Taking on the Zombie Perot-Myth/Smear (With Maddow video)

[craigmatic]

17. Most people don't consider 1968 realigning because policy didn't really change neither did

politics. It was alot of noise and assasinations and democrats were in disarray but 8 years later they came back. I think Carter was the last of the new deal democrats. Nixon just had anti-communism and the southern strategy but it was reagan that built the conservative church on tax cuts and small government. A realigning election is usually a period when a party becomes dominant and wins at least 3 elections in a row. That's why I said 1800, 1828, 1860, 1932, and 1980. The reason these elections are important is because they got America thinking in new ways about government and the people agreed so much that it was impossible for the party to lose a third term because the coalition was still hungry for power after the second term. For example FDR's democrats were so committed and involved that Truman had an easy time winning the presidency in 1948 even with the dixiecrats defecting. Lincoln's republicans were so dominant that they won 5 elections in a row ending slavey and reconstruction in the process. There were still enough conservatives in 1988 to push George HW Bush over the line. Clinton knew how to turn a phrase but there were not enough third way democrats to pull Gore over the finish line in 2000 even with the Florida election stolen. Gore should've been up more and won OH, NH, or one more of the western states but didn't because among other things bush represented the low tide of Reagan's movement. Most new coalitions only last about 30-50 years. That means realignments happen about every 40 years or so.