2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: It's Time to Look in the Mirror, Bernie: Sanders Needs to be Criticized for his Failed Theories [View all]GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)I am a middle aged white southern guy so needless to say I know countless people who used to be/vote Democratic but now go the other way. Whole lot of my family.
And race is a big part of it but not the entire story. They also left because the feel they no longer need government help. FDR, Truman, Ike and to a lesser degree Johnson helped move them from poor rural white folks to middle and upper middle class status. Of course they think it was all on their own.
So when Reagan started up the whole dog whistle thing about Government only helping African Americans, a huge part of the whites were willing to believe it. Hell, they did not need no guv'ment help.
That is the cruelest irony. The Success of the Democratic platform cost it a huge part of it's support. As economic conditions get worse that support will shift back, but will be slow.