Reply #51: If we MUST take back the South as you say, then

[Benhurst]

nominating an African American who praises Ronald Reagan is hardly the way to go about it.

If you think it is, maybe you should come down here for a spell. The North Carolina Democratic Party was progressive enough to nominate a black candidate for the U.S. Senate twenty years ago, which was not too surprising since our base is comprised predominately of liberal whites and African Americans. But did you ever hear of Jesse Helms? Well, that is who we ended up with. And who are our senators two decades later? Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr. Look them up if you aren't familiar with their records.

No, even if the party nominates John Edwards, a native of North Carolina who is speaking out forcefully on all the populist issues which might draw in some of the disaffected "regular folk" you refer to, it will be touch and go in North Carolina, which is more progressive than most Southern States.

A hard-hitting populist campaign, even one waged by an African American, might bring some working-class whites back into the fold, since it would appeal to their economic interests in these increasingly hard times.

But praising St.Ronnie will only convince them that they have been right all along.