New story says Dems do need the South

A new story in Salon says Democrats really do need the South. The story is a rebuttal of a piece by Prof. Tom Schaller who said earlier in the month that the party needed to concentrate in areas of strength, not weakness (ThinkSouth, Nov. 14). Notes Ed Kilgore:

"It's no accident that Southern Democratic politicians who run nationally seem to do especially well in presidential primaries among African-American voters.

"This last observation leads me to a fundamental reason Democrats would be foolish to write off the South entirely, much less spurn its voters as contemptible yahoos. The demographic composition of the South, with rapidly rising Hispanic populations in some states supplementing a sizable and loyal African-American base, means that there is a floor to Democratic losses in the region. It also explains residual Democratic strength at the state level, and creates potential opportunities for future gains. Schaller is right that racial polarization characterizes the politics of states like Mississippi, Alabama and South Carolina, but that has been true for decades, and it's not at all evident the phenomenon is becoming universal."

For another view, BetterSouth's Andy Brack wrote how the South needs Democrats (and Republicans and independents) in his weekly South Carolina newspaper column.