Posted on 07/24/2006 9:36:25 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican
If you want to understand why Democrats are the minority party in Congress, look at four states: Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Kentucky. Before the 1994 elections, when Democrats still controlled both chambers, these Southern states had 24 Democratic House members and 14 Republicans. Among senators, there were five Republicans and three Democrats.
Today, there are 24 GOP House members and 15 Democrats, and all eight senators are Republicans.
Democrats acknowledge that their prospects for regaining control are dim until they start winning elections in this region. Several of this year's races are lab experiments in this effort, with Democrats testing new types of candidates, messages and media.
They hope to underscore that they do not fit stereotypes of Democrats as cultural liberals, and they hope to win voters with mix of economic populism and traditional values. There is talk of raising the minimum wage and creating more jobs, but little about abortion or gun control.
Phil Kellam, who is challenging Rep. Thelma D. Drake in Virginia's 2nd District, is airing a TV ad that calls for ending the sale of violent video games to children and blocking their access to violent or pornographic Web sites. President Bush won Drake's district with 58 percent of the vote in 2004. But Democratic Gov. Timothy M. Kaine won the same precincts in 2005.
Democrats have been thrilled to find their candidates in striking distance in some of these races. One of the Democrats' top targets is North Carolina's 11th District, where former Washington Redskins quarterback Heath Shuler is trying to unseat Republican Rep. Charles H. Taylor. In Virginia, James Webb, a former Republican who served as secretary of the Navy under President Ronald Reagan, is being watched closely by Democrats to see if he can make Sen. George Allen sweat for reelection.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Let's widen this out a bit. Consider all Southern states east of the Mississippi, other than Florida (which isn't "Southern," sociologically speaking). So, eight contiguous states: VA, KY, TN, NC, SC, GA, AL, MS. Sixteen Republican Senators, zero Dems. Who would have predicted that a couple of decades ago?
"I get tired of people trying to promote either one of those turds for the Republican nomination."
Don't think it is promoting the turd as much as it is understanding that in a situation where you have a choice, the only choice might be dog food(Hillary) or cat food(Rudy or McLame)
The Solid South is still Solid. It's the single most obvious indicator that the voters didn't change - the parties did.
Why, sure they can. Look how successful Cynthia McKinney has been in the South. Just make her the DNC Chair and watch those Dem numbers take a drastic leap forward all over the South.< /snicker >
You forgot pro killing babies and anti executing murderers.
I live in Oklahoma (not exactly a Southern state but I believe a state that has a lot in common with the Deep South) and tomorrow we are having a statewide primary. In the ads leading up to the primary you can always tell the Democrat candidate. By and large, they never mention their party but instead describe themselves as "conservative", "having traditonal values", etc.
Why only east of the Mississippi? AR, LA, TX, and OK are southern states too. Also, don't forget WV and MD, they both have two Dem senators. Now, MD is of course an exception due to the high black population being augmented by the libs in Montgomery County, kind of like Florida is affected by the retiree population, but as for the others, I'm curious why you excluded them.
Strictly arbitrary, as were the four states which were the subject of the article. I find it fascinating that you can drive from Arlington, VA to Natchez, MS, or from Covington, KY to Brunswick, GA without passing through a state represented by a Democratic Senator.
Now, if you want to include "the entire South," then you get into some controversy as to which states are "Southern" and which states aren't. If you want to define the south as those states which seceded in the 1860s, then you could take my list of eight, drop KY, and add FL, AR, LA, and TX, giving you eleven states. Under that definition, the South has nineteen Republicans and three Democrats in the Senate -- still pretty amazing, from an historical perspective.
As far as the "Border States" are concerned, in my opinion, being south of the Mason-Dixon line isn't enough to be considered Southern. MD? No way. WV? Hell, no -- they consciously opted out of the South by splitting off of VA. We won't take them back, and you can't make us. A stronger case can be made for the inclusion of KY as a Southern state. And OK is a stretch -- it seems more Western/Great Plains to me -- but we'll consider their application, LOL.
Doesn't matter who you personally run... as long as your party is out there saying guys fornicating in public bathrooms are the same as everyone else...... you won't win.. period.
The democrats can do about as well in the south as does the Washington Post.
Neither are too welcome as both are unAmerican.
Mason Dixon line is in my state Pennsylvania. Guess what? Were southern! At least following what rules people say. lol.
Well, the Mason-Dixon Line isn't in Pennsylvania, exactly. It forms most of Pennsylvania's southern border, and then makes a 90º turn to form the border between Delaware and Maryland.
Well, the Mason-Dixon Line isn't in Pennsylvania, exactly. It forms most of Pennsylvania's southern border, and then makes a 90º turn to form the border between Delaware and Maryland.
I just like have fun saying it because it really bug the real southerners. You have to have fun on FREEPERS sometimes.
That's not impossible. For much of the 20th century, Democrats ran on one platform in the South and on another in the North. It would be harder now, but they're still capable of that.
If all politics are local, it's likely that some Southerners will vote for Democrats for local positions based on local issues if Democrat candidates can convince voters that they don't buy into the national platform.
Nah. We're not bugged. Not at all. 
Since the Mason-Dixon Line was surveyed before the Revolutionary War, it surely doesn't match modern standards of accuracy. So I'll bet there are a few odd bits and pieces of Pennsylvania which actually are south of the line.
You make many good points...I just found this to be a particularly interesting as a friend and I were recently discussing whether we considered Maryland to be a Southern state. The state as a whole is thrown off by the DC suburbs, namely Montgomery County, but the panhandle, the Eastern Shore, and Southern Maryland are very Southern in my opinion. Baltimore and PG county are a lot like other heavily black areas of the South. Northern Maryland, the Baltimore suburbs, and the Annapolis area are a little less so, but they definitely retain some Southern elements - everyone I've met from around there has a fairly thick Southern accent. I think if Montgomery County and the DC influence were not present in Maryland, nobody would questions its status as a Southern state. Of course, I'm suspecting no Southerner cares about the opinion of a Yankee like me. Most Southerners consider Marlyand the North, most Northerners consider it the South, but it seems like most Marylanders (again, excluding the Montgomery County area) consider themselves to be Southerners.
It's the heart of the summer and the ratmedia is bored. Deep in his heart, he knows the rat is on his way to losing again. This type of piece is good therapy for him.
BTW, if you count the 11 states that seceded, there are 18 GOP and 4 Dem, not 19-3. Still, the point stands.
That's cool. I watched it for quite awhile. I am humored very easily. lol.
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