to do politically but because it was the right thing to do for the country. This bill, not only accelerated party realignment but change American politics forever.
Several months after the signing of the bill, LBJ won the election handily. He smacked Barry Goldwater 486 to 52 in the electoral college and won more than 60% of the popular vote. There was one fact that trampled the celebration though, Goldwater was able to win the Deep South, states like Mississippi, Alabama, Louisana, and even Georgia, a state that even reconstruction never voted Republican. Goldwater exploited the differences between Southern Democrats and the rest of the party. He was able to bring millions of Southern Dems over to the Republican party. In the process, he was able to reshape the political map of the United States.
Nixon would also attempt to exploit this through his famed "Southern Strategy". The idea behind the strategy for the 1972 reelection campaign was that he would make room for Southern Racists and state-rights lovers in order to secure the South. The hope was to be able to forever ensure that for at least another generation the South would be in the hands of the Republican Party. The Strategy in that sense worked. Southern voters began to move in droves to the Republican Party. There are though some questions as to whether that this was the real reason that the parties began to realign.
For some political scientists, this move of the South to the Republican party was already ongoing. After the end of the war, the South transformed itself into an economic powerhouse. This new economic power gave rise to a new wealthy Southern Subran Middle Class. These voters were more conservative and supported Goldwater. Thus, the move from the South into the hands of the Republicans was inevitable as the suburban middle class grew and had nothing to do with the changes in the Democratic parties stance on race.
In reality, it probably was a combination of both factors. The rise of the Surbuarn class did help to make the region redder, and the passage of the Civil Rights bill of 1964 and the Democratic support that followed did help to move many Southern Dems into the Republican party.
https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/10/magazine/10Section2b.t-4.html
This was a really insightful post about how Nixon turned the South in Republicans' favor. An interesting point of view to consider on this issue is that of Byron Shafer and Richard Johnston in their book "The End of Southern Exceptionalism" They argue that the swinging of Southern voters to the right was more about economic growth than race. After WWII, the South's economy improved drastically, creating a new wealthy suburban class. This class started voting for the GOP because they represented their economic interests. At the same time, working-class whites still voted for Democrats, suggesting that voting had more to do with economic interests than racial considerations.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/10/magazine/10Section2b.t-4.html