Blue Dixie: Awakening the South's Democratic Majority [Facsimile] [Hardcover]

Bob Moser (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 19, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0805087710 | ISBN-13: 978-0805087710 | Edition: 1st

A powerful case for a new Southern strategy for the Democrats, from an award-winning reporter and native Southerner

In 2000 and 2004, the Democratic Party decided not to challenge George W. Bush in the South, a disastrous strategy that effectively handed Bush more than half of the electoral votes he needed to win the White House. As the 2008 election draws near, the Democrats have a historic opportunity to build a new progressive majority, but they cannot do so without the South.

In Blue Dixie, Bob Moser argues that the Democratic Party has been blinded by outmoded prejudices about the region. Moser, the chief political reporter for The Nation, shows that a volatile mix of unprecedented economic prosperity and abject poverty are reshaping the Southern vote. With evangelical churches preaching a more expansive social gospel and a massive left-leaning demographic shift to African Americans, Latinos, and the young, the South is poised for a Democratic revival. By returning to a bold, unflinching message of economic fairness, the Democrats can win in the nation’s largest, most diverse region and redeem themselves as a true party of the people.

Keenly observed and deeply grounded in contemporary Southern politics, Blue Dixie reveals the changing face of American politics to the South itself and to the rest of the nation.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. This arresting analysis from Moser, political correspondent for the Nation, debunks the belief in an enduring Republican South, which he terms the single most destructive myth of contemporary politics. The author wades into the swirl of stereotypes to challenge the conventional wisdom of many Democratic strategists, that the South is a Republican stronghold. Moser examines polls and voting trends that belie the idea of a conservative, fundamentalist, inherently racist voting bloc, looking instead at the history of the South as a breeding ground for progressivism and populist economic policies before proposing that the Democrats should stop trying to be the party of 'Republicans Lite' in order to win over Dixie. Moser details Jim Webb's and Barack Obama's successes in the South, praises Howard Dean's fifty-state strategy for re-energizing the Democratic Party in the region and gives insightful suggestions for how the party can continue the trend. Well-written, well-researched and perfectly timed with this year's election cycle, this fascinating read is highly recommended to anyone interested in unraveling political fact from fiction and detecting the myriad complicated relationships that knit a nation together. (Aug.)
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Review

"An incisive book about campaign strategy…  Moser decries the failure of Democratic strategists to understand Southern voters [and] the sting is particularly keen."—The Boston Globe

"A wake-up call… Moser’s argument is cogent."—Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Moser convince[es] Democrats that the South is a lot more complicated and interesting that they have made it out to be."—The New York Times Book Revew

"Conventional wisdom holds that the South is a solid GOP bloc… Moser explodes this myth."—Charleston City Paper

"Moser [represents] many progressives, liberals and populists in the South… in his important and entertaining new book Blue Dixie."—Independent Weekly (North Carolina)

"Moser argues that Democrats have lost elections when they don’t compete for the South… The solution is a message of economic fairness."—New York Post

"Well-written, well-researched and perfectly timed with this year’s election cycle, this fascinating read is highly recommended to anyone interested in unraveling political fact from fiction and detecting the myriad complicated relationships that knit a nation together."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Moser… argues that Democrats in the rest of the country should put aside their stereotype of the South."—In These Times

"Moser argues that Democrats can take back the South as the distance between haves and have-nots widens and a left-leaning demographic emerges."—Library Journal

"Blue Dixie makes the most compelling case I’ve read for why Democrats must not relinquish the South and, instead, compete hard for its votes, hearts, and minds with a bracing message of economic fairness!"—Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor, The Nation

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Times Books; 1st edition (August 19, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805087710
• ISBN-13: 978-0805087710
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,088,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Returning the South back to the Dems September 20, 2008

By A. Ciardiello

Format:Hardcover

Unlike Thomas Schaller, who argued in his book, Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South, that the Democrats should form a new national consensus without the South, Bob Moser makes the exact opposite claim: the Democrats need to win back the South if they want to win future elections.

While most have correctly identified the South as being socially conservative, many (including the Democratic Party) have failed to realize how fiscally liberal the South is. Instead, many in the Democratic Party have become "me-too" Democrats; agreeing with the Republicans on fiscal issues while downplaying their own social agenda. This "New Democrat" type of moderation as not impressed the South. As a result, Democrats running in national elections in Dixie have gone nowhere.

