The majority of Southern whites cannot and will not be moved, even if it is in their best interest. They are just that God damned stupid and lulled into their own false reality by Faux News. I say, fuck them. Let's move there, register and take the place over to show them how much better it could be.

why the only black in the senate is a South Carolinian Repub?

How did a black of any party win statewide in the deep south? Is it a strategy to be replicated?

So the race aspect was nullified. And frankly there is a lot of straight ticket voting, one could nominate a plant and if it had an R next to its name it would likely win in many states.

The Repubs are using him as a way to try and say "hey, we're the party of inclusion", like they do with every token.

When Senator Jim DeMint resigned, the Republican Governor appointed a black Republican, Tim Scott, to the vacancy. If DeMint had finished his term and not run for re-election, there would have been a primary. Whether Scott could have won a Republican primary for an open seat is questionable. As it is, he then won election on his own with the advantage of incumbency.

I agree with you that that his race played a part in his appointment.

If the dems ran a white candidate would they have won?

I keep reading that we should forget about the white southern vote, it's gone.

But since both candidates were black, I think that negates the racist vote (unless they didn't vote at all).

SC has a history of racism, just like many states do. But the pull of the repub party is stronger, IMHO. Otherwise Haley would not have won either.

lindsey graham's opponent was a white man and the white male dem in that race did better than the black female dem in the race against tim scott.

both graham and scott won but scott actually got more votes than graham.

I think it would be easier to turn all the rest of the red state blue.

Find a goddamned message of equality of opportunity. Anything less in the face of oligarchy is just conservatism.

Don't follow the money. Commit to what is right and best for all, and the best sort of money will follow you.

All I meant there was find a way to say it that sounds, as it should, local and regional, not imported from without.

Wasn't saying water anything down.

...if the Democratic Party could agree on a truly progressive message. It's the money that has watered down what the party once stood for.

Thanks.

4 out of 5 Whites vote for Republicans, while 9 out of 10 Blacks vote for Democrats, and changing the votes of Whites is all but impossible exactly because the racialization of party affiliation, it's little different to multi-ethnic 3rd-world countries where each ethnic group has their own party. Basically the only places where we have a shot down there are in districts that have enough African-Americans and in districts representing the largest cities, like Atlanta, Raleigh, Dallas, etc., where the racialism breaks down somewhat.

those currently alive are, in aggregate, a lost cause of white nationalism and rightwing fanaticism.

playing to racial fears and hocus pocus about "libruls" there won't be much of a "next generation." The republicans are about entrenching poverty among the poor whites because as long as they can do that they can replicate the mind set that so far is against the Dem party. The repubs fear an educated populace because they will gravitate to the Dem Party. The repubs can't let that happen. Keep 'em poor and economically powerless. It is no coincidence that Rick Santorum made that "what a snob" comment in 2012 about Pres. Obama's statement that all Americans want a chance to go to college. Remember that?

like in NC and GA

I have no idea. Some liberals who moved to NC, upset re politics not otherwise. It's a mess. Those mid-South states were heavily developed and promoted in the 80s, 90s for Yanks, boomers to relocate or retire. I know So. FL, never spent much time in NC. I dunno anything about GA except the large black and immigrant population around Atlanta. The New South was a good thing in the 70s, 80s, 90s but the 'naught' years of the 2000s are something else.

?

about him, the con man, glad he's gone to exurbia NoVA. He's making much $ as a lobbyist. I recall the 'what a snob' remark but forgot it was about PBO and college education. He should talk. He ripped of PA taxpayers saying his kids were in state there for school services when they were actually living in NoVA. Friends say I should start a fund to get rid of him. Ultraconservatives like him might be happier in some little fascist colony in SA, like the expat Nazis had, not that I'd wish that on anyone.

the South that are more rural and less urban. Would explain the gun fetishes too...

If we define the South as the 11 states of the Confederacy, there are Bill Nelson of Florida and the two Virginians, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner. (The Census Bureau's definition adds five more states, three of which -- Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia -- have a total of five Democratic Senators.)

What some writers have said, as a result of this year's elections, is that there are no more Democratic Senators from the "Old South", a term that isn't formally defined. When I lived in North Carolina, it was often referred to as part of the New South. I guess that, by ousting Hagan, North Carolina was newly readmitted to the ranks of the Old South

what part of the South will NC be in? what is the "Old South" and the "New South"?

state would be part of the New South. Must have been folks from MS or AL, too bad. I think the more modern, progressive New South was doing pretty well in the 70s, 80s, 90s but the 2000s have been a mess.

The term Upper South was used by people like Gore for TN, don't hear that anymore. Old South means Dixie to me, really referring to mostly 19th cent., pre Civil Rights South.

I have 4 generation Dem. relatives in FL who realize Bill Nelson is the only D left, if you don't count VA.
NC seemed to be part of the New South definitely. But regression, conservatism are rampant.
There are many people in the DC metro area, esp. NoVA who would not like to be viewed as being in the South including me. And there are many liberal blacks in or from the South of course.

The Census Bureau's assignment of WV, MD, DE as SOUTH is really nuts. Just learned that last year. WV was explicitly not part of the Confederacy, in fact the western counties (of VA) seceded from VA in 1861 at the start of the Civil War to be apart from the slave holding eastern part controlled by Richmond. The new 40th state of WV joined the Union in 1863.

MD is considered North now, so is DEL, although both were slave holding, but Lincoln made a deal with them like KY not to join the CSA. MD, DE, KY and I think MO were all border states, non CSA.

Also WV may be real red and racist 'South' now, but for many decades it was a solid blue D state b/c of FDR, Unions, labor, the New Deal and beyond, even during Reagan, Mondale. If racism makes a state 'Southern' I don't know where to start! Some parts of PA are like AL now as I've heard! Also IN, IL, too many to name.

