On both sides of the aisle, politicians have fanned the flames of racism to secure support for their campaigns. As outright discrimination has fallen out of favor (More profound racism institutionalized in the past perpetuates a subtle and insidious racism today (Oluo)), they have resorted to coded messages that rally this support. Examples are Law and Order, State’s Rights, Average Working American, etc.
George Wallace may have been an initial innovator in this area, although Nixon adopted the strategy in order to beat him. Should do some research into others, such as Reagan and Clinton mentioned in the book. Trump almost went all the way back to overtly courting this support.
When society is constantly telling you that you are not supposed to be facing any of these problems, because you are a white man, your anger will convince you that somebody has stolen what should be yours. The danger with this type of anger becomes most apparent when a savvy populist decides to name that target for you. In the 1960s, the opportunist who exploited white male fear and anger was George Wallace. — Mediocre, pg 125
In response to Wallace’s appeal to white, working-class voters, the Nixon campaign decided to outnigger Wallace with a so-called Southern Strategy. Shifting the focus of the campaign to one of law and order, protecting state’s rights, and promises of returning America to the average workingman, the campaign employed clearly recognized codes (which are still used to this day) for “we will restore your position of superiority over Black people.” Nixon’s move toward a white supremacist campaign, coupled with the power of the Republican Party, was enough to defeat both Wallace and Humphrey and win him the presidential election. A strong message was sent from Nixon’s victory: if you want to mobilize the white American working class, you must at least allude to reinforcing its economic and political power over communities of color. Several future presidents—from Reagan to Clinton to Trump—took the lesson to heart. — Mediocre, pg 127