September 20, 2005

Southern Strategy

In recent discussions we've had the issue of the Southern Strategy, and its existence, brought up and questioned. I'm at school, so I'm sorry if I'm a bit terse here, but here are some links about the Southern Strategy:

First, the Wikipedia link. Yeah, I know that there's a certain amount of skepticism that should come with a resource produced by internet users, but this is a pretty good background on the history of the Southern Strategy and the end has a nice bit about how the Strategy still exists, though it may have changed since its inception.

Next up, we use the Wayback Machine (five Ra points for identifying where that comes from) to go back to 2003 where Orcinus gives us a good overview of Joseph Aistrup's The Southern Strategy Revisited: Republican Top-Down Advancement In The South.

Finally, we have a quote from RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman where he admits that, not only did the Southern Strategy exist, but that it was wrong for the party to do. Though I'm sure the Strategy has changed in the fourty years that it's been in use, I'm not quite as convince as Ken's quote seems to imply, that the Strategy is completely off the table.

"Let's go back, let's go back, let's go way on back"

10 comments:

Unknown said...

Please. It was the 2000 election when George W. Bush used the Confederate flag and rumors of a black child to beat John McCain in South Carolina. Yes, historically speaking, the "Southern Strategy" refers to Nixon's efforts to win in the south. But the term "Southern Strategy" means more than that, and it hasn't outlived it's usefulness, because Republicans still use race-baiting techniques to win in the South.

The Gerard Alexander artcile is laughable. He claims that the Willie Horton ad wasn't racist. Come on! They doctored the image to make him look blacker. That was 1988. That's racist. Supporting the Confederate Flag may not be inherently racist (though I think perhaps it may), it is certainly designed to appeal to racist voters. That's what the Republicans continue to do.

That's what the Southern Strategy is today, and it's still very much alive.

Rob said...

The Wayback machine is from Peabody's Improbable History that aired as part of the variously title Rocky an Bullwinkle cartoons. Mr. Peabody and his boy Sherman would use to travel back in time and witness all sorts of historical wackiness, usually ending with a pun.

Unknown said...

By the way, the Wayback machine is a reference to Peabody and Sherman, the hyper-intelligent dog who, along with his pet boy, travelled through time in the Wayback Machine. I remember watching these cartoons as part of the Rocky and Bullwinkle show, which was awesome in the extreme.

And man, Sherman was dumb.

Unknown said...

Damn you Rob.

Think - Aretha Franklin

Noumena said...

Bonus points for the following:

An episode of Family Guy referenced Mr. Peabody and Sherman. In that bit, who was Mr. Peabody, who was Sherman, and who did they meet?

Anonymous said...

Episode: The Kiss Seen Around The World. Brian was Peabody and Peter was Sherman and they went back to 1492!!! I guess they met Columbus?
Manda

Anonymous said...

Oh Sherman...

MosBen said...

Wow, that's tough. I tried to find out who they met and couldn't find it online. Maybe it's there, but I didn't see it.

Anonymous said...

I couldn't find it either and I dont remember that episode so well. But they went to 1492...and I bet it was columbus.
Manda

Noumena said...

Columbus it is indeed!