From the CiviL War onward, Corporatist ran the Republican Party. The major Cities (With the Exception OF New York City) were Solidly Republican (New York City Tammy Hall do to its connections with the people in the Streets was able to fight Corporations to a draw till the time when most Inner Cities went Democratic but that was NOT till the 1930s). Till the 1920 Census, the Majority of people lived in RURAL AMERICAN, not Urban American and "voted the way their shot" i.e. Northern Rural Areas went GOP, Southern Rural Areas went Democratic. This was the situation form 1865 till 1896. This worked out well for Corporate American, Tariffs were high to keep imports OUT, immigration was loose to keep labor cost down and the GOP wanted the Dollar on the Gold Standard, even if this meant any money collected by the Tariff went to pay off the CiviL War Debt quickly (it was paid off by 1874), so quickly that the 1870s was a series of Recessions that forced wages even lower.
In the 1880s the desire to do something about the decline in the Standard of Living began. Since most people lived in Rural areas, this movement started in Rural America, both North And South. The solution desired was "Free Silver" i.e. Free coinage of Silver Coins. The problem for Corporate American was this meant they would have to take a Silver Dollar (Silver value about 50 Cents) when they had previously had to take in payment only Gold Dollars which since the 1870s had about a Dollar's worth of Gold in each Gold Dollar. Corporate America did NOT want this inflation for it would REVERSE what had been the rule in American since 1865, Paper Dollars INCREASED in value till they were worth $1 dollar in Gold. This DEFLATION, drove wages down, the price of Crops down, but Corporate profits UP. THus the Farmers of American wanted Inflation so that Wages, crops etc would go up in value, while they debts would go down. Silver was a good choice for unlike Paper, Silver had value, and thus could NOT lead to hyper-inflation, just a slow steady inflation that most economists today say is the best way for an economy to be (I will NOT go into why, but it ha to do with how people deal with selling something that has lost value).
Anyway, this demand for Silver was strong in the 1880s and became Stronger during the 1890s. The GOP refused to even think about "Free Silver" but the Democrats dropped pro-Gold Cleveland in 1896 for Pro-Silver William Jenning Bryan in 1896. He ran on a pro-Silver Ticket, was outspent 10-1 and at least one person stated he only lost because the GOP cheated. Bryan was pro-Silver, Pro-Labor, anti-Corporