POLS 4660 Final Exam
What are the 3 qualifiers on future GOP growth in the South?
(1) Adapt to younger generation being more liberal (2) Factionalization (3) Minorities
In regards to the theory of relative advantage, why did republican support become more valuable for white southerners? (2)
(1) Democratic Party monopoly over the party nominations broke (2) black mobilization makes it difficult for conservative whites to maintain control of the Democratic party at the local level
What are the 4 theories of southern political change?
(1) Demographic Change (in-migration) (2) Economic transformation (class based politics) (3) Religion (evangelical support) (4) Race (black mobilization into Democratic party)
describe South Carolina politically during civil rights era? (3)
(1) Integration was accepted as the new status quo (2) enfranchised blacks gravitated to the Democratic party, making it more progressive and moderate and also (3) ended 1 party politics in SC
Describe the state of Georgia politically during the civil rights era (2)
(1) bi-factional Democratic party with (2) no viable Republican party--> post office republicans who relied on patronage jobs
What are the 2 variables of measurement in The Rational Southerner
(1) black voter registration (2) black office holding
Describe the state of South Carolina politically during the pre-civil rights era? (4)
(1) completely Democratic with a (2) sizable black population of 31%. (3) multi factional with conservative elements. (4) The governor is weak while the legislature makes all the decisions having 1 senator from each county allowing the domination of local level politics.
Why is/was it important for Republicans to gain lower-level state offices? (2)
(1) create a base of support (2) supply a pool of candidates who could potentially run for higher-level office
What are the 3 sources of partisan change?
(1) in-migration (2) individual defection (3) cohort replacement
What was the post civil rights pattern regarding individual level change? (2)
(1) increased GOP identification (2) increased Republican office-holding success
In regards to the theory of relative advantage, why did republican support become more valuable for black southerners? (2)
(1) mobilization is conditioned on the size of the overall black population (2) increased black mobilization leads to increased republican support and in some cases, increased republican support leads to black mobilization
Why are Hispanics not overwhelmingly Democrat? (3 reasons)
(1) religion: majority Catholic--> fairly conservative on social issues (2) economic: more liberal (3) immigration: very concerned about this issue; Republicans hold a stance that Hispanics are opposed to
In regards to The Rational Southerner; what are the 3 post VRA political changes?
(1) republican growth (2) black mobilization (3) ideological profile of Southern parties
Describe the state of South Carolina politically as of lately
(1) very Red (2) first chance for presidential candidates to go South because it is the first primary in the South. (3) Blacks and Whites are on par for voter turnout (4) blacks make up 30% of the electorate, with the majority of them being Democratic
Thornburg v. Gingles
- This is the standard courts look at regarding vote dilution. - Resulted in the creation of endogenous county commission districts
Shaw v. Reno
-The threshold of equal protection claims - Have to be careful of the way you draw majority/minority districts: have to be contiguous and can't be drawn solely on race
What was Virginia's political history beginning in the 1970s?
1970s: Republicans had control of 9/10 of the House seats, both senate seats and 3 republican governors 1980s: Democrats came roaring back, sweeping all state offices 1990s: republicans gain control of the state house and senate 2000s: Democrats retake control with the Republicans sweeping the state offices at the end of the decade Today: Democrats are in control again, holding all senate seats and Republicans in control of 8/11 Congressional seats
Peach State Redistricting Odyssey
2000 redistricting strategy of Democrats - Republican districts are overpopulated meaning that democratic districts would be underpopulated (packing) - Partisan gerrymandering doesn't matter, but the fact that there is population deviations and there is a pattern to it that makes unconstitutional
Common Cause v. Billups
Amendment to the Georgia Voter ID law that says they must be provided at no additional cost
Describe the state of the Democratic Party during Civil Rights (sorting)
Beginning to look more like the national party Conservative --> Liberal
Mills Godwin
Conservative for Democrat who became the Republican nominee for governor
Of the subdivided groups of Hispanics, which group is the outlier and why?
Cubans; they tend to participate more than the other subgroups
Which party is in control of the state today?
Democrat
Who controlled Georgia during the time of civil rights?
Eugene Talmadge
Who are the major players religiously in southern politics?
