[lbo-talk] Fw: Deer Hunting With Jesus

[Jim Straub]

I seize on a rare opportunity to disagree with Marvin.  It is the case
that southern protestant whites are more economically conservative
than 'white ethnic' catholics from the northeast or midwest.  But
recently I've come across an interesting assertion.  Thomas Edsall, in
his great book about the backlash, says that before the 60s,
working-class southern protestant whites were the third most
left-leaning (on econonomics) constituency in the US (after blacks and
jews); they were racially reactionary, but the country's most ardent
new deal democrats otherwise.  He says that during the conservative
realignment in the 60s and 70s, where the republican party took in
racial conservatives, such southern whites appear to have made an
ideological conversion to free-market enthusiasm.

I'd never heard this before, but Edsall is a very credible guy with
great sourcing and tight reasoning.  I wonder if anyone else has
thoughts on this tidbit.

There are many aspects of catholic theology itself, but moreso how the
church organizationally evolved in the US, that have placed adherents
left of the dial with regard to many issues.

Lastly- I do believe that pointing to populist fervor in the south and
west is not very useful.  Reading Hofstadter's age of reform shook me
up on that--- the degree to which the populist crusade was the
exclamation point at the end of an old society.  Honestly, I don't
think Bryan is any influence at all on the contemporary shape of
politics in oklahoma, georgia or south dakota.  Al Smith, on the other
hand, continues to loom large over the big ethnic cities of the
northeast and midwest.  But Bryan might as well be Albert Parsons or
Father Coughlin for all  his relevance to his old stomping grounds
today.

Jim


> But you'll find precisely these sentiments also expressed by Polish-American
> and Irish-American Catholics, for example, and even by traditionally liberal
> Jewish-Americans against the poor and unemployed - especially against the
> non-white poor and unemployed. Conversely, you've had populist and
> farmer-labour movements based on midWestern and Southern Protestants which
> have been hostile to capitalism and preached instead the compassionate
> message of the social gospel.