“Is it really your argument that Northern liberals somehow passed the Great Society program without the support of Southern politicians? They were running the show back then.”
That was Goldwater’s opinion at the time. Goldwater won six states in the 1964 election. His home state of Arizona and five states in the Deep South. Strom Thurmond switched parties that year to support Goldwater.
But it wasn’t just northeastern liberals who helped pass Lyndon Johnson’s legislation. Johnson’s good friend Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen helped him to pass some of his bills. The Civil Rights bills and the Voting Rights Act only passed because of Dirksen rounding up Republican votes. I used to enjoy watching the Ev & Charlie Show as Dirksen and Halleck criticized Johnson for the nightly news. But the reality was cooperation off camera with Johnson.
Listen, the people of this country need to work together on reducing the size and scope of our Federal government. We're not going to get anywhere if the South believes that it isn't part of the problem despite the fact that, on average, Southerners are receiving welfare benefits at higher per capita rates than the rest of the country.
Maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree. I have no right or reason to assume that you see Federal spending as a serious problem and if you don't share my concern, then obviously I'm wasting my time. But, our debts are real and it's my opinion (which you are not required to share) that the receipt of welfare benefits can create a culture of dependency that is destructive to the soul of the recipient, particularly when it extends from generation to generation within the same family. Obviously, some people are going to need some help at some time, but it won't work out if people treat it as a lifestyle.
Again, I'm not suggesting that the South is more responsible than any other section of the country for this problem, but it is certainly as responsible as any other section and, if we're going to turn things around, we're going to need the cooperation of all sections of this country. So, let's recognize reality and work together to fix this crazy situation in which we find ourselves.
Thanks for your time.