 | The Hand of the Past in Contemporary Southern Politics Subjects: Southern States -- Politics and government -- 1951–; United States Congress -- Elections; Elections -- Southern States; Political campaigns -- Southern States; Party affiliation -- Southern States; Political parties -- Southern States; A central story of contemporary southern politics is the emergence of Republican majorities in the region's congressional delegation. Acknowledging the significance and scope of the political change, James M. Glaser argues that, nevertheless, strands of continuity affect the practice of campaign politics in important ways. Strong southern tradition underlies the strategies pursued by the candidates, their presentational styles, and the psychology of their campaigns. The author offers eyewitness accounts of recent congressional campaigns in Texas, Mississippi, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. In the tradition of his award-winning book Race, Campaign Politics, and the Realignment in the South , Glaser captures the "stuff+? of politics--the characters, the images, the rhetoric, and the scenery. Painting a full and fascinating picture of what it is like on the campaign trail, Glaser provides wide-ranging insights into the ways that the "hand of the past+? reaches into the southern present. James M. Glaser is associate professor of political science and dean of undergraduate education for arts, sciences, and engineering at Tufts University. He is a frequent commentator on contemporary politics for the media. |
