The fact that those Southern states were starting to vote Republican in the first place was remarkable in itself in 1964 and '68. Except for the Hoover landslide of 1928 and some other minor deviations, most of these states had not voted Republican since Reconstruction.
...and there was more to '68 than just that as well.
Yes. Before 1968 you could be a socially conservative Democrat (Strom Thrumond) and a socially liberal Republican (Eisenhower). To some extent you could be either between 1968 and 1980. But after Reagan took office the social lines were set in stone. That's what's so significant about 1968.
that's why I feel like 1968 was the last big realigning election, and 1980, 1994, and 2000 were all continuations, or aftershocks, of that realignment.
