re: #208 HappyWarrior

i honestly thought it was lame that Reagan did that considering most of the people on Welfare are unwed mothers and children but Ronnie had to throw a bunch of poor people under the bus. And don’t get me started on his outright racial pandering by opening his presidential campaign where three civil rights were kidnapped and later murdered talking about states rights.

He kicked off his campaign there after being nominated because Philadelphia, Miss, was the site of a fair grounds, with the convention taking place during the period of county fair. The civil rights workers’ murders did not enter into Reagan’s campaign team’s calculations.

Moreover, Mississippi was not seen as a lock by the Republicans in 1980. Though people on LGF often speak of Nixon’s ‘Southern Strategy’, its worth remembering that most Southern states had voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976. As the Westerner facing a Southerner, Reagan and his team believed they had a tough row to hoe in the Magnolia State, hence a trip to a county fair right after being nominated was seen as a good idea. It also fit Reagan well, since he was much better in such situations than the socially awkward Nixon.

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