Why do think Southern racist politicians chose to frame their defense of racial segregation through the language of “law and order”? What special advantages was this choice of words going to give them?
This stuck out to me. I think the reason why racist politician chose to frame their defense of racial segregation through polished langue like “Law and order” was to avoid using overt racist language and establish legitimacy while they were still appealing to racism. It was a way for them to disguise racism as concern. It allowed them to still maintain white supremacy under the guise of justice during the post-civil rights America when open racism wasn’t really acceptable.

Do you think the Southern Strategy is still influencing American politics? Give an example supporting your answer.

I dont think it stopped. It just evolved. Even Michelle Alexander talks about how the Republican Party used racial backlash in the South as a political strategy to gain support among white voters who were angry about the Civil Rights Movement and desegregation. We see this now even with immigration…We where politicians stoke fears about “border invasions” and “migrant crime”Its like a modern version of the same racialize fear tactics.