C-SPAN Bush supporters from the South?

[Jane Austin]

The previous thread on this subject got messed up and locked, but I just got back and would like to make a comment.

Think about how the national corporate media manages the news.

Now think about who the establishment has been in the South for at least 200 years.

That establishment owns the newspapers, the local television stations, the car dealerships, most industry and most of the land. They provide most of the jobs.

Overlay that with a sense of having been victimized by the Civil War, a feeling that has been encouraged by this same establishment for 150 years.

Now, how many liberal ideas do you think most Southerners hear in their lives? Over and over they hear that hard conservativism is next to Godliness.

If somehow a Southerner does learn to to pick through this propaganda and learn to think for themselves, how smart do you think it would be for most of them to speak out by themselves?

It has taken great courage, untold numbers of lynchings and civil rights violence to even get where we are now in the South. In a way, we have had our own internal "Civil War" in each town, city and state for the past fifty years.

And yet, there are notable people who do speak out. Unless they are already rich and too prominent to marginalize, they often fall by the wayside. Certainly many get worn out or too discouraged to go on.

God bless every one who has done anything in the South - - written a letter to the editor, run for office, spoken out against discrimination - - to help people see that there is another way.

[clydefrand]

1. Thank you. I'm from the South and I do support

John Kerry. I've written and had letters to the editor published in support of him. I have bumper stickers and a yard sign for him! I'm seeing many more signs and stickers for Kerry/Edwards in this otherwise conservative area than I have for Bush/Cheney. I do hope this is indicative of a win, but sometimes I think the Bushies just don't want anyone to know they are stupid enough to vote for him again.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

11. I'm from VA, and obviously, am also a Kerry supporter. Proud to show

my support by sporting my Kerry Edwards bumper sticker and having sent the campaign a contribution.

[Lefty48197]

2. I have a lot of sympathy for the southern Democrats

It must be tough to be surrounded by right wingers. In a way, they're the most dedicated Democrats of all.

[DemBones DemBones]

6. Thanks for recognizing that. It must be nice to be in

an area where most people are progressive.

FWIW, I'm NOT seeing Bush* stickers here as in past elections. I have hopes that many people are not going to get out and vote for Bush*, even if they don't vote for Kerry.

[bluestateguy]

3. Yet it was Republicans who rammed Reconstruction down their throats

Our party favored a more lenient Reconstruction policy in the south.

[vetwife]

4. I am from the South and your points are on target ! thanks

[seabeyond]

5. cool for you janeaustin

excellent

yes to all in the south embracing progressive. hats off to you. easy as pie in a blue state, pretty hard and discouraging in a red state

[DemBones DemBones]

7. Hey, janeaustin,

:yourock:

[Jane Austin]

10. Woo Woo!

Thanks, everybody.

I wrote that because ir reminded me of getting ready for school in the mornings, oh so many years ago, and listening to the radio as I got dressed.

I had my choice of hateful and rabid fundies who spent more time running down Catholics than they did talking about the Gospels; or of Pappy Lee O'Daniel, the failed right-wing gubernatorial candidate who had a country band called, oh shoot, was it the Light Crust Dough Boys?

And my local paper, in the birth announcements, wouldn't even give black couples the dignity of being called Mr. and Mrs. Jack New Parents as they did the white couples in the same column.

Instead, they would say something like "Jack and Jill New Parent , a boy July 4, 1957"

Back in those days it showed more respect to say Mr and Mrs, than Jack and Jill, although these days I think it would give the mother more status to call her by her given name.

Anyway, that's what they did until I couldn't stand it any more and wrote a private letter to the editor to point out their custom.

Probably because my parents were such unquestioned good citizens, they changed their policy because of my letter.

But there were a thousand little things like that that influence you when you grow up in those towns in the South.

Thank God for a grandmother who insisted I think for myself (and who took me on wonderful travels), a church that was more interested in what Jesus really said and did than in mere piety, and a thirst for reading.

I left there in 1962 to go to school in Austin, and have basically been here ever since. :)

[Reciprocity]

8. Try being a Texas democrat living in the bible belt.

We are outnumbered ten to one. Its like living with the Borg. We fight being assimilated every day. First they steal your soul then your vote. We are to be pitied more than scorned.

[oasis]

9. Dixie folks are as decent as they come but I like Dixie Dems the best.

With the exclusion of (not a true Democrat) zell miller.

[Jane Austin]

12. Kick in support of Southern Liberals. :)

n/t

[tibbir]

13. I live in Houston where Kerry is actually running even with Bush

but it pains me to see the political ignorance of so many people in our state. For example, my brother is very concerned and has a very high i.q., yet Fox is his news source. The media doesn't help. My local NBC affiliate is very biased toward Bush in their "news" reporting. Our only paper, the Houston Chronicle, is very conservative. I can't even bear to read it.

The word is that we're going to slowly shift from the Republican stranglehold we're under to at least a borderline state as the hispanic population increases. It gives me some hope to think that this prediction is true.

The only bright light is that Houston is actually fairly liberal, at least compared to the rest of the state. We have a democratic mayor and other democratic legislators. I also find refuge in my Unitarian church where I can comfortably talk politics.

There's a lot that I like about living in Houston (not the humidity however) but I just have to chip away at the conservative bias down here. For example, even though the Bugman is not my representative, I'm going to Sugarland to support Morrison, the Demoratic challenger and have contributed to his campaign. It's kind of David v. Goliath but you never know. :bounce: