How come the southern States are so republican?

Question

I mean, the biggest worst blow they ever suffered came at the hand of a GOP president, namely Abe Lincoln... and I keep reading that the South is traditionally a Republican bastion... While I can understand this from Gung ho Texas, this surprises me much more on the part of mellower places like Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, let alone Louisiana, though the Florida record is painfully clear in asserting this to be right.

Can somebody explain me how this comes to be?

Answer 1

Ok..I live in the South..and it is indeed predominantly Republican in a sense. There are, like any of the States, some educated people here that vote Republican based strictly on the issues and what they believe.

The majority of people down here believe in a persons right to bear arms..and that is a notoriously republican platform...and it leads a lot of folks here to vote specifically on that issue.

The abortion issue is a big one too..here in the bible belt..folks don't like that kind of thing..it's just plain old murder in their opinion.

The sad facts are that if you asked the vast majority of people here in the South (and I mean the DEEEEEEEEP SOUTH) what the main differences are between Republicans and Democrats they wouldn't be able to tell you..(and folks, I've lived here a long time..so I'm not just blowing smoke)..they may be street smart here but most of them haven't read any book beyond the bible..(which they tend to take literally)..so I would call it 'blind' voting..

The truth is that a very small percentage of the population down here actually vote...and those that don't may well be Democrats..they just choose not to exercise their rights because they think that other people are out there doing it for them...

Am I blasting Southerners? Nope, I'm one too...I'm just merely giving an educated opinion based on experience..

Answer 2

The southern states have always had concerns about creeping federalism and a preference for individualism and self-reliance. The period of Democratic domination was a reaction to Lincoln's Civil war policies that was slow to die. The new threats to State sovereignty and the rugged individual come from the political left who were, until recently, content to dominate the two seaboards and leave America's heartland and the South to Republicans.

Answer 3

I'll give you a completely different explanation. So far, most of the posters seem to be 30 or under.

Remember that, after Reconstruction, the South was the private fiefdom of the Democratic Party. It was extraordinarily rare for any Republican to hold an office of any consequence.

So was the result of this 110-year long Democratic stranglehold on the levers of government? A God-awful economy, terrible education, extremely poor public health, racism, corruption, cronyism, etc. etc. Once we managed to break Democratic dominance and actually get Republicans into office, the South began to show extraordinary progress across the board. All you have to do is chart the South's progress relative to the rest of the country over the past two decades to understand this. Considering how badly Democrats misruled the South for a Century, I would be hard pressed to vote for one today. And many feel the same way.

Meanwhile, the Democratic party lurched away from its traditional position as the party of the middle and working class. Instead it ratcheted up the tax rates and instead became the party of East and West Coast media elites and university professors. So, if you consider that all motion is relative, perhaps it's the Democratic party that moved away.

Answer 4

Interesting question you have posed and you've gotten many varied answers.
First, yes the liberal vs. conservative have switched. Repubs used to be demo's and vice versa.
The older generation of my family grew up being "died in the wool democrats" until the shift began from conservative to liberal.
The south being the Bible belt does play a significant factor (I believe) because of our conservative values.
Just remember we are hard working Americans in the south just as in any other part of our great country.
When you think of the recent scandals that have taken place in the republican party remember that happens with people - not just a party - Bill Clinton for an example and both were wrong.
Thanks for asking.

Answer 5

I believe it's because of the Republican party is aligned with the "Christian Conservative Right." There are alot of good decent God fearing people in here in "Dixie" who are willing to believe that if someone says they are a Christian then they truly are - they hear the Republicans talk the talk - and buy into it because let's face, it the majority of people have no interest in politics when there isn't an election forthcoming. Oh and the inbreeding, moonshine, and humidity don't hurt either.

Answer 6

Understand that the Republicans after the Civil War were the radical liberals, out to impose Reconstruction on the South.
Old Southerners were Democrats then. From Rosevelt to Nixon, the South, while still reactionary and oppositional to civil rights, were in the Democratic camp until Nixon. They have been Republican ever since.....and now after this election may be releated to being a regional southern party once more.

Answer 7

The South minus the move-ins are a very Conservative group.
We are not called the Bible Belt for nothing. The Democrats continue to move more left & further from a conservative stance.
I used to vote Democrat occasionally but it gets more rare everytime they open their mouth.

Back In President Lincoln's time the Republicans were the Democrats of today. Read your history.

Answer 8

Several reasons.

People in the south (Bible Belt) will vote for a party that they feel will support morals, even though many republicans were caught for doing things that were immoral. George Bush always speaks about God and many southerners are more religious or at least relgion is a larger part of their lives, so they fall for this common political tactic to gain large masses of voters.

These people tend to trust more as they have a more personal relationship with those around them because they deal with less people and reputation matters there because you see many of the same people everyday.

Answer 9

All the places you mentioned are run by the haves, not the have nots!

I guess Abe was a Republican, who in those times would be considered a Democrat today! Actually, until the presidency Abe was in the House of Rep as a Whig!

I always thought the south were democrats, until the last 2 decades or so!

I guess that most in the South see the Republican platform as exclusionary to almost everyone, including blacks!! They don't want to help blacks or any other race out!

They vote Republican though they lead the poverty rates in the US and Florida is run by the rich elderly who don't pay taxes!!

Answer 10

1) Social policy.
2) Security issues.