Writing off Dixie?

January 11, 2006

Alec Oveis raised a good point yesterday about the shake-up in the House GOP leadership ranks and an unusual geographic trend.

With DeLay’s fall, southern Republicans have no other representation in the leadership, except maybe Eric Cantor of Virginia. Cantor, though, may not have such a firm hold on the majority whip spot, despite claims of having 24 more supporters than the 116 he would need to win the position; Mike Rogers of Michigan and Todd Tiahrt of Kansas are calling his bluff and have entered the race. Other than that, you have Roy Blunt and John Boehner of Missouri and Ohio, respectively, running for the top spot; and if the rest of the leadership stays on, it will consist of Deborah Price of Ohio, John Shadegg of Arizona (more West than South), and Tom Reynolds of New York.

This is certainly a break from the post-1994 pattern. After Republicans gained the majority on the Hill, they’ve been led, in part, by a southern Speaker (Georgia’s Newt Gingrich), two southern Majority Leaders (Texas’ Dick Armey and Tom DeLay), a southern Majority Whip (DeLay), a southern Conference Chair (Oklahoma’s J.C. Watts), and two southern Congressional Committee Chairs (Virginia’s Tom Davis and Georgia’s John Linder).

And yet, in about a month, the House GOP leadership will feature as many as one southerner, and possibly none. This from the only region in which the Republicans really dominate.

In contrast, how are the Dems doing with promoting southerners to leadership posts? As of now, like the GOP, there are no southerners among the House Dems’ big four (Leader, Whip, Caucus Chair, and Campaign Committee Chair), but if we expand the look a bit, Dems are promoting southerners far better than Republicans, with South Carolina’s James Clyburn, Georgia’s John Lewis, South Carolina’s John Spratt, and Tennessee’s John Tanner all holding top caucus posts.

Who said Dems have written off Dixie?

Who said Dems have written off Dixie?

They probably should. I doubt there any any voters in the South who will be impressed that we have a couple of southerners in leadership roles. Unless we hate gays and love guns, nothing else matters.

  • I would point out that although Indiana and Ohio are north of the Mason-Dixon Line, they are, nevertheless, southern states at heart–if not in deed–because of their large rural, god-fearing, Republican populations. I think 1964 (Johnson landslide) was the last time Indiana voted Democratic was president.

  • It’s an excellent point to make in discussions with those Dems who are despondent and think we should retreat from the red states and build our base in the blue states. They forget that just because we can’t get majorities in those states in presidential elections that we should abandon the sizable minority of voters who did vote for our guy, and the majority of voters who still share our values rather than the GOPs and deserve proper representation.

  • … was the last time Indiana voted Democratic was president.

    Should read: … was the last time Indiana voted Democratic for president.

  • Davis makes a good point. All of the hullabaloo about George W. Bush finding God after being a drunkard is a context to understanding Republicans and religious right. I knew of a wife abuser who found God through a “fundy” pastor and who several times wrote letters to the editor of the local paper denouncing (in graphic terms) abortion. Monday, I was listening to NPR’s “Talk of the Nation,” where a guy named “Jan Reed” revealed that Tom Delay was a “party animal” at college and when he first got to the Texas legislature–then he found God. What is it about these reformed sinners?

  • What is it about these reformed sinners?

    Once on the make, always on the make. Ostentatiously praising Jebus is the better gravy train, post-college.

  • We might be about to have a Southerner among the Big Four–when Bob Menendez moves to the Senate, Jim Clyburn might have the inside track to take Menendez’ old post as caucus chairman (he’s caucus vice-chairman now).

  • Oklahoma is in the South, but Missouri is not? You must be looking at a geography book approved by the Kansas Board of Education.

  • SKNM and jimBOB, I think you guys may be on to something. Remember the discussions about John Gibson, the Fox commentator who CB’s friend debated on his show? Someone pointed out that Gibson was a leftie environmentalist when he had a radio show in Sacremento, but when he got hired at Fox, he had a change of heart and became a firebrand conservative. I think it’s a huge trend. These pundits and politicians don’t believe in anything other than money and power. And they fake their beliefs to suit whoever they can sell them to. And selling conservative beliefs is easy. It’s so utterly simplistic.

    Someone should investigate this deeply, because it could be a huge story depending on what can be found out. Bill O’Reilly for example. Before he worked for Fox and before he was on Inside Edition, he was an anchor at KATU channel 2 in here Portland. That’s quite an evolution, not that Little Beirut doesn’t have its share of idiot conservatives. But what sordid history does he have? Was he always a right-winger? Has anyone already investigated his history?

  • Rian

    Those making the ideological trip from far left to far right are following a well-trod path; the whole neocon thing is made of people who did that. In Gibson’s case it sounds like pure whoredom, though.

  • Rian & jimBOB,

    It’s not only whoredom. It’s a real “Sin Complex.” Just look at Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma; he’s a gynecologist that at one time performed abortions. To pay “their penance” for their sins, these christianized Republicans burden us with their new-found, rigid morality. That’s oppressive and unjust–it’s a new form of fascism, if you will.

  • Oklahoma is in the South, but Missouri is not? You must be looking at a geography book approved by the Kansas Board of Education.

    Actually, for political identification purposes, “the South” is usually defined as the old Confederacy plus Oklahoma and Kentucky. Missouri is along the southern edge of the Midwest.

    And Kansas is in the Plains’ states.

  • I would say that one of the reasons the Dems can’t win the south are northern liberals who think “Unless we hate gays and love guns, nothing else matters.”

    I’m a Southern Democrat who is progressive and quite liberal, but it is insulting to think those are the only issues we care about. Education, revitalization, and moving beyond the third world economy the North saddled us with are major issues for Southerners. We also care about our families, safety, and yes, there is a tinge of moral indignation running through our veins.

    Dems need to realize that morality and values have been coopted by Republicans because we simply refuse to admit that our society is crumbling morally. My point would be that the dems are best positioned to address these issues since caring for people, not waging senseless wars, and not hating people because of who they are is a christian value.

    We also are TOTALLY bankrupt of new ideas… We can’t just run as the loyal opposition…

    Jamie

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