Can YOU Stand Another 4 To 8 Years Of A Progressive Sounding Democrat... Governing...

[Agnosticsherbet]

85. We also need to udnerstand that until mid 90's, things were different in the parties.

Under Johnson, the Civil Rights act of 1964 would not have passed without a lot of North Eastern Republicans. Southern Democrats were against it. Medicare passed in 1966, another of Johnson's Great Society programs but only with the help of liberal republicans. Title IX in 1972 was modified education acts from 63 and 65 to expand the ban on sex discrimination. Nixon signed that, but Democrats and Republicans passed it.

New England had a lot of Republicans who were socially liberal and fiscal moderates. The South was solidly Conservative Democrats (Dixiecrats). Clinton and Gore were both Southern Democrats. Under Clinton most of the serving southern Democrats changed parties. This was a process that begin with Nixon's Southern Strategy, accelerated under Reagan with "Reagan Democrats" and finished with Gingrich.

This historical realignment made the Republicans far more partisan as they purged any Republican who did not follow the party line. The wave of primaries where the T-Party primaried anyone who wasn't a party purist just made Republicans more radical and right wing.

Third Way and New Democrats consist of people who were no longer welcome in the more radical Republican Party. They are centrist to center right conservatives.

We can not confuse the parties as they are now with how they were 25 or more years ago. Warren's record in the last decade is very good.