Abraham. Martin, John & Bobby

[RBInMaine]

11. The Dixiecrats were the old Civil War era Dems. Here is the history:

The old Democratic Party of the early to mid 1800's was the conservative pro-slavery states-rights party. The new Republicans of that time were fiscal conservatives, generally, and American heritage traditionalists but also social moderates and many even anti-slavery social progressives. Of course the old conservative Southern Dixiecrats continued to be Democrats-in-name out of anger at the old Northern Moderate Republicans led by Lincoln who defeated them in the Civil War, ended slavery, and led Reconstruction. They especially hated the Radical Republicans who really wanted to punish the South after the Civil War. Then along came the later 1800's and the 20th century. The Republicans emerged as the party of big business and WASP culture, whereas the Democrats, especially northern Democrats, welcomed the newer immigrants and became the party of labor. At the same time, the DixieCrats remained Democrats in name, though their ideology really aligned with the big business WASP Republicans. Over time, the Dems became more and more the party of labor and minorities with progressive social values, and the R's remained the party of big business and WASP values. With Nixon and his Southern Strategy, he went right after those DixieCrat voters and turned them into full blown Republicans, using Johnson's civil rights laws against the national Dems in that region. DixieCrats converted to become Republicans on the voter registration rolls. Reagan continued the Southern Strategy of conversion, and now they are all registered R's, they control the R party, and they are the bastion of TeaParty thinking and radical right wing ideology in the nation. Problem is, the WASPs are dying off rapidly, and the new demographics are swallowing them up. So, in the 1960's the DixieCrats were really Democrats in name only, remaining registered with the party name because of their old hatred of Lincoln and the early more moderate R's who defeated them in the Civil War, ended slavery, and led Reconstruction which they deeply despised, and old feelings die hard. There were really two Democratic Parties, a northern progressive one and a Southern conservative one, and now those old very conservative DixieCrats are all registered Republicans. It is a neat story showing how political parties evolve and change over time.