Join Amazon Prime and ship Two-Day for free and Overnight for $3.99. Already a member? Sign in.
Whistling Past Dixie and over 140,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle – Amazon’s new wireless reading device. Learn more

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
57 used & new from $2.27

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Tell a Friend
Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South
 
 
Start reading Whistling Past Dixie on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don’t have a Kindle? Get yours here.
 
  

Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South (Paperback)

by Thomas F. Schaller (Author)
Key Phrases: wedge politics, state legislative chambers, phasing effect, African Americans, North Carolina, New York (more...)
3.6 out of 5 stars  (9 customer reviews)

List Price: $15.00
Price: $11.25 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $3.75 (25%)
Special Offers Available
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Want it delivered Tuesday, July 22? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. See details

57 used & new available from $2.27
Also Available in: List Price: Our Price: Other Offers:
Kindle Edition (Kindle Book) $9.59
Hardcover $26.00 $20.28 71 used & new from $0.02
 
   

Special Offers and Product Promotions
  • Save $10 when you spend $50 and pay with Bill Me Later. The fast and convenient way to buy without using your credit card. Offer limited to items purchased from Amazon.com between July 14, 2008 and July 21, 2008. One per customer account. Enter code BMLSAVES at checkout. Here's how (restrictions apply)

Better Together

Buy this book with The Elephant in the Room: Evangelicals, Libertarians and the Battle to Control the Republican Party by Ryan Sager today!

Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South The Elephant in the Room: Evangelicals, Libertarians and the Battle to Control the Republican Party
Buy Together Today: $37.20

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Building Red America: The New Conservative Coalition and the Drive for Permanent Power the Drive for Permanent Power

Building Red America: The New Conservative Coalition and the Drive for Permanent Power the Drive for Permanent Power by Thomas B. Edsall

3.4 out of 5 stars (7)  $13.56
The Conscience of a Liberal

The Conscience of a Liberal by Paul Krugman

4.2 out of 5 stars (77)  $17.13
The Way to Win: Taking the White House in 2008

The Way to Win: Taking the White House in 2008 by Mark Halperin

3.7 out of 5 stars (30)  $17.79
Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone (Vintage)

Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone (Vintage) by Rajiv Chandrasekaran

4.6 out of 5 stars (153)  $10.17
The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth in Bush's America

The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth in Bush's America by Frank Rich

3.9 out of 5 stars (144)  $4.49
Explore similar items : Books (99)

Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Instead of "futile pandering to the nation's most conservative voters," in the South, Democrats should build a non-Southern majority to regain dominance, argues Schaller, a University of Maryland political scientist, in this focused, tactical account. The Republicans' Southern monopoly may have helped them achieve national majorities in the past, but it has never constituted a majority alone, Schaller explains. There are greener pastures for Democrats at all levels of elected government: the Midwest, Southwest and Mountain West. Schaller's demographic numbers buttress a solid argument, but he contradicts himself at times—as when he argues that many voters (deceived by Republican politicians) empowered "a radically conservative agenda" against their own interests but are "smart" enough to understand a nuanced Democratic platform on American liberties (e.g., connecting gun rights and gay rights). But the basic truth of the author's fight-fire-with-fire strategy is undeniable: a much-needed shot of realpolitik in the arm of the modern Democratic Party, whose greatest weakness lies not in the lack of good ideas but in compromising them. Charts, maps. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
In this highly accessible book, political science professor Schaller points to political history and research on changing demographics to illustrate why the South is now openly hostile to Democrats, who tend to lack the proper "cultural credentials" to appeal to most southerners. The South is the most militaristic, least unionized area of the U.S., and voters are far more likely to weigh social and cultural concerns than economic ones when voting. Rather than trying to recapture the past when the Democrats could reliably count on the South for votes, the party needs to devise a strategy that concentrates on opportunities elsewhere, advises Schaller. Noting that the Republicans dominated politics in the decades between the Civil War and the New Deal without the support of the South, Schaller outlines strategies for how the Democrats can now capitalize on opportunities to expand in other areas even as the high population of blacks in the South will continue to provide the party with a toehold there. An absorbing look at politics and demographics. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details
  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster (January 1, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 074329016X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0743290166
  • Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: