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[RainDog]

67. Democrats began to lose the south with the election of FDR

because the new deal was not applied in a racist manner. FDR didn't outright say he supported civil rights but his actions demonstrated that he did and white southerners let him know this. He won elections because of his economic populism, but he also stirred discontent b/c he did not hew to the segregationist cant.

when Truman ran, he lost four southern states to Strom Thurmon b/c Truman came out in support of civil rights.

southern whites continued to vote for democrats for the most part, however, b/c the democrats were seen as the party of the working class, as you say, but this was seen as WHITE working class in the south. And, really, the white male working class because the south was opposed to women or blacks getting all uppity with their rights.

however, with the passage of the civil rights act, for the first time (with the exception of Strom Thurmon's racist campaign), 5 of the 6 states in the deep south voted for Republicans in 1964.

in the 1968 election, 5 states in the deep south went with the segregationist George Wallace.

Six southern states voted against Clinton in 1996.

No doubt there are great political actors in the Democratic Party from the south. However, the southern white person has, overwhelmingly, decided to forgo his or her economic interests since the 1960s to vote for a party that sends coded racist messages constantly. Constantly.

That has been the strategy for Republicans to win elections - that and dangling culture war issues like abortion that they have shown they have no intention of addressing, as they could have during Dubya's time in office.

And they win the south on this basis.