Eastern PA, DE, MD, VA, DC and some of NC used to be called Mid Atlantic. I like that and still use it.

by the very officials we must ask to get change.

There is nothing but denial (I would say generational lockdown) among leaders in the South about this. They do it, they benefit from it, and it's up to us uncredentialed outsiders to change them.

That's why we don't do it, and we can expect "funny" results from the South as long as they are not confronted effectively about it.

Now thanks to the Supreme Court of the US, the Voting Rights Act is not a refuge.

We are captives, not electors. What do we do?

And there is no help from the federal level on this.

I wonder where it will all end but I think we have lost the South for a couple of generations. How many liberals will stay and attempt to change it against those kinds of odds?

Racism is alive and well in the US, but it's not just a southern thing. The biggest influence down here now seems to be the fundamentalist churches and their biggest talking points are abortion and gay marriage. All the time you hear people talking about "voting their conscience". I've had people tell me that they have to vote Republican because of their Christian principles. Any issue that is perceived to be liberal must be opposed.

Many of them see Democrats and liberals as being of loose morals with no character. Atheists are just contemptible and they don't understand how anyone could deny the existence of God, so therefore they must be e-v-i-l. There's work to be done, but as long as we focus on race, we are missing the bigger picture.

Those evil purists who actually want Democrats are entirely the problem. They need to do the sensible thing and line up behind the Republican with the wrong party registration.

Because once that person is elected, they'd somehow vote for progressive legislation. Just like Lieberman did when he killed his own public option proposal.

People on DU keep posting this over and over again, despite the fact that this plan keeps not working.

Just because technically the only difference between Landrieu and a republican was that there was a (D) instead of an (R) behind her name.

Other than that...wasn't much difference at all...(other than Democrats disenchanted for the above reason).

A smattering of clear thinking people aside the vast majority will happily vote for troglodytes for generations to come.

To do what she is suggesting will require decades, and the willingness of people to examine their own values.

In other words, fat fucking chance.

I don't have the representation I want and neither do many other people here I know.

I do know that Louisiana Republicans were really organizing at least in the 90s. I wasn't politically active before then.

Anyway the Democratic party in response did nothing, is in disarray, and we know the outcome. When the Democratic party offers you nothing in support as a candidate for office, it makes sense to switch to Republican. And that's why I suspect many of these politicians switched parties. You go where the support is.

Yes it will require *gasp* effort on the part of the Democratic party to become a force again. And unless you want the Dems to become a permanent minority party, it's an effort that will have to be made.

The country doesn't just comprise two coasts. If you want a majority, then you will have to be in it to win in the middle and southern states. Relying on demographics alone is a lazy and a loser long-term.

The reality is the MAJORITY in your state have the representation they want. Or maybe you missed the part where the Republicans control all the Senate seats and almost all of the state houses in that region. Those senators and governors and legislators don't exist in a vacuum. They were put there by people who want them there.

Is it reversable? Yeah, sure. But we're talking 40-60 years down road.

state to go to a blue state where they feel more welcome and accommodated politically? I truly wonder if that isn't part of it. Growing up in Texas in the 50s I had had it by the time I went off to college. I went East and stayed after college to work, marry and start a family. I did not feel at all comfortable in a racially poisoned society and had been developing a liberal philosophy on my own, based on my revulsion to what was going on with legal segregation. By the time I came of age to be able to vote (21 at the time) I was already living in New York City and had just gotten married. I found a more suitable, welcoming attitude among that population. I didn't like the weather, but I rated political atmosphere more highly.

this appears to be the solution. We knew that when we have failed at getting the governorship back despite really good candidates, our days here were numbered.

I think that there will be people that will stay and keep fighting and I am glad. I just don't see a change in the South for a least a couple more generations--which includes a great deal of dying off.

It is too ingrained. It is too embedded. There is the triad of racism, sexism and religion that is going to be very hard to overcome.

Gun ownership is one thing but the gun ideology is part of that culture, mixed right in there. Guns are powerful reinforcements for their belief system.

I also believe that generational change will bring a more enlightened, better educated populace to Texas and elsewhere in the South.

it enhances all of the other things. I am pretty sure that I read the other day where there was a church here that was encouraging open carry in the church. The problem is, there is so many things that you read that should be obvious satire, but aren't, so the information can be a little sketchy sometimes, lol.

We are is a precarious situation with custody issues. It isn't as easy for us to leave as I wish it would be, however, we are trying to get it all figured out and hopefully we will be out of here within the next year.

Louisiana can be a competitive state if the Democratic party would only put forth the effort. Louisiana went for Clinton in 1996.

Oh and remember Blanco?

Gosh that was so long ago...

A comment from another site that sums up how I feel:

"As an Independent, I am thinking Ms. Carter needs to evaluate how strong her party is, and what it is willing to do, to “drive out” the Democratic message to voters. I live in Sabine Parish and, other than my own Mary Landrieu bumper sticker, I never saw another sign, bumper sticker, or Democratic message of any kind in my Parish. Nor, to my knowledge, did Mary Landrieu pass through the Parish at any time to deliver a message. We are now a state that is completely dominated by the far right at the federal level, yet only 28% of the registered voters are Republican. This fact alone, demonstrates the lack of the Democratic Party’s ability to drive out their message to the voters."

http://cenlamar.com/2014/12/09/exclusive-guest-column-louisiana-democratic-party-chairwoman-karen-carter-peterson-responds-to-saturdays-defeats/

Funny how people here advocate voting, but then tell Southern Dems and progressives that their votes don't matter. Gee that inspires me to vote Dem.

Abandoning the South is losing strategy for the Democratic party.