Within the span of five years, Reagan did two things which

[harrison]

should be given consideration by the networks in anaylysing his legacy. The first one occurred in 1980 when Reagan spoke at the Neshoba County Fair, some 17 miles from where the civil rights workers were murdered some 17 years earlier.

It wasn't that Reagan was at the fair. The Neshoba County Fair has always been an old time political stomping ground. No, the problem was what Reagan said: He invoked the term "state's rights" and every old time hidden, racist Southerner, who had benn forced underground by the civil rights movement knew what he meant.

It was a reincarnation of the old Southern strategy of dividing the races in the South, and was a direct blow to Carter, who saw the State of Mississippi actually vote democratic in 1976 and put him in the White House.

It was the rise of Republicanism in America using the racist strategy in the South, when the South was struggling to cast off its racial baggage.


The second event occurred in 1985 when Reagan placed wreath on the graves of Nazi Storm Troopers. It was wrong for the President of the USA to do such a thing, because he gave the appearance of endorsement, obviously.

So, within five years Reagan appealed to old racists and to the memories of Nazis.

Really, unbelievable, if you think about it.