More on Democrats in the South

Via Edward Sebesta's valuable Temple of Democracy Weblog, here is a thoughtful, nuanced article on Southern politics, Do Democrats Need the South? by Sam Perry 12/01/03.

I'm almost hesitant to quote excerpts from this article, because the thing that most impressed me about it was how he deals with conflicting trends in a sensible way in a relatively brief article. But here are some that give a flavor of the piece:

Though Republicans deny that their political strategy relies on coded messages to bigots, the party has entrenched its political power in the South by defending the display of the Confederate flag on public grounds or keeping it as part of state flags. The Confederate flag issue is credited for defeating incumbent Democratic governors in South Carolina, Georgia, and Mississippi where Democratic governors tried to address the prominent use of the Confederate flag on state property. ...

The South sometimes appears to be moving in two opposite directions at once. On one hand, Southerners want to embrace the economic opportunities of the 21st Century and play a larger role in national and international affairs. On the other, many Southerners are determined to hold fast to their regional heritage, even if it means rejecting the prevailing trends toward greater tolerance of diversity, which is becoming a hallmark in many parts of the United States and in much of the modern world.

The current Republican advantage in the South could last for a while. But it has definite risks for the party in the rest of the country. And it could implode in the South sooner than today's conventional wisdom assumes.