A Nation Divided

[Ned]

Whigs and Republicans have always been pro-business and the use of government to build infrastructure. Because of this, Democrats since the days of Jackson have demonized Republicans as being the party of the rich... Naturally, some of this demonization has stuck, which helps explain why minorities initially gravitate to the Democrat party until they themelves gain middle class status, when they become Republicans.

[Odin]

Originally posted by Ned
Democrats since the days of Jackson have demonized Republicans as being the party of the rich...

They ARE the party of the rich. Privileged male voters are mostly Republicans.

[Ned]

Odin, agreed. Since 1836, successful people have generally support the Republican Party for a reason.

[Nubclear]

Originally posted by Ned
Odin, agreed. Since 1836, successful people have generally support the Republican Party for a reason.

I have a couple of friends in Boston who make a very large amount of money per year.
Do you know who theyre voting for this year? Bush.
Do you know why? They like to save their money

[Ned]

Originally posted by Comrade Tassadar


I have a couple of friends in Boston who make a very large amount of money per year.
Do you know who theyre voting for this year? Bush.
Do you know why? They like to save their money

Voting one's pocketbook is a rule of thumb.

[St Leo]

Originally posted by Ned
Odin, agreed. Since 1836, successful people have generally support the Republican Party for a reason.

Yes, the Republican Party has been supporting the nailing down in place of the Wheel of Fortune so that the currently unsuccessful can't become successful and replace the currently successful.

[Dr Strangelove]

Maybe it would be more precise to say that they don't want anyone messing with the way that the wheel is spun.

[Ramo]

Democrats since the days of Jackson have demonized Republicans as being the party of the rich...

That'd be a little difficult since the Republicans didn't exist during the days of Jackson.

The opposition party, the Whigs, were the party of the rich (particularly, of industrialists). The Democrats were the party of the common (white) guy, who were politically allied with plantation owners in opposition to industrial protectionism.

[The Emperor Fabulous]

Originally posted by Ned
Naturally, some of this demonization has stuck, which helps explain why minorities initially gravitate to the Democrat party until they themelves gain middle class status, when they become Republicans.

Oh yeah?

African American Statistics:



A 2% swing between lower and upper classes, with the middle class being the LEAST LIKELY to be Republican - sure seems like your wrong.

Hispanic Statistics (at the bottom):



So there's a 17% difference between those making <20,000 and those who make 50,000+...but only a 4 % difference between 20-30,000 and 50,000, and only a 7% difference between <20 and 30-50,000. In fact, the number DECREASES between 20-30 and 30-50. And before Sept, 11, it was a lot more inthe dems favor. and the Democrats STILL lead in all categories.

Another one of your broad assumptions that doesn't pass muster.

[Guynemer]

Snap.

[The Emperor Fabulous]

[Dinner]

Originally posted by DanS
No I don't. This just demonstrates how badly the Dems have screwed up on the social issues. In less than a generation, the south went from strong D to strong R.

Damn it. Don't use that map. It screws up the thread!

The flipping of the south happened in the 1960's because the Democrates had the gual to claim that blacks were equal to whites.

Most concervative southerners couldn't stomach that kind of liberalism and switched parties. Now they've admited that blacks are equal to whites but they continue to vote Republican.

[DanS]

That doesn't quite make sense Oerdin. Are you suggesting that they are Repbulicans by accident, rather than them having issues that bind them to the GOP in each election?

[Dinner]

No, I am saying that in the 1960's the Democrates pushed for civil rights and that alienated most white southerners. Those alienated southerners ran to the Republican party who promised to not be so aggressive on social issues.

[Ned]

Oerdin, it would be interesting to see the electoral map of the 1968 election. IIRC the party switch did not take place in earnest until 1972. In 1968, the Democrat Party fractured into the Northern Dems and those who backed Wallace. If Nixon took some Southern states, it was because the Democrat vote was divided.

The **** really hit the fan for the Southern Democrats when in 1972 the Dems nominated the antiwar McGovern as their candidate. At least the Southern Dems were patriotic. So the doubly whammy of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and McGovern caused a massive switch to occur.