Politics: the South the SOUTHERN STRATEGY: an UPDATE
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RIPON SPECIAL REPO'RT ON THE SOUTH October 1, 1977 Vol, XII, No. 19 50 cents Politics: The South THE SOUTHERN STRATEGY: AN UPDATE The GOP mastadons may have a new from its potential "new majority" of lease on life. That lease may be one moderate voters. As Jack Bass and Wal of the most dramatic byproducts of the ter DeVries observe in The Transforma current dispute over the Panama Canal. tion of Southern Po1itics:Sen. Barry Certainly for the three leading Repub "Goldwater's strategy killed the chance lican conservatives who will be up for for the Republican Party to assume a reelection in 1974, the Panama Canal role of reform in the one-party South, controversy is the best thing to hap and the GOP increasingly attracted the pen to their political futures since most reactionary elements of the re Richard Nixon left office. gion to the party." Reflecting on the stupidity of the Nixon Administration Strom Thurmond, Jesse Helms, and r.01itica1 policies, the authors note: John Tower will be able to mount their ' ... maturing Republican conservatives elephants and rush to the defense of in the South have begun to question America's indefensible military asset. the validity of the 'southern strategy' Their patriotism will be fervent, their in a region that includes 3.5 million emotion will be spirited, and their registered black voters. They have logic will be garb1ed. But it will be lost too many elections to Democrats good politics. And it may well save who won because of black votes alien the political hides of three men who ated from Republicans because of that late last year seemed headed for what strategy." ever is done with used Republican leath er. (All five southern Republican seats There are two truly hopeful and pos in the Senate will be up in 1978, How ~tive developments in the southern GOP. ever, Sen. Howard Baker, Jr. is con One is the realization that the party sidered safe and Sen. William Scott is must work from the bottom up in states thankfully retiring.) like Arkansas, Georgia and Alabama to develop electable candidates who can Outside the South's aging conserva draw adherents into the party organiza tive trio, the GOP's hopes for 1978 are tion. The big elephant strategy has far less bright than Kevin Philipps failed too often, leaving party workers would have predicted in the aftermath with nothing to show for their money of Richard Nixon's 1968 victory. In no and efforts. The new password to elec state outside of Tennessee is the GOP toral success is quality local candi likely to elect a Republican governor dates. In broadening the party's pool in 1978. And they will lose one in of candidates, the GOP will also broad South Carolina. In no·state will they en its base. be likely to win an additional Senate seat, though spirited campaigns could Thankfully, the on1y-whites-we1come obviously cost them one or more of the strategy of the Nixon Administration Panama troika. And outside Texas era has also been abandoned. Republi where a string of Democratic retire can National Chairman Bill Brock has ments presents some Republican oppor taken the lead in efforts to recruit tunities, there are few GOP openings electable black candidates and attract for gains in the House of Representa black voters to white candidates. GOP tives: maybe one each in North Caro office seekers like U.S.Reps. Robert lina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Trib1e(R-Va.) and Bob Livingston(R-La.) have practiced the Brock doctrine. So The GOP in the So»th is in sad is Virginia attorney general candidate shape. Its right tUFa in the 1960s Marshall Coleman. The new day is the and early 1970s has alienated it so~thern GOP is pe~haps best epitomized .-- ~ .... by newspaper photo of Sen. Strom Thur mond escorting his six-year-old daugh The Reagan wing of the party seems ter to her first day of classes at a as hell-bent on the destruction of the fully integrated Columbia, S.C., school. party as Brock is hell-bent on its re Nobody ever said Thurmond couldn't construction. As respected southern adapt. political analyst Jack Bass wrote this summer in the Washington Post:"The in The message that the GOP needs more ternal disputes over party policy not than ideological purity to win elections only drain energy away, but the re is a hard one to accept. The idea that cent Republican record of defeat leave the Panama Canal is a GOP-lifesaver is little to attract bright and able youn a tempting one, but one that some of the southerners interested in political ca South's more perceptive leaders don't eers." buy. '~It' s one of' those things tht;tt' s here today and gone tomorrow. You re Helms may well win reelection next not going to get people into the Republi year. His victory will be the ultimat can Party by talking about the Panam~ goal of the archconservatives who now Canal,"says one Deep South party offl. control his state's party. But the cial. "You have to talk about people party's efforts to win other offices issues." will be impoverished. A Helms reelec tion will get press headlines, but the The GOP's problems in the South run really good news for the southern GOP much deeper after all than a ditch across will come in other states where more the isthmus of Panama. Jimmy Carter farsighted state leaders have seen the wrecked a good deal of what remained of need to recruit quality candidates for the Southern GOP from Nixon's Southern local offices. Helms has a holding Strategy and Watergate. Carter's sup strategy---for holding onto the canal port in the South has remained fairly and holding onto his office. Elsewhere solid. As Scripps-Howards' Ted Knap in the South, political retardation is wrote this summer: not so prevalent. "A Republican National Committee of ficial conceded that there is no evidence JALABAMA I Back in 1964, the of Carte~ support in the South crumbling state GOP elected three congressmen, or eroding. The GOP has not given up all of whom have kept tenacious hold below the Mason-Dixon line, but the high of their seats ever since. Their hopes born in the 1964 Goldwater cam election has constituted the high wa paign and expanded in the 1972 Nixon re ter mark for Alabama Republicans, election have flickered and dimmed.' who have had to struggle to elect a single legislator. Party Chairman RNC political director Charles Black Bill Harris intends to concentrate r,rofesses optimism about Carter Country:: on legislative and local races next 'Jimmy Carter is a passing phenomenon. year in an effort to improve the GOP's The Democrats won't always have a south recent dismal performance in all but erner to run for the White House. We the congressional races. It is a have a natural constituency down there task made harder by the necessity tor in the South, and we're going to capital Harris to smooth out the r0ugh edges ize on it sooner or later." And indeed, left by a Ford-Reagan split in party the GOP has been remarkably successful leadership in 1976. this year in winning special elections, where the RNC's expertise and aid has And it is a task made even more been put to good use. difficult by the inclination of many would-be officeholders to take their Black's own elevation to the RNC chances in a crowded Democratic pri post is a symbol of Republican trouble, mary rather than make a futile run on however. Black's former organization, the GOP label. One member of the GOP the National Conservative political Ac state committee was even elected to tion Committee, has been notable for the legislature this year as a Demo the discord it has sown in northern crat. And even a longshot gubernator Virginia GOP circles. Black's former ial hopeful like former Auburn pigs mentor North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms, kin star Fob James would rather switch is not~ble for his expositions on ideo to the Democrats than compete for a logical purity and practice of the same. dubious designation by the GOP. A right wing takeover of the Tarheel GOP has driven moderates from the party. Former Cullman County Probate The intolerance of Republicans like Judge Guy Hunt is seeking the Republi Helms is a sympton of the GOP's prob can nomination for governor---and even lems, not its potential. hopes that Ronald Reagan will return the support Hunt gave him in 1976--- bab1y the model of the bottom-up stra but no one seriously expects that a tegy for the Dixie GOP. Both senator Republican will replace George Wallace. ial and gubernatorial offices will un~ Gov. Wallace is, of course, running for doubted1y be vacated by incumbents in the seat now held by Sen. John Sparkman, 1978, but the GOP's energies will be but lack of courtesy in preempting a expended at the local and legislative retirement announcement has angered level where the GOP has targeted cer Sparkman supporters. Still. although tain counties for short-term gains. It Wallace has had his troubles with the has sought candidates more noteworthy 1eg!slature and with his wife, he wo.u1d for their civic-mindedness than for have to be the odds-on favorite to win their ideological purity. The GOP al the seat. Two Democratic state sena ready managed to pick up one legisla tors have declared their interest, but tive seat in a special election this no Republicans have emerged to challenge year---in addition to the two gained Wallace.