Is it South’s time to turn Democratic?

The current Republican primaries are fascinating. It seems that, so far, the Supreme Court affirmation (under the Citizens United decision) is contributing to an acceleration of more buying of political offices for candidates who cater to the rich. In return I’m sure they and their partnering army of lobbyists will write even more laws offering federal welfare for rich folks and corporations that pay little or no taxes to the U.S.

In Republican primaries some candidates stay in the race (like Newt Gingrich) longer because they have one or two superrich supporters willing to give them millions upon millions of dollars. This result of the Citizens United decision was likely unanticipated by the right-leaning judges who decided it.

Many political pundits seem to agree that Mitt Romney will be hurt badly in the Southern states (should he be the Republican candidate) because he is a Mormon. The “Bible Belt” areas and the right wing-religious voters (they say) do not consider Mormons true Christians. If they don’t give money, time and effort, it would hurt Romney.

In the mid-1960s Lyndon Johnson imposed civil rights legislation and integration of schools on Southern states using legislation and federal troops. After he did this, he opined that the Democratic Party will have lost the South for two generations.

Since 25 years is usually considered a generation, 1965 + 50 is 2015. Maybe the South will not be so Republican in 2012 general elections. Maybe President Johnson’s timetable was correct.

Jim Peterson

Hoffman Estates