re: #32 OhNoZombies!
1964 and 1965 led directly to the Southern Strategy.
Ronald Reagan praised states rights and opened the door to evangelicals.
Jesse Helms warned his constituents of the “Black Hands” coming to take “stuff” away from hard working Americans. Etc., etc., etc.This stuff has been a long time in the making, and many of us were keenly aware of the GOP pattern of behavior long before Fox and Rush.
The difference now, is the animus which has been festering just below the surface, has been given a voice by RW media and the internet, so everyone can see it.
The ugly isn’t going away anytime soon, I think.
I still have no respect for Reagan at all for opening his 1980 presidential campaign where Goodman, Chaney, and Schwerner were kidnapped and later killed and talking about “states rights.” And I still contend that as bad as Watergate was that the Southern Strategy is the greater blemish on Nixon’s record in public life.