Whistling Dixie

Jonathan Barthos Whistling Dixie explores the interdependent political relationship between Ronald Reagan and the white conservative South, a relationship that had a profound impact on Reagans own career, on the political landscape of the South and the entire United States, and on the identity of the modern Republican Party. Millions of southerners were attracted to the GOP by Reagans anti-statist ideology and their affection for the man himselfan affection that had been built over decades of appearances in the region. The support of these white southern conservatives was crucial to Reagans political success, ultimately propelling him to the White House in 1980. Conversely, by supporting Reagans presidential campaigns, southern conservatives were able to influence the direction of the Republican Party and begin restoring their region to a position of power in Washington.Bartho deftly provides a new perspective on Reagans political career and the Republican Party of the Reagan era while detailing the often-rancorous philosophical differences between Reaganism and southern conservatism and the resulting political conflicts. Whistling Dixie highlights a divide in the Republican Party and in American conservatism that has often been overlookeda divide that laid the foundations for the GOPs southernization and ultimately led to the rise of Donald Trump.