What's going on with the 47% in the southern states?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

I notice Romney is the love of all Alabama, Texas etc.

Who is going to tell the 47% down there that voting for Romney is actually voting against themselves?

[meow2u3]

1. Many conservative Southern poor whites would rather go broke, sick, and hungry

than see minorities benefit, even if they benefit themselves from progressive policies.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

2. Surely they must see through this?

[NCLefty]

14. They do not.

[SoapBox]

32. Ditto that they don't.

Prez O could walk on water and they would still not vote for him because he's non-white.

[TroyD]

18. Unfortunately it doesn't look like Obama will flip a single Mccain state

Those red states are going to keep voting Republican for the foreseeable future, regardless of how much people like Romney abuse them in the meantime.

[socialist_n_TN]

3. As usual........

God, guns, and gays. Added to that there's a half-black guy running as a Dem. If you vote Dem you're going to Hell where you'll get fucked in the ass by a New Black Panther and the Devil will take away your AK-47.

The working class in the southern states is even more cowed by wealth, even ill gotten wealth (is there any other kind--it's all theft one way or another), than it is in the rest of the country. I blame the Calvanism.

[fun n serious]

4. Sadly,

They do not have internet or cable. They rely on local news but only if they arent to tired after coming home from working 14hrs for no wage or low wage.

Edit to add. IMO.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

6. Exactly. It's a class issue more than a race issue.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

11. Then we need to do something about local news

[Grammy23]

35. I'm not so sure about lack of cable or internet .....

Ride through the country side down south and you'll see satellite dishes, DISH Network, high speed cable lines, etc. Even some of the poorest people find the money to get cable TV and/or internet. Folks here in the south are not in a vacuum when it comes to cable connections and internet. Yes, there are areas where that may be true, but for the most part, many of them do have internet and cable. I know because I am related to some of them.

A lot of these people you are referring to ARE very religious. They belong to Fundamentalist Churches and get a rather bizarre and twisted version of the gospel. I sometimes wonder if any of them actually believe that Christ was not just making a suggestion when he said they should care for the sick, the poor, the needy, those imprisoned and who are children. I had one relative say to me, "if a man who is able will not work, he shall not eat." She was quoting from the Bible and seemed quite satisfied with herself and her position. Never once did I get the idea that she thought Christ might have a different view about helping the needy. In fact, Christ's name never came up....she just referred to her minister who gave her that information and point of view....which she happily accepted as appropriate.

So hearing Mitt's secret tape suggesting that the 47 % are just too dependent on the government may have rung true with them. If they do not think deeply about the subject or who do not consider themselves part of the group Mitt was referring to, they can easily accept what he said. Some of them have convenient memory, too, by forgetting the times they may have gotten help from the government, such as student loans, WIC or Food Stamps.

On the other hand, I did see one post on FB by another relative who was "disappointed by Mitt's comments." She said she thought Mitt was "her man" but now she didn't think so. So perhaps some of those in the South did hear his harsh words and were hurt and confused by what he said. I really do think this person that I know has changed her mind and will not vote for Mitt. She may not vote for Obama, but she is not voting for Mitt for sure. Which is good news in my book. One less Red State voter. By the way, she most assuredly does have cable TV and internet. She lives in Alabama.

[fun n serious]

39. Thank you

I live in Portland OR. Really never travled down south.

[oldsarge54]

5. Leave Texas out of this

We know what is going on. Didn't you like our Mayor, Mr Castro? Granted, we got idiots out in the country, but there are a lot of us fighting the good fight. We're still a might outnumbered, but what the hey, this IS Texas. We like impossible odds/

[Indpndnt]

12. We do have the biggest cities.

And soon we'll have the demographics. We've also got some folks waking up. Slowly, but surely.

[aaaaaa5a]

7. The answer to the question is easy.

What's wrong with the 47% in the southern states?

They still hate black people.



Race trumps everything.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

9. How previous pres. elections?

[Tx4obama]

8. You are WRONG about Texas

In 2008 Obama received OVER 3.5 MILLION votes in Texas.
McCain got UNDER 4.5

Obama won the majority of our largest cities/counties: Austin/Travis, Dallas/Dallas, Houston/Harris, El Paso, San Antonio, etc.
McCain won only one large city, Fort Worth.

If you take a look around at the presidential electoral vote predictions on some of the maps Texas is NOT dark red but is shown as dark pink.

There are a lot of Texans down here that are Democrats.

So, please lay off the Texas bashing.

Thank you

[Rosa Luxemburg]

10. Not bashing

We need to find a way to get them from voting against themselves

[SoapBox]

33. Well said.

[Indpndnt]

13. Yes, indeed! Nicely said.

[Daniel537]

26. That means McCain still won by almost a million votes

Hardly an insignificant margin. The big city thing is the same as in most other states, so i don't really see how Texas is much different from its neighbors (demographics aside). It doesn't matter what shade Texas is in this year, until Hispanics start voting in large numbers its a solid red state.

[jzodda]

31. You are still outnumbered

and by a decent margin. The southern strategy of the republican party is alive and well and still working in Texas.

It many not be deep south red but deep pink is more than enough for the republicans to keep winning. I also note that many Dems running in Texas run to the right of the Dem party.

Texas is still Dixiecrat (now republican but same folks) territory.

For this election cycle Texas is so red that they don't even poll there. There has been ONE poll since April and Romney is +15. Red or dark pink makes no difference. Texas is a (mostly) republican state for now.

