the CRA and the VRA - and it took HUGE majorities from Republicans in Congress to get it done.
Misleading. While every Democratic member outside the South voted for it, this is not true of Republicans. 24 Republicans outside the South voted against the bill in the House, and six of the seven Republican nays in the Senate were north of the Mason-Dixon line. Therefore, if we exclude the Southern Democrats the opposition came exclusively from Northern Republican. is it a coincidence that Gallup polling from the time showed a slight majority of registered Republicans opposed the CRA and they nominated a presidential candidate who voted nay?
I've always found that "stat" dumb. The Democratic Party spent decades funneling millions into those Southern Democrats' reelections, gladly accepted their votes for leadership from them, eagerly worked with them on other policy initiatives and, despite historical revisionism, were hardly chomping at the bit to provoke the faction with civil rights legislation. Because the region eventually switched preferences (30 years later, LOL), the Southern caucus of the Democratic Party gets to be shed away as some de facto third party, glorifying the "Northern liberals"? These were Democrats. They were respected and praised by and held prominent positions with the national party.
Poll
