It's time for a second Reconstruction

[Ex Lurker]

or better, to continue the Reconstruction that was never finished after the Civil War. If you look at the electoral map he Solid South is still alive and well, it was a sea of red on election day with only one or two exceptions. Clearly racism is alive and well. It would be easy to write the South off as a lost cause and let the hicks and rednecks wallow in their own bigotry, but there's a large African American population that deserves better. Their should be generous Federally Administered programs for the minority communities, and the white Republican power structure gets nothing, except Federal investigators looking into every nook and cranny making life miserable for them. Southern whites are a lost cause, so no need to spare there feelings or cowtow to them any more. We don't need their votes anyway.

[Idealism]

1. Its quite unreasonable

to pray for unity and demand segregation in the same breath, sir

[jwirr]

3. I will admit that I am very upset that the south is so set on following

*ss & co. even when they are defeated. I honestly do not know how we are going to work together with about 1/2 of the people in the south - on the other hand most of them were close wins so the other 1/2 are working with us already. When we have such different outlooks on life is it even possible to come together?

[Jackpine Radical]

2. I really disagree with your suggestions.

Some southerners are no doubt lost causes. So are some of my neighbors in the north. Understand, though, that the racism has long been a tool by which the ruling class separates the working classes and keeps them divided against each other rather than unifying in an attack on their true oppressors. They did not ask to be ignorant, they were not born racist. They were made that way, even though the means by which racism and ignorance perpetuate themselves are now rather automatic. Poor whites and poor blacks have much in common; we need to help them realize it. People change, cultures change. There has already been much change in the South. Consider VA, NC and FL, for example. Many of the great urban centeres suvh as Atlanta are really pretty cosmopolitan.

By the way--Do you know what the most segregated city in America is? Milwaukee.

[backwoodsbob]

4. excuse me

Here in Virginia we have a dem gov. two dem senators and went blue election night.

Can I write off Cali as a lost cause since they passed prop 8?

[Indenturedebtor]

5. Um.... No. So much "No" I don't know where to begin

For one vary obvious problem with your hateful argument - not everyone who didn't vote for Obama chose not to out of racism.

For another... WE AREN'T REPUBLICANS!

Though in my dream world we let all the pukes just form their own little disfunctional cesspool of a country, presently they're still Americans.

[Swamp Rat]

6. "Southern whites are a lost cause"

Bigot

[backwoodsbob]

7. 5 1/2 years ago when I moved back to Virginia

my now Father in law was as evangelical Fundie as they get.Was a fundie preacher until his health started failing,hated anything different from him.
Instead of writing him off as a lost cause I stayed patient and talked to him.

Last Sunday at church his preacher basically held an anti Obama rally.Halfway through my in law got up and told the preacher he thought he was in church,not a klan rally,and walked out.

Tuesday he voted dem for the first time in his life.

How about instead of looking down your nose at people from on high you..you know...try to help instead of being a bigot yourself?

[JCMach1]

8. Bigoted is a word that might apply to this OP as well

It was many of those 'rednecks' that you identified that helped elect Obama... VA,NC,FL

My father is the 'original' redneck... white, dirt poor, born in literally a one room log cabin in BFE Southern Georgia at the end of the Great Depression. He and his father were both Klan members in the 1950's and 1960's. That's nothing to be proud of, but it is a fact.

On Tuesday, he proudly cast his vote for Obama in Florida. He also voted NO on the marriage amendment. People like my father were part of Obama's margin of victory. Obama split redneck Jacksonville, FL 50/50. That was good enough to get him elected.

It doesn't mean that hatred and bigotry do not exist (they definitely do), but the South is light years from where it used to be. A better guide would be to look at a red/blue Congressional map. You will find a lot of red in the south... but conversely there is quite a lot of deep blue these days.

[backwoodsbob]

9. hmmmm

was hoping to come home from work and have a long discussion with the OP about this thread but he did a hit and run.

Oh well

[JCMach1]

10. Seems like...