[union_maid]

38. Texas is deep blue in the 7-Eleven poll

Can actual votes be far behind? Well, maybe, but it's interesting.

[DFW]

15. The people who mentioned the media nailed it

Very simply, many of the 47% in the South haven't a clue that they ARE part of the 47%.

If they realized that, the South would flip back to blue in half an hour.

[Shitty Mitty]

20. This

Some of it, but not nearly as much as some here would have you believe, is due to race.

[coldwaterintheface]

16. Well President Obama won't be getting any whiter anytime soon so

good luck with trying to convince a bunch of racist morons that the black guy in the WH is actually trying to help them have a better life.

[davidn3600]

17. Social issues...gay marriage, abortion, etc...

Places like Alabama or Mississippi will never vote for someone that favors gay rights or abortion.

[Shitty Mitty]

21. Give them 100 years

If we make it that long, that is. The old are dying off and the young, for the most part, either support gays and abortion rights or are apathetic. Apathy ain't good but it's better than being against it.

[Paladin]

19. That 47% In Texas You're Sneering About..........

.....isn't very much in evidence. Very few Romney/Ryan bumper stickers and yard signs, significantly fewer than I've ever noticed for a Republican national ticket. Support for Romney is Luke-warm, at best; sure, he'll win the state, but it's really different than before.....

[Rosa Luxemburg]

22. That's good news!

[Daniel537]

25. If its a sure thing he's going to win the state

then things really haven't changed much at all. Yard signs and bumper stickers don't mean a thing if people are still voting against their interests.

[Waltons_Mtn]

28. I can attest for the lack of RMoney support in Texas.

I live in one of the riches counties in the State. Many of the people, including me, drive downtown or to the energy corridor (oil and gas business parks). For the mast four years I have been sickened by the number of anti-Obama stickers on cars. But this past summer, I have seen less than 5 Romney bumper stickers, 2 Ron Paul stickers, 1 Romney yard sign and 4 Obama/Biden bumper stickers. They may be willing to go vote for money in private (mostly their voting against 'the black guy'), but they sure aren't going to show it in public.

[Stuckinthebush]

23. Jesus

Jesus is going on. Or, I should say their warped version of Christianity. As I sit on my front porch writing this I can see my neighbors who, on many other issues, are quite logical people. But, tomorrow many of them will go to their mega churches where the message of eternal salvation somehow gets mixed in with republican talking points. There is a serious disconnect between their Bible and their beliefs. Cognitive dissonance is buried by their smiling pastors who assure them that Jesus while loving the poor wanted them to be self sufficient and take responsibility for themselves. Jesus and God also reward the faithful with riches and comforts. Just look pastor Bob if you doubt. He is a humble minister who drives a Lexus and lives in a gorgeous home. God smiles on him. Pastor Bob in a hushed voice tells his parishioners that the Republicans are closer to God. Just look at how they pray and invoke His name!

So, the parishioners' cognitive dissonance is assuaged and their political choices are confirmed.

Meanwhile, they are screwed by their politicians for the benefit of the wealthy like Pastor Bob.

My state just closed three needed mental health hospitals and is cutting back on social services due to funding shortfalls. But we have the lowest income, property and corporate taxes in the nation by god!

Sweet home Alabama will be blood red for a long time...as will Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Kentucky.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

24. Question

do you see this in the younger generation?

[Stuckinthebush]

40. Sadly, yes

The programming is very very good.

[spartan61]

27. OMG...

Even the people who stand on the street corners holding signs and asking for money are also holding Romney signs. Of course, this is Florida and in the area of the repuke "The Villages." I guess those people begging for $$ don't want to upset the repukes with an Obama for President sign. Don't they realize that they are part of the 47% that Romney doesn't even care about?

[33Greeper]

29. I'm from Alabama.

It's all about the melanin here. Unfortunately.

[jzodda]

30. Its the southern strategy

and has been the Republican playbook since the 1968 general election. Those Dixiecrats who controlled the south turned republican after the civil rights act was passed and we are still dealing with the results today.

There have been cracks thanks to demo shifts and one off events like Carter in 1976 (Southern Dem Gov) but the voting trends in these states have been remarkably consistent since reconstruction ended.

Virginia is the most obvious example of the recent shift in the northern part of the state. Florida and increasingly North Carolina are other examples.

Its a combo of race/religion/guns/gays/tradition.

The typical "bubba" vote of the South is still there and powerful. I know some of you who live in these states fight the good fight and please continue to do so but for now you are outnumbered, especially in the deep south.

[DonCoquixote]

34. Disclaimer:

I realize that there are many Southern whites who have been heroes and heroines of the first order. Indeed, I gladly defend the South when a bunch of people up North throw rocks at it, pointing out that a place that made Kris Kristofferson, Molly Ivins, Martin Luther King and Jim Hightower has some potential, and that many of the worst bigots are people like Rudy Guiliani and Michelle Bachmann.

However, there a lot of people who think that as long as they are White, they have privilege, even if it is the privilege to starve, which is why it is no accident that Dixie's blue states have a lot of Latino Immigrants. The good news is that, even the almighty Texas will soon be Brown,and once Texas and California are solid blue, the game changes.

[jzodda]

36. Texas

I can't wait for that. When that day comes the modern GOP is finished. Its just too many electoral votes to overcome. The GOP is barely hanging on today but when Texas flips? I hope it happens soon.

[hrmjustin]

37. They just love voting GOP. can't reason with them. n/t