There are several indications from the way the “Southern Strategy” is typically defined that expose a disqualifying bias, as well as the real meaning behind the phrase. Here is an example of how it is typically defined, this one from Wikipedia: 

“In American politics, the Southern strategy was a Republican Party electoral strategy to increase political support among white voters in the South by appealing to racism against African Americans.”

We will share a small sample of the Democratic Party’s overt appeals to not just the South, but specifically Southern racists during and after the Civil Rights movement. These examples have eluded conventional memory, and have been conveniently forgotten or never learned by those who still allege that Republican ascendance was by way of a “Southern Strategy” with all its connotations. This will be an ongoing effort for us at RTS.

The first question we should ask—and it does have an answer, which we will address—is why the definition is restricted to appeals to racism. One might think that any strategy targeting a Southern audience could be considered a “southern strategy.” 

Indeed, in the absence of continuity or self-awareness, some of the examples of a “Southern Strategy” are nothing more than the Republican Party attempting to establish a presence in the South for the first time since Reconstruction. Yet, the implication is that this must have innately been an appeal to racism. 

In 1964, Barry Goldwater understood that the Republican presence in the South was nearly non-existent. Goldwater and his strategists specifically rejected appealing to racism, offering the same conservatism across the country, but leading in outreach to southern states that had previously been ignored. There are other false claims of Goldwater’s appeals to racism, which we cover elsewhere, but even the fact that he was campaigning in the South is used as an example of a nefarious “Southern Strategy.” In other cases, the Republicans winning the South is also often provided as if it were evidence of racist motives. 

While at times the “southern” part of the definition is all that’s required for evidence, other times the phrase doesn’t need the “southern” part at all. Any campaign strategy that is considered racist is referred to as a “southern strategy” regardless of the target location. While this appears like an opposite use of the term, it’s actually part of the same general meaning. South = racist. 

The Democratic Party still held hopes of winning the South throughout the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. Throughout this time, they pushed a message that there was a “New South,” one free from its racist past. Democrats were happy to see the South as turning the page, while they still believed they could win. But much like the era of the “Solid South” this also included a dual strategy of capturing any remaining elements of the “Old South,” as we’ll share below. But after repeatedly losing, the idea that the South was irreparably racist took hold, despite the fact that their appeals to racism didn’t work.

The most widely used definitions of a “Southern Strategy” all specify it as “a Republican strategy.” 

Even if you believe the Republican Party was more guilty of a “Southern Strategy,” why would the definition not include the Democratic Party, which inarguably used a “Southern Strategy?” 

The evidence against the Democrats is extensive, but here are a few examples:

Internal Kennedy strategy details lines of attack against Nixon, such as painting him as an enemy of segregation, and a friend of blacks, all under the category “South.”

During the campaign, Kennedy’s surrogates used these lines of attack:

Many ads drew on the efforts of the Eisenhower administration to enforce integration:

Ads from the Democratic Party in Alabama still featured the Rooster logo, including the phrase “white supremacy:”

Doug Wynn was a close personal friend of Lyndon Johnson and his Mississippi Democratic Party lackey during the 1964 DNC MFDP disaster.¹ Soon after, Wynn was flown by Jetstar by President Johnson to his ranch, and then immediately released this ad against Goldwater in Mississippi:²

This was not an isolated advertisement:

Leading up to the 1968 election then-Vice President and soon-to-be Democratic nominee, Hubert Humphrey, began outreach to the South to unite the party again. He met with the notorious segregationist Lester Maddox and promised changes in how desegregation would be enforced.

Although we don’t consider the following an example of appeals to racism, it is worth noting, since that is a common example used against Nixon, that Humphrey also pushed “law and order.”

Arguments around a Southern Strategy often circle around a goal of capturing “Wallace voters.” This was a major part of the 1972 campaign for Democrats.

Jimmy Carter’s campaign manager, Hamilton Jordan, wrote a memo outlining Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign:

Carter sought, obtained, and advertised an endorsement from Wallace. Wallace was still years away from his supposed change of heart, but even if you disregard the Wallace example, he was part of a larger pattern. Carter also campaigned with unrepentant segregationists John Sparkman, James Eastland, and John Stennis.

The Carter campaign released region-centric TV advertisements, ads targeting a southern audience, including the line: “The South has always been the conscience of America—maybe they'll start listening to us now. Vote for Jimmy Carter on November 2.”

Always?

In 1980, Jimmy Carter officially launched his Presidential campaign in Tuscumbia Alabama, but the man who got the biggest applause on stage wasn’t Carter, it was George Wallace according to reports.³ Also on Carter’s campaign launch stage were James Eastland and John Sparkman.

One argument may be that Republicans are singled out in the definition because they themselves called their strategy a “Southern strategy.” Campaign strategies have vaguely been referred to as “southern strategies” for campaigns in the South for a much broader period of time than is defined. A lot of times, when the phrase “southern strategy” was referenced, it was a discussion about what a southern strategy should be. It does not fit in with this narrow definition, as if Republicans came up with a uniform strategy to use in the South from Eisenhower, to Nixon, to Goldwater, to Nixon, to Ford, to Reagan, etc. Democrats would also use similar terminology, so that doesn’t answer our question. 

Another possible explanation is that “Southern strategy” is defined so specifically because it was the nefarious version of the Republican strategy that ended up winning in the end. The South today leans Republican, so their strategy must have been what won. There is a fairly large logical leap being made here, which is that the reason for Republican success in the South was because of one narrowly defined strategy. But if any honest observers look at the landslide victories of Nixon, Reagan, or Bush Sr., they would not determine the reason for success was the mention of “states' rights,” or “law and order.” The notion borders on absurd. 

The answer to all these questions and inconsistencies is clear. 

This pejorative definition of the phrase was adopted, despite there always being strategies for southern support, and despite Democrats being more guilty of appeals to racism, because the accusation itself is a strategy against Republicans. As there started to be more disdain for racism at the national level, it became increasingly beneficial to accuse opponents of racism; thus, this use of the term emerged.  

Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett recently said that “most Black people have very conservative values,” after saying that "most black people are not Republicans simply because we just is like, 'Y'all racist. I can't hang out with the KKK and them.’” She is, of course, wrong in associating Republicans with the KKK. What’s left of the Klan’s strained relevance is only maintained due to the left’s obsession with it and constant stirring of racial animosity. But, she may be accurate in that the belief that Republicans are racist secures votes from racial minorities. Is there really any doubt that Democrats benefit from accusing Republicans of racism? And is there really any doubt Democrats would throw this accusation around carelessly? 

When one understands this, all the examples of a Republican “southern strategy” make a lot more sense. Was Reagan subtly trying to appeal to racism, simply by using the term “states' rights” in the Neshoba County Fair, or is it more likely that it was the desperate attack by democrats of the time?. Was Bush Sr. trying to appeal to racism by condemning Dukakis for releasing a murderer who went on to commit horrific crimes, or was this another desperate attack by Democrats?