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It was more of a gradual shift, happening first on the national level and taking longer at the state level. People talk as if the parties totally flipped after the passage of civil rights legislation.
It was more of a gradual shift, happening first on the national level and taking longer at the state level. People talk as if the parties totally flipped after the passage of civil rights legislation.
Personally, I don't think they flipped. I think each party evolved but largely the old racist Southern Democrats remained Southern Democrats until the day they died. I don't buy and never will buy that the Republicans have racist roots. They just don't. Honestly, racists have no place in modern American politics today anywhere - both parties disavow them. Really, that's a good thing. They've lost any political capital or power that they may have once had. I'm always distressed when I hear people try to claim that Republicans today are the Southern Democrats of old. Trust me, they would never, ever embrace people like my family as party members if that were true and they love having people like our family as members of the party.
Personally, I don't think they flipped. I think each party evolved but largely the old racist Southern Democrats remained Southern Democrats until the day they died. I don't buy and never will buy that the Republicans have racist roots. They just don't. Honestly, racists have no place in modern American politics today anywhere - both parties disavow them. Really, that's a good thing. They've lost any political capital or power that they may have once had. I'm always distressed when I hear people try to claim that Republicans today are the Southern Democrats of old. Trust me, they would never, ever embrace people like my family as party members if that were true and they love having people like our family as members of the party.
Why do you think Strom "Segregation Forever" Thurmond switched from being a Democrat to being a Republican in 1964?
Why do you think Strom "Segregation Forever" Thurmond switched from being a Democrat to being a Republican in 1964?
As the article pointed out, he was one of the only. He did it to remain elected. Why did Robert Byrd renounce his KKK past? To remain elected. I think they both should have been ousted but hey, I'm not a fan of racist people.
This is typical SC politics, lowcountry politicians have exhausted most all of the infrastrucutre bank and are trying to get more. Maybe the tourism industry should help pay for roads in the lowcountry.
Growth over a period of time between the three traditional metros is not that different to suggest that one area needs more because of growth, Charleston, Greenville and Columbia all have similar growth rates. You can cherry pick the year to show one is better than the other but, they are similar over time, none are growing as fast as top tier cities.
The I26/20 interchange needs major improvements, glad CD posted the article about trying to move that project forward. It has been the #1 priority for a while but with a $700m price tag, it is getting bypassed. I85 up to the NC line should be at least 6 lanes. And, the fast growing counties around Charlotte (2 of the top five fastest growing counties in SC are in the Charlotte metro) also need better infrasturucure. All of these projects are not on the list but to suggest Charleston needs more over other areas because of growth is not accurate.
If you've been to Charleston lately you will notice that we have a DIRE need for infrastructure. There's growth in Greenville/Spartenburg, Columbia, and other areas, but not at the pace at which the Charleston metro is growing. We are multiplying on a daily basis. With companies like Boeing adding 5k jobs per year, and relocation from notherners escaping last year's epic freeze, our roads and daily commutes are getting to be downright terrible. They need to (and have been putting off for about 15 years now) finish I526 before they do ANYTHING else in the state. That's my opinion. If they don't get 526 completed, we are going to be in serious trouble here in less than two years.
If that's being a crybaby, come drive from Dorchester Road in Summerville to Downtown Charleston one Monday morning during rush hour and compare that to any other traffic in the state. If the northerners were flocking to Columbia, I'd be rooting for you guys to get the road money, but until you see what it's like here, don't call us crybabies. As a native, I've watched SC grow over 40 years now, and no growth period compares to what we've experienced in the past 3 years here.
Last edited by WiseManOnceSaid; 11-02-2014 at 08:34 PM..
If you've been to Charleston lately you will notice that we have a DIRE need for infrastructure. There's growth in Greenville/Spartenburg, Columbia, and other areas, but not at the pace at which the Charleston metro is growing. We are multiplying on a daily basis. With companies like Boeing adding 5k jobs per year, and relocation from notherners escaping last year's epic freeze, our roads and daily commutes are getting to be downright terrible. They need to (and have been putting off for about 15 years now) finish I526 before they do ANYTHING else in the state. That's my opinion. If they don't get 526 completed, we are going to be in serious trouble here in less than two years.
If that's being a crybaby, come drive from Dorchester Road in Summerville to Downtown Charleston one Monday morning during rush hour and compare that to any other traffic in the state. If the northerners were flocking to Columbia, I'd be rooting for you guys to get the road money, but until you see what it's like here, don't call us crybabies. As a native, I've watched SC grow over 40 years now, and no growth period compares to what we've experienced in the past 3 years here.
Put a toll road on 526 and finish the road, I doubt the price elasticity would affect tourism and you can't plan a road based on Boeing, it will not grow at that level long term or even the near long term. To say that the state should not do ANYTHING else other than 526 is the typical lowcountry response. There are other areas of the state growing as fast as Charleston over a longer term cycle, some even on the short term cycle.......York County landed over 6k jobs in 1 DAY and taps into a faster growing metro than ANYTHING in SC, Charlotte. Besides, if roads are that dire in the lowcountry, you should not have begged the state to build a signature bridge costing more than necessary and used the extra funds to help 526 or Dorchester.
