Hurricane Donald is destroying the GOP coalition: How Nixon & Reagan’s “Southern Strategy” finally i

[applegrove]

Hurricane Donald is destroying the GOP coalition: How Nixon & Reagan’s “Southern Strategy” finally imploded

by Conor Lynch at Salon

http://www.salon.com/2016/01/11/hurricane_donald_is_destroying_the_gop_coalition_how_nixon_reagans_southern_strategy_finally_imploded/

"SNIP...............


A backlash from lower class voters was inevitable, especially when considering how the Republican agenda of economic liberalization has hurt the livelihoods of many blue-collar Republicans. Trump is not only running on an anti-immigration and anti-foreigner platform, but an anti-free trade platform (which fits in nicely with his nationalism). Corporatist free trade deals have long been a staple of Republican policy, and many working class people who vote Republican have seen their manufacturing jobs ship overseas because of these trade deals, which, as Doug Henwood points out in his book “My Turn,” are more like “bill of rights for capital” than plain old trade agreements. (Trump’s opposition differs from progressives, who oppose the corporatist nature of free trade agreements; he seems to lean towards economic nationalism and autarky, which is an old fascist ideal.)

Trump is clearly aiming to attract working class whites who feel left behind by the political establishment that they have long given their vote to — and it has worked wonderfully thus far. Of course, they are right to be angry with a GOP establishment that has done more to advance the interests of corporate America than anyone could have dreamed of before Reagan came along. But their anger towards immigrants and non-whites — many of whom they see as job-stealers and un-American — is, needless to say, unfounded and destructive.

Sadly, this kind of racial animosity has long been a part of America’s DNA, and the Grand Old Party took advantage of it for many decades. And today, as the saying goes, the chickens have come home to roost. The New Deal coalition — which was a similarly uneasy alliance between northern liberals, African Americans, unions, and Southern Whites — held strong for nearly four decades, and collapsed because of racial animosity. When Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law, he famously told advisers that the Democrats had “lost the South for a generation,” and he was correct.

Now the Southern Strategy, which has held strong longer than the New Deal coalition, is set to collapse because of both economic and social differences. The Republican establishment quite correctly views the nomination of Trump, who wears his racism, xenophobia, and sexism on his sleeve, as a death sentence to the party. And in a country that has become increasingly socially liberal and tolerant over the past few decades, it certainly seems likely that doubling down on intolerance would be disastrous with the general population. Meanwhile, there is a significant division over economic issues. According to Pew Research Center, 52 percent of Republicans believe that some corporations don’t pay their fair share in taxes, while 45 percent believe the same for the wealthy. For a party that is known for slashing taxes for both the rich and corporations, and preaching trickle-down economics, these are pretty surprising numbers. Trump’s anti-free trade rhetoric further exposes this division.


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[JustAnotherGen]

1. The Republican Establishment is off their rockers

So is the author of this article:

Now the Southern Strategy, which has held strong longer than the New Deal coalition, is set to collapse because of both economic and social differences. The Republican establishment quite correctly views the nomination of Trump, who wears his racism, xenophobia, and sexism on his sleeve, as a death sentence to the party.

Trump has energized that element and they are pumped up to vote for him. They are going to come out in droves.

[dhol82]

2. Totally agree

Trump has just energized the hateful extreme right.

They will come out to vote with a vengeance.