“But, whoever suggests that the political southernization of America has come to pass must also reckon with what has come to pass in southern politics.”

The elections of 1992, 1994, and 1996 have given commentators plenty of evidence to assert that American politics has been thoroughly “southernized.” President Clinton is from Arkansas, Vice President Gore from Tennessee, House Speaker Newt Gingrich from Georgia, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott from Mississippi, and House Majority Leader Dick Armey from Texas. What’s more, so this line of reasoning goes, the nation focuses on themes—race and religion, crime and family values, tax-cutting and budget-balancing—all of which have deep roots in the conservative soil of the South.