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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LindyBill who wrote (65774)	1/13/2003 2:10:40 PM
From: JohnM	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Your post on the review of the Black book on Southern politics. A few thoughts. 1. Whichever of the Blacks is at Emory is the acknowledged dean of political science professors who analyze southern politics. If you wish to argue with him, you best bring some fairly heavy arguments to the table. 2. My guess, and it's only that, is that the book makes a bigger deal of LBJ's civil rights moves in the 60s as accounting for the shift and the quite deliberate attempt of Nixon and his crew to capitalize on it in 68 and 72, than this reviewer wishes to acknowledge. One would hardly know from this review that the Reps have been anything but angelic in southern politics. Hardly. 3. More significantly, the authors fail to develop a major implication of their own analysis. Mobilizing the African-American vote is now a key element of Democratic strategy, especially in statewide races. A common tactic is to demonize Republicans as racists, citing their opposition to racial preferences. So the reviewer decides to argue with the Blacks but runs away before offering any evidence. If the Reps do the nod and a wink stuff to the remaining racist elements in the south, it's hardly demonizing to point it out. 4. And, of course, as par for the course, the reviewer just can't wait, is just itching to accuse the dems of racist tactics for supporting affirmative action. Clearly the Blacks don't. An aside on this tactic. A part of this tactic is a short cut on a genuine debate as to the extent of discimination that remains in American society. If you are convinced, as I am that discrimination is wide, deep, and endemic, then there is a definite need for strategies to do something about inequality of opportunity. Affirmative action programs are flawed but, short of a massive attack on improving the national education system (that costs the kinds of monies Reps don't wish to pay), affirmative action remains the best tool. If you are not convinced that discrimination remains a big deal, then there is an argument against affirmative action. Thanks for posting the review, Bill.