Andrew Sullivan the sullyblogger has an interesting post about George Romney, Barry Goldwater, and the Nixonian "Southern Strategy" that made the Republicans who they are today. One very striking thing: he includes this fascinating 1976 electoral college map (with post-2000 colors so we can understand it):
Comparing that map to current electoral maps is quite mind-blowing. This shift occurred in my lifetime.
And this quote:
We need only look at the experience of some ideologically oriented
parties in Europe to realize that chaos can result. Dogmatic ideological
parties tend to splinter the political and social fabric of a nation,
lead to governmental crises and deadlock, and stymie the compromises so
often necessary to preserve freedom and achieve progress. – George Romney, 1966.