Of course there's more than one reason to join the GOP. I've never denied it, and you are implying that this is what I am suggesting, which I am not.

Uh, hunh. Then why stick up for the other statement? That's what you're doing by implication. Are there really so few people around here who understand communication in the English language?

What I did say... was that there are so many of the southern leadership of the Republican party of the 80-90's who were Democratic segregationists in the 50's and 60's.. who then bolted for the Republican Party when civil rights became a banner carried by the Democrats.

Which remains a shallow and silly statement on its face, as one needs to fully consider the context before blanketly assigning race as the SOLE FACTOR FOR MAKING THE PARTY SWITCH.

It was Nixon's strategy to peel them away (speaking of onions).. and it was successful. Southern Democrats didn't have a sudden change of heart... they just changed parties, as any map of the current distribution of parties will quickly show you. Are former segregationists the ONLY constituency of the Republican Party? NO! But they are a constituency.

Egads. Put the shovel down already. How come the South kept electing democrat governors and Congresscriters until recently?

Seriously. This kind of "analysis" - 3rd grade - is exactly what's wrong with the political discourse today.

Even if I took your statement at face value it fails under even the smallest test: Why did Thurmond, Helms, et al. renounce segregation when the joined the GOP if it in fact stood for racial intolerance?

Again. Massively offensive. I'm getting sick of otherwise bright people refusing to think.