In a very real sense, the Democrat's troubles in the South can be traced to the United Textile Workers General Strike of 1934. Roosevelt didn't want to antagonize southern congressional Democrats that he needed to pass his New Deal legislation. Northern industrial unions provided no assitance to the lintheads. For these and other reasons, the strike was crushed and left Southern mill workers with the abiding impression that unions don't work. With economic populism largely discredited among Southerners, it doesn't work very well as an issue down here. As the traditional, reflexive anti-Republican voting patterns disappeared, the Democrats primary emphasis on economic populism and civil rights left Southern whites with no reason to vote Democrat as neither issue was seen as something which would help them personally. On the other hand, the Republican emphasis on America-first and being religion-friendly does resonate down here. It will be some time before Democrats can win more than occassional victories in the South when the Republicans stumble. The Democrats need to find a theme that resonates here with a majority of voters or they need for the South to change so that the Republican themes don't resonate.
I have a question for you Ernest. If this happened so early on and you said that really started the change things then why did FDR win so huge in the deep south during his elections and the south really didn't start to split until 48-52?
