Letters to the Editor
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Just a few points
1-) The south is not a republican territory. For an example, democrats controls the ALABAMA Legislature, and there are several popular democrat governors south of the Mason-Dixie Line. Last year the party also made several progresses in states like Arkansas(*Now a bluer state than most states in the Northeast coast*), Kentucky, Tennessee.
Yes, democrats are very competitive in the South. Specially considering big cities like Atlanta, Durham, Raleigh, Richmond.
2-) The demographics of the South are changing. The big state in the region(Florida) is not really the image of the evangelical and white state that most people thinks.
3-) The black vote is important ONLY if the democrats manage to win PART of the white vote in the southern states. The author seems to forget that a large part of American blacks are concentrated in the South.
4-) Errr, the problem is not winning the white male vote, but not facing a stunning defeat among them. Had Gore won JUST ONE SOUTHERN state he would have won. Kerry didn´t won one state outside Chicagoland in the West and neither in the south. You can´t win ignoring half of America.
Claire McCaskill won last year campaigning heavily to rural voters. Her smaller margin of defeat in Rural Missouri and the heavily democrat vote in Kansas City and Saint Louis meant victory. It´s a formula successful in Virginia and can be applied to every southern state with Big Cities.
5-) Powerful swing states, like Ohio, Missouri and Pennsylvania
are HEAVILY influenced by the South vote. Hadn´t the republicans scared the Catholic vote they could have won in Pennsylvania.
6-) The author could explain why Arkansas has more democrat elected officials than California.
7-) The matter is not only the south, but the West. And it´s easier to appeal to hispanic and southern blacks with moderated candidate that can also appeal to white male vote than with a north cost liberal that ignores the rest of the country.
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The Ivory Tower vs. The Redneck Tower
Author Chauncey Plover's recent short story, "The Two Towers," explores this national conflict of socio-political identity:
http://electricstorytime.blogspot.com/2006/08/two-towers.html
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How do you win a constituency that's turned its back?
You do something. SOMETHING! Anything!
Those white male voters don't like Democrats because the ONE thing Democrats had going for them was protecting their economic interests. When we abandoned that to outsourcing and free trade, we gave up the one thing that kept these guys around. So they "values voted".
Fine. We can't earn them back by appealing to them. We can't earn them back by talking a big game in the locker room then dumping the ball. We earn them back by doing something positive. Moving in a positive direction. People recognize platitudes for what they are. Platitudes. But action, that's a whole new beast.
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Edwards does have the best chance of winning white working class southerners.
Well then you're seriously out of touch. Read this:
http://blogs.thestate.com/bradwarthensblog/2007/08/why-i-see-john-.html
Pretty devastating stuff from a white Southerner. We saw through Edwards years ago. That's why he didn't run for Senate again; he knew he'd be shellacked and wanted to save himself the embarrassment.
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Hmm, let's see ...
The real Bubba NASCAR guys hate philosophy, but they would respond to a nice longish buzz-cut and a comfortable accent.
-- timbuktom
Let's see: I grew up on NASCAR back in the days when it was very much a regional sport confined to the Southeast. I still follow NASCAR casually. I have a graduate degree in philosophy from Columbia University. I don't judge people by their hair or their accent (except maybe Hillary's uber-fake Southern accent when she speaks to black crowds--how phony!).
Yeah, you're wrong on all counts, Tom!
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Dancing with Rattlers
I have yet to read this article, so I'm not objecting to Mr. Schaller or his ideas here. What I do find objectionable is the headline and the accompanying graphic.
Most of us know about this stereotype - the superb Red State Update gets the point across fabulously using an exaggerated, satirical generalization to gently mock the genre.
But to present an article called "So long, white boy" under a picture of a Nascar-tattooed, unpleasant-looking man is akin to poking a sleeping snake with a short stick. It is, to use a 4-letter word that I always hate to use on anyone who shares my political beliefs, dumb.
Objection delivered. Now I guess I'll go and read the article.
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Articles like this
are like someone dancing to the last song long after it is finished and a new one has started.
As others have alluded to, something unprecedented is happening in this country with the continued grass roots popularity of Ron Paul despite efforts by the elites to shut him down.
Dems are the past, as are Repulsicans, as is this very article. You can fool some of the people, possibly most of them. But men are again proving themselves smarter than snarky dismissive articles like this would indicate. If people like Paul do not ascend this coming term, it will be the term AFTER this, AFTER the Dempublicans have further had their way dissecting this nation and selling it off to enrich themselves at the nation's expense. Of course, my contention is this will be the LAST election this country sees before it is shut down.
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White Boy Attitude
is nothing but the SUM of what women choose and prefer in their men.
For women to disown men and walk away only indicates that Dems buying into feminism is a LOSING PROPOSITION of the highest order.
Men OWN their decisions. Do WOMEN- and their male apologists? (we know the answer)
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Origin of the Term Redneck
As many letter writers have pointed out, the term "Bubba' is an insult, like redneck, trailer trash, etc. So-called liberals should check to see if their anti-working class prejudice is showing.
That said, the term 'red neck' actually has an interesting origin, or at least claimed by one female historian of the South.
The miners during Blair Mountain (in 1921 folks) used to wear red hankerchiefs around their necks. The gun thugs for the mine companies (and the National Guard, Army etc.) started to call any 'out of control' white man a "redneck." Of course there was an actual war in the hills between the two sides, with 1000's of 'redneck' miners armed to the teeth shooting it out with the gun thugs.
So, think twice the next time you use the insult. We need more 'rednecks' like this!