Moser states that the Democrats need to employ a 21st century type of populism; one that argues for the power of good government to protect the common man. This populist style will resonate strongly with Southern voters, who have witnesses many jobs shipped overseas and a widening gap between the top-income earners and the middle class. With an increasing number of Evangelicals preaching a social gospel calling for more aid to the poor, a new populism, Moser claims, can indeed work. These issues are strong ones for the Democratic Party, and they should use thus to their advantage.

Unlike the Solid South of the early 20th century, the South of today is far from solid. Local Democrats in state legislatures have been able to win elections, and there are still more voters registered as Democrats rather than Republicans. Permanent minority status, Moser argues, is far from inevitable. If the Democrats can formulate an agenda arguing the positive aspects of good government, they can ultimately reclaim the South.

Especially relevant in an election year, Moser's book is a must read for Democrats and Southerners alike. Although he does make some subtle, snide, and at times unnecessary attacks on the GOP, his analysis is still solid. With a projected 40% of the nation's electoral votes by 2032, the South is by far too valuable a region to simply pass up. If the Democrats fail to heed Moser's advice, they may lose the South, and thus the presidency, for many generations to come.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The New Southern Strategy November 17, 2008

By M. Weinberg

Format:Hardcover

After reading this wonderful book you should have the following question on your mind: Why did the Democrats give up on the South in 2004?

Despite what many so-called pundits perceive, Southerners are really not as politically homogeneous as they expect. If you take away the divisive social wedge issues, Southerners really want a populist government.

Bob Moser does an excellent job in giving us a history of Southern politics from just before the Civil Rights era right up to the Democratic primaries of 2008. He shows us how the DLC inspired agenda of trying to out-Republican the Republicans in the 1990's and early part of this decade failed the Democratic Party miserably.

The Democratic Party in the South shall not be ignored now or in the future when the population is even more representative of the national electorate.

[...]

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes we can! October 17, 2008

By David Ortez

Format:Hardcover

Blue Dixie: Awakening the South's Democratic Majority by Bob Moser is an articulate, well-documented and concise book detailing the strategy that Democrats need to implement in the South if they wish to succeed. The book could not have been written at a more perfect time as Barack Obama heads into the General Election against the Republican candidate John McCain.

This is a book that every Southern Progressive must read before they cast another ballot in a Presidential election. In eight quick chapters, Bob Moser is able to convey his arguments with facts and research that support his overall claims. This read is recommended to anyone willing to entertain the Republican myth in the south and unravel the voting inconsistencies of the South since Nixon.

The demise of the Democratic Party in the South is a culmination of multiple events as Moser recounts. He sheds light into the Republican's myth of how the South was won, but any Romanization of such accounts is not included without scrutiny. There is hope for Southern Progressives though. Moser calls for a Southern populist movement that unites the regions diverse ethnic and socio-economic population through the issue of Economics. Moser looks down upon the pandering to Dixiecrats by Democrats and asks them to wake up and see their new constituency- made up of Hispanics, Northern Yankees that have relocated in the South to retire and African-Americans.

Moser's argument is as follows: the Democrats betrayed the South by neglecting their new constituency of African-Americans that were eligible to vote. They also
failed to rally behind the white Southern Progressives that helped African-Americans win their rights. At the same time, Republicans developed a race-baiting tactic and swept up the region by gerrymandering. Democrats then became the "Republican-Lite" party; always copying the GOP and trying to out do them.

Moser claims, "Only one party calibrated its pitch and its organizing methods- focusing on the megachurches that were becoming the community centers of Southern suburbs- to the regions evolving culture and new economic realities." This is how the GOP was able to establish a successful base in the South and the Democrats have only imitated them and failed. This has created a self-fulfilling prophecy that makes it seem that the South belongs to Republicans thus Democrats do not challenge them. The end result is that Southern Progressives feel neglected and it shows. They do not show up to vote.

The South is not a lost cause for Democrats. By exposing the false claims of the Republican party and using Moser's strategy and grassroots organization, Democrats have a great chance of turning the tide in this region. Moser uses personal narratives of people living in the South that seek the change that Progressives envision. Democrats cannot continue to neglect the region and must fight for the votes. Moser explains that a populist message of economics will unite the region behind a Democratic any day. Democrats cannot afford to ignore the region any more. Bob Moser never said it would be easy but Democrats have to fight to win back the region. Blue Dixie explains even to a political novice what Progressives need to do to win back the South. Can Democrats build a new progressive majority in the South? Yes we can!