Whistling Dixie : Ronald Reagan, the White South, and the transformation of the Republican Party / Jonathan Bartho.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bartho, Jonathan, author.

Contributor:

Rosengarten Family Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Reagan, Ronald.

Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- ).

Southern States--Politics and government.

Southern States.

United States--Politics and government--1981-1989.

United States.

Physical Description:

xlii, 275 pages ; 24 cm

Other Title:

Ronald Reagan, the White South, and the transformation of the Republican Party

Place of Publication:

Lawrence, Kansas : University Press of Kansas, [2024]

Summary:

"Whistling Dixie explores the political relationship between Ronald Reagan and the white conservative South, a relationship that had a profound impact on Reagan's own career, on the political landscape of both the South and the US, and on the identity of the modern Republican Party. Millions of southerners were attracted to the GOP by Reagan's anti-statist ideology and by affection for the man himself - an affection that had been built over decades of appearances in the region. The support of these white southern conservatives was crucial to Reagan's political success, ultimately propelling him to the White House in 1980. Conversely, by supporting Reagan's presidential campaigns, southern conservatives were able to influence the direction of the Republican Party and begin restoring their region to a position of power in Washington"-- Provided by publisher.

"Jonathan Bartho's Whistling Dixie explores the interdependent political relationship between Ronald Reagan and the white conservative South, a relationship that had a profound impact on Reagan's own career, on the political landscape of the South and the entire United States, and on the identity of the modern Republican Party. Millions of southerners were attracted to the GOP by Reagan's anti-statist ideology and their affection for the man himself-an affection that had been built over decades of appearances in the region. The support of these white southern conservatives was crucial to Reagan's political success, ultimately propelling him to the White House in 1980. Conversely, by supporting Reagan's presidential campaigns, southern conservatives were able to influence the direction of the Republican Party and begin restoring their region to a position of power in Washington.Bartho deftly provides a new perspective on Reagan's political career and the Republican Party of the Reagan era while detailing the often-rancorous philosophical differences between Reaganism and southern conservatism and the resulting political conflicts. Whistling Dixie highlights a divide in the Republican Party and in American conservatism that has often been overlooked-a divide that laid the foundations for the GOP's southernization and ultimately led to the rise of Donald Trump"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

"He brought them the gospel" : Ronald Reagan, the White South, and the GOP, 1953-1975

"This is Reagan Country" : the South in Reagan's presidential campaigns, 1976-1980

"We really seem to be putting a coalition together" : boll weevil Democrats and the Reagan revolution

"Free trade will destroy America!" : Reaganism meets the southern economic agenda

"It was Jesus that gave us this victory" : Ronald Reagan and southern evangelicals

"Affirmative action is un-American" : southern racial conservatism and the Reagan White House.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Rosengarten Family Fund.

Other Format:

Online version: Bartho, Jonathan. Whistling Dixie

ISBN:

9780700636495

0700636498

OCLC:

1409612119