Why are Southern whites so out of the mainstream of America?

[TomC]

The reasonable ones left.

[TomC]

What region of the country has blacks most out of the mainstream? I'd guess its the midwest, especially Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. I read somewhere that 20%?! of blacks in Cincinnati were Republicans?

In any case to answer the question I think a lot of it has to do with OLDER white southerners being way out of the mainstream thereby skewing the results quite heavily. While younger white southerners still favor the GOP more than any other region, the contrast is not as extreme in their case.

Good point, the people chanting ''n go back to Africa'' when schools were desegregated are only in their 60's and form the core of the Republican base in the South.

With all due respect, you are making generalizations that are as ignorant as the folks you seek to impugn.

[TomC]

Dated, but still accurate and presents various reasons, not just one.

http://encarta.msn.com/sidebar_761596699/republicans_gain_in_the_south.html

The most important component of the Republican appeal is the belief that the primary responsibility for one's economic well-being rests with an individual's own efforts and not with dependence upon the federal government. The Southern Republicans relentlessly champion and defend individual achievement while de-emphasizing the role of government in the economic activities of individuals. They advocate lowering taxes so that individuals can keep more of the money they earn. This policy has a powerful appeal among Southern whites, many of whom believe that federal taxes are too high.

Racial conservatives in the South are also more likely to feel comfortable with the nearly all-white Republican Party than with a Democratic Party composed of both whites and blacks. Southern Republican politicians express the prevailing views of the white majority on various racial issues far more than do Democratic politicians. Most Southern whites, for example, oppose preferences in hiring and promotion for African-Americans, and are unsympathetic to attempts by the federal courts to oversee school desegregation. It is still common for Republican candidates across the South to use racial appeals—sometimes subtle, sometimes quite overt—in order to mobilize a huge share of the white vote.

Finally, the appeal of the Republican Party among some Southerners rests upon a wide variety of conservative social policies. Republicans usually emphasize the rights of crime victims over those of criminals, and they support tough punishment of convicted criminals, including the death penalty for especially heinous crimes. They oppose abortion under most circumstances. The Republicans generally believe homosexuality is wrong, and they vigorously oppose marriage between individuals of the same sex. The overwhelming majority of Southern Republicans consider religion an important part of their life, and they usually support voluntary prayer in public schools.