About 10 days ago, I ran across an op-ed in The New York Times by Thomas Schaller. In it, he discusses why the Democrats cannot win the South in November. As it turns out, this is just a brief synopsis of Schaller’s book, “Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South.” On the strength of the article, I ordered the book and started reading it a few days ago.
I’ll post a review in parts next week, but while I’m only through the first three chapters, I can say that this book should be read by Democrats and Republicans alike, if for no other reason that to gain some understanding as to how we got here. At times, I have been depressed. Having lived in Virginia for all but 3.5 years of my life, it’s really hard to swallow that the ability of Democrats to recapture the South is virtually nonexistent. At the same time, the book has given me hope for America. Republicans should be afraid ~ if Schalller is correct, the South will be the only place in the US where Republicans will rule in a few years.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
I’ll look forward to your review. I’ve been following reports of new voting patterns emerging in the Cuban-American communities, and found Mr. Schaller’s comparison of Florida and Virginia as “the least Southern” of the States interesting.
I was somewhat startled by his statement that “the more blacks there are in a Southern state, the more likely the white voters are to vote Republican.” I’d rather not ponder the impliications of that, but I suppose I should.