>>>Indeed.
>>>
>>>I was a poll-watcher for the dems in Nashville (grad school). The dem machine sent in the drunks with a slip of paper that had two names on it: Nixon and Gore (senior). I knew by 2 pm that the election was going to Nixon, as the Southern base had defected. Not that integration and race had anything to do with it, mind you. <sigh>
>>>
>>Wow.. Hank.. you were present at a key turning point in US Politics. Maybe one the most important since the civil war.
>>Some people that the shift also had an economic motive as one-time Northeast abolitionist repubs moved south to escape northern unions south and exploit the poor white labor market and mask it by fueling racial hatreds.
>>
>>This man was a silent mover behind the scenes and made billions at it.
>>https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Milliken
>
>Hmm... When I was a kid, there were one or two textile mills left in Chicopee, MA, where I grew up. The Chicopee River powered the plants back in the day.
>
>The plants closed, of course, as they were moved to the South. I benefited from this: a chemist at the plant, "Doc" Simon, retired, because he had always wanted to be a teacher. He chose to teach at our high school, even though he lived in a tonier suburb of the bigger city (Springfield) next door. He was, as the name implied, a PhD chemist with 30+ years experience, and a fantastic teacher. I believe he was the only PhD in the school system. So I was around for that, also.
>
>Which probably goes to show that if you live long enough, you'll have been around for what people now call history. :)

www.nytimes.com/2015/10/13/opinion/the-republicans-incompetence-caucus.html

Here's one conservative's analysis of how his party degraded to its current position.
Brooks is a thoughtful man. I've disagreed with him on many issues (he was dead wrong on Iraq and Afghanistan) but he's one of the few voices of reason left in that party.

Actually, though, I think the journey began longer than 30 years ago.
I think it began that night you saw that vote switch in TN.