26/20 is a safety issue as well as a economic issue. Out of the major interchanges across the Carolinas, this is the one interchange that stands out as being grossly under engineered for today's traffic. The merge lanes are inadequate, the cloverleaf design is no longer functional to carry the load of traffic in this area. These roads were built in the early 60's and outside of lane additions, have not been touched since. Not sure why it is asking too much for the state to rebuild an interchange from the early 60's that is not designed for today's traffic, is the economic crossroads of moving goods in SC, and is a major safety issue.
Tourist cities should have toll roads to help alleviate the congestion caused by visitors who benefit Charleston more than other parts of SC. Non coastal areas are already funding parts of your home owners insurance, should we just declare Charleston a welfare city and do everything else?
Why do you think Strom "Segregation Forever" Thurmond switched from being a Democrat to being a Republican in 1964?
The last two white Democrat presidents and vice presidents, Bill Clinton and Al Gore, had direct ties to segregationists and white racists. Bill Clinton's mentor in Arkanasa was William Fullbright, a segregationist, and Clinton gave him the Presidential Freedom Medal , calling him a visionary and champion of freedom. Al Gore's father filibustered the Civil Rights Act of 1964 along with Robert Byrd, another Democrat who was in the KKK and never switched parties.
I cannot see the Republican party running two white guys with ties to white segregationists and racists. Jimmy Carter also had ties to segregationists in Georgia. LBJ said several shockingly racist things.
Strom Thurmond is the exception to the rule. If William Fullbright, Al Gore Sr, and Robert Byrd and George Wallace didn't flip, it makes sense most racist white voters didn't flip. People vote according to their class and white racists tend to be poorer and Democrat party whole strategy is to lock up nearly 100 percent of the poor vote.
Strom Thurmond had to flip to keep winning in SC, given Nixon won the state and Nixon was pro-integration. The state had become majority Republican as it became more affluent. Nixon won all the moree affluent southern states at the time, VA and the Carolinas. It was George Wallace running against Nixon who ran a racist southern strategy, Wallace ran as a Dixiecrat but that was a southern racist Democrat. Wallace won the poorer southern states, AL, MS, etc.
Republican presidents and nominees rarely have ties to the South. Reagan was from California, the Bushs were really New England despite currently in Texas, McCain from Arizona, Romney from Mass, Nixon and Einsenhower not from the south.
Many of the southern state congresses such as NC's have only recently flipped to majority Republican, so the so called Republican southern strategy must not have been so persuasive to white racists.
Democrat use the fact most black voters vote for them to argue that is proof of Republican racism. But the black voters are voting for them because they agree with Democrat stances.
Republicans may get a small percentage of racist white votes today but that is only a reactionary vote to the observation most black voters vote Democrat. If black voters started voting in 30-50 percent range for Republicans, those reactionary white racist voters would stop voting Republican. Any white racist voter that votes Republican is coming to the GOP, the GOP is not reaching out to them.
Last edited by Stay At Home Mother; 11-08-2014 at 06:59 AM..
The port and tourism in Charleston is a major economic driver in this state. Also, the US military is considering moving it's Africa Command to Charleston, which would be a huge move. They need completed 526 and other infrastructure if that area is to keep absorbing more people and more growth. The new 'inland port' in the upstate needs the actual waterside port in Charleston to thrive, and to do so, the area must build and grow.
The only thing holding growth back from all out explosion in Charleston is that it's roads and infrastructure aren't built up to par to support it. If they do that, Charleston will explode in growth. Which is good for SC.
Well, I shall put forth 'good' is in the eye of the beholder. I love that Charleston and Savannah stayed small. Smaller cities (from my travels seem to..) have shorter commutes, lower cost of living, more small businesses downtown, and yet we have a cosmopolitan atmosphere in our sister cities.
Well, I shall put forth 'good' is in the eye of the beholder. I love that Charleston and Savannah stayed small. Smaller cities (from my travels seem to..) have shorter commutes, lower cost of living, more small businesses downtown, and yet we have a cosmopolitan atmosphere in our sister cities.
Charleston is a tiny dot compared to Atlanta, Charlotte, and Raleigh, and is still more expensive. "Small" downtown Charleston is the 2nd most expensive place psf in the SE outside Brickell Miami. Charleston's average commute is only 1 minute shorter than Raleigh, 2 shorter than Charlotte, and 4 shorter than Atlanta. Los Angeles is notorious for being expensive, but groceries even cost less there than Charleston.
And I dont know how you value a city based on its small downtown businesses, but all 4 cities have a good mix of local and chain. I dont know about the other cities, but many small businesses in downtown Chas are having a tough time because rent is so high. Even Morris Sokol couldnt survive.
Bottom line, all cities have their pluses and minueses. Doesnt matter how big or small they are. And between Chas, N Chas, and Mt P, thats over 340,000 people, and over 740,000 in the metro and climbing. Not sure how thats "staying small."
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