Скачать или смотреть Lee Atwater and the Republican Strategy

Lee Atwater, a Republican strategist in the late 20th century, employed tactics that seem to directly contradict Grant's appeal for enlightenment and informed citizenship. Atwater's approach, which helped shape the modern Republican Party, relied on appealing to racial fears and cultural anxieties through what is now known as the "Southern Strategy."
Atwater refined and expanded this strategy to use racially coded language to appeal to white voters who were unsettled by the rapid social changes brought about by the Civil Rights Movement. He moved from overtly racist language to subtler, yet still divisive, appeals that targeted issues like crime, welfare, and states' rights - terms that carried implicit racial connotations. This shift from direct to coded language allowed Atwater to maintain a veneer of respectability while still mobilizing voters' fears and resentments.
In an infamous interview, Atwater candidly explained this strategy: "You start out in 1954 by saying, 'N*****, n*****, n*****.' By 1968, you can't say 'n*****' - that hurts you, backfires. So you say stuff like 'forced busing,' 'states' rights,' and all that stuff. You're getting so abstract now [that] you're talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you're talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is, blacks get hurt worse than whites."
Atwater's strategy hinged on exploiting ignorance, fear, and division - exactly the kind of forces Grant warned against. Instead of promoting intelligence and unity, Atwater's tactics stoked cultural resentment and appealed to base instincts, ultimately contributing to a more polarized and divided political landscape.