Evangelical, mainline, black protestants, and Roman Catholic
Linwood Holton
First Republican elected governor since Reconstruction
Who was the key to organizing a republican base that began to alter the political landscape of South Carolina?
Harold Campbell
Why is Strom Thurmond significant? (2)
He switched from the Democratic to Republican party in opposition of the Civil Rights Act; and he also conducted the longest filibuster by a lone senator (24 hours 18 min, nonstop)
What is significant about Tim Scott?
He was appointed to fill a vacancy in the Senate becoming the 1st black senator in the South since Reconstruction
What is the fastest growing voting bloc in the south?
Hispanics
What is the relationship between class and party structure?
Income and education are positively correlated
What is the state of Virginia politics today?
It is a very competitive two party system and is a presidential swing state
LULAC v. Perry
Overt partisan gerrymandering is cnstitutional - 2002: 15/32 (R) -2004: 21/32 (R)
What are the mainline protestants?
Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopalian
Top-Down approach to GOP strength
President--> Senate --> Congress --> local level
Describe the state of the Republican party during Civil Rights (sorting)
Progressive --> Conservative
Bush v. Vera
Race trumps incumbency - it is acceptable to draw a district to protect an incumbent because it is political; not racial
How are Cubans different than the rest of the subgroups?
Republicans are associated with the Anti-Communist party which Cubans favor since the majority of them left Cuba because of Fidel Castro
Which party had control over South Carolina after the Civil Rights era?
Republicans firmly took control of state politics following the Civil Rights Era
What are the evangelical protestants?
S. Baptists, PCA, Petacostal, Mega Churches, non-denominational evangelical protestant
What is significant about Nikki Haley?
She is the first female elected governor of South Carolina and she was also the first Indian American to be elected governor
Who was the figurehead in South Carolina?
Strom Thurmond
Who controlled Virginia during the Civil Rights era?
The Byrd Organization
Miller v. Johnson
The threshold regarding retrogression - can't make minorities worse off than they already are
David Index
This work advances the idea that local strategic dynamics, namely the organizational development of the Republican Party and the mobilization of the Black electorate were the KEY centerpieces of political change in that region
what are the voting patterns of the south? (Whites, Blacks, Hispanics)
Whites: solidly Republican Blacks: overwhelmingly Democratic Hispanics: Democratic leaning
Do in-migrants differ politically from native Southerners?
Yes, if they didn't then it wouldn't cause any changes
Young Turks
a group of largely progressive WW2 vets tagged as integrationists that challenged the Byrd organization
Electoral Order
a stable political relationship between the social base, intermediary organizations (reps of voters such as churches, parties, and unions), and government institutions
Massive Resistance
attempt by Senator Byrd to unite other white political leaders in a campaign of new state laws and policies to prevent public school desegregation
What is the Democratic major voting bloc religiously speaking?
black protestants
What was the importance/effect of suburbanization in Virginia
brought about in-migration and an increase in Republican base support
Social Base
determined by the politically relevant demographic differences among voters
What is the religious/christian right?
evangelical protestant/ theologically conservative christians (broad)/ "born again" fundamentalists with high commitment
What does the future of South Carolina politics look like
expected to remain the same in the short-term, but anything can happen in the long-term
Why did the Republican party turn their back on Holton?
he was not in favor of welcoming conservative Democrats into the Republican party
What is significant about Douglas Wilder?
he was the first african american elected as governor since reconstruction he is also the grandson of slaves
What is the importance of religion in Southern Politics?
it shapes political views
Compare white evangelical protestants to black protestants
little theological difference, but a world of difference politically
Bottom-UP approach to GOP strength
local level --> state --> Congress --> Senate/Gov. --> President
net in-migration flow
more people moving in than moving out
in-migration
movement into the south from US citizens not from the 11 state South
V.O. Key thought what was the defining factor of political change in the South?
race
Oligarchy
ruled by the few
What was the effect of Massive Resistance in Virginia? (2)
schools closed rather than integrated Bussing: forced integration
What evidence does The Rational Southerner supply
the number of democrats continues to decrease as the number of republicans continues to grow
What is the GOP major voting bloc religiously speaking?
the religious right
How can in-migrants reshape politics?
they have the ability to change their surroundings, and vice versa
Did Virginia have a system of real two-party competition during the civil rights era?
yes
