>>>>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.

I agree. The "Southern strategy" of veiled racism to raise fears and anger with the "law and order" campaign of the 1968 election. Things went downhill from there -- take a look at our incarcerated population. What a mess...

Hank