[quote] Southern Strategies

Chris Kromm
The Nation

Do progressives and Democrats have a future in the South? Ever since the great unpleasantness of last November, a chorus of `left-leaning` pundits have taken the region's defeats--no electoral votes for John Kerry, `zero-for`-five in open races for US Senate--as a sure sign that the South is a lost cause. Fold up the tent, the doubters say. Focus our energy elsewhere. Or as one indelicate yet frequently forwarded `e-mail` after the elections put it, "F*ck the South."

Not so fast, say the South's defenders--especially Southern progressives. Given that almost a third of the country lives in the South and it's growing fast, and that the South still sets the tone for national politics (look at the Tennesseans and Texans who lead the White House and Capitol Hill), ignoring the South is hardly an option.

Besides, there's a rich progressive legacy in the South, and Democrats are far from dead: There are four Southern Democratic governors, hundreds of Democratic state legislators, and in six of thirteen Southern states, more registered voters identify as Democrats than Republicans.
http://tinyurl.com/6nsqx[/quote]

Look guys, I live in the south and believe me it is fertile ground for the democratic party. The problem that the Democratic party has is lack of vision. John Edwards has that vision and that is why I believe he is going to be the leader of this party not Hillary Clinton. Hill has no soul. She has no conviction. Can anyone tell me what Hillary believes in? I believe she is a polictical oppurtunist. If you guys have read my previous post "Watch out Hill" you know how I feel about her.

I am a southerner and I am prolife. With that position I am definitely a small minority in my party and sometimes I feel kinda excluded but I do love the dem party. I know of my fellow party members' position on abortion (prochoice) and I respect their position. But I don't let that one little issue control my vote. Being prolife is more that just the abortion issue. It is about children having access to healthcare, education. And also being against the death penalty (so many people who are prolife are for the death penalty and that is a contradiction). I know Edwards is prochoice but that doesn't bother me because I respect him and his position even if I don't agree. He has a core and conviction about the alleviation of poverty, the accessablity of education, and jobs jobs jobs and that is why I support and will do everything in my power to get him to the White House.

So when democrats don't present a clear vision and message that gives the republicans the chance to use the so called social wedge issues to divide and conquer, especially in the south where values come first before economics. So this article hit the nail on the head to me.

I think that as Bush's budget cuts start sinking in, the south will be ready to hear a different message. On Cspan this morning I saw Tennessee's democratic governor...southerners from all over were calling up and agreeing with him. The medicaid cuts are going to be extremely impacting in the south...and many were very concerned about education issues.

We need another candidate who can do a "Bill Clinton"....he had a way of taking on what Republicans considered their "issues" or "positions" and turning them completely around and making them his issues. I think Edwards also has this gift...maybe it is something that those from the south have a talent for.

I have nothing against Hillary, and I don't think she's any more of an opportunist than any other politician, but she's wrong if she thinks the south will accept her in the way that they accepted her husband. She is not a southerner, she's not even a New Yorker....she's a very dry mid westerner who lacks the talent I was speaking about in the above paragraph. However, she does have Bill coaching her, and any potential candidate would be wise to see which issues she's bringing to the forefront....I'm sure he has a very good understanding of whats going to resonate in the south, so I would watch her and learn and be prepared.

Personally, I'm not a southerner and I really can't say that I totally know what I'm talking about here, but from all I've heard from southerners on this forum and from John Edwards, it sounds to me like the South is ripe for the picking if we get the right messengers. I think Edwards can do it.