"Democrats out of step in the South", article from 11/13/03 LATimes

[flpoljunkie]

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-south13nov13000423,1,572610.story?coll=la-headlines-politics

Once a stronghold, the region was swept by Bush in 2000. Many voters say the party has strayed too far from the mainstream.
By John Johnson
Times Staff Writer

November 13, 2003

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Sam Hudson, a graying, 45-year-old bartender in this former textile town, would never display a Confederate flag. "Not rich enough" to be a Republican, he said, he's a Ralph Nader man who can't understand what's happened to the Democratic Party in the South. "When I was growing up, everybody was a Democrat," Hudson said this week. "But then it seemed like Democrats were more conservative."

Now they're preoccupied "with all this negative stuff," he said, meaning the gay rights movement. Hudson doesn't mind people living their lives the way they want in private, but "they don't have to be out there having parades."

<>

Confederate flag wavers are "not a group that votes very much of the time. Or if they did, they wouldn't think that a New England Democrat would represent them," said Earl Black, a professor of political science at Rice University in Houston and the author of several books on Southern politics.
<>

The truth is in the numbers. President Bush defeated Al Gore, 57% to 41%, in South Carolina's 2000 presidential voting on his way to sweeping the South. And just this month, the Democrats lost the governor's mansion in Kentucky for the first time in 32 years.

So what went wrong for the party? And what do the Democrats have to do to fix it "A lot," said Joe Erwin, 47, a Levi's-wearing ad executive who is president of the state Democratic Party. "There are so many things we have to do a better job of."

The Republicans, Erwin said, have exploited the worst fears of whites by opposing Democratic efforts to achieve racial justice. "What changed in this state is race," he said. "They've painted the Democrats as the black party."

[Ediacara]

1. with all this negative stuff

Now they're preoccupied "with all this negative stuff," he said, meaning the gay rights movement. Hudson doesn't mind people living their lives the way they want in private, but "they don't have to be out there having parades."

Well, Mr Hudson, you can fuck off! I don't mind ignorant biggots, but they don't have to be out there voting and giving news interviews.

[pretzel4gore]

3. one goddam minute!

if you've ever been south (or even watched 'king of the hill') you would know the southers are same as we, with cosmetic differences. Gays ARE a minority, and since many of the most virulent anti gays are disturbed 'closet queers' provoking such a manic element of the lumpen majority SEEMS self defeating....so calling Mr Hudson a 'ignorant bigot' isn't very helpful to our cause, which is to SAVE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE....right? I understand your hot blooded response (hey, i'd have the mediawhores lined up and shot in groups of 9 and 11 if i could, but i'm just an old bad tempered working guy) but please Dino save it for the deadly enemy, not 'Hank Hill' and the boys!

[Touchdown]

5. Sorry, Dino's right to be angry.

If this bartender characterizes equality for gay people as "Negative stuff" then he is a bigot. No two ways around it. Mr Hudson wouldn't help our cause anyway, so I say fuck him.

There's people out here in the west that are begging to be represented, but the Dems can't be bothered because they worry too much about the south, and how they lost it.

[bluestateguy]

2. No black voters were interviewed

Trying to court a certain percentage of white southerners is fine. I support that. But Democrats will never make a comeback in the South if they take black voters for granted and do not motivate them to go to the polls.

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. Finally, the truth comes out.

Say out loud: Republicans are successful because most white voters are RACISTS!

Oh, I feel better. Sort of.

[w4rma]

6. I'm really saddened to see some of the remarks on this thread.

They are arrogant, IMHO. I'll chalk it up to being from folks who are uninformed about Southern culture and live in other areas of the country.

[Classical_Liberal]

7. More Beamers are an indication of more rich people

not more middle class. They also went to a southern boom town. Much of the south is a depressed rural area. The only thing accurate in this peace is the Southern voters are a confused lot. The way to end that confusion is to reform the fcc so tv stations donate time to local churches on the Sunday morning religious slots rather than let televangelist take bids, which motivates them to demogogue for the republicans so they can sell end times videos about he new world order. That is how they pay to put in bids. They like republicans because republicans let them turn religion into a telemarketing call.

[tedoll78]

8. Well.. for the record..

I've lived in the South all of my life, and we certainly do have our share of bigots. The bigotry may not be outright on display, but it's definitely there.

[Liberator_Rev]

9. We're the MORAL party, even if it means we LOSE the South !

"The Republicans, Erwin said, have exploited the worst fears of whites by opposing Democratic efforts to achieve racial justice. "What changed in this state is race," he said. "They've painted the Democrats as the black party."

As a white Liberal Democrat, I'm proud of our party being the black party, and the brown and yellow party, and the immigrant, and the gay, and the women's party, and the party of the poor and the unemployed and even of those who can't or don't vote.

http://www.LiberalsLikeChrist.Org/Democrats

shows why Christians who are serious about following Christ
ought to be Liberal Democrats.

[glitch]

10. if we are out of step it's the south that needs to catch up

we've waited long enough. We need to step up our pace, not turn back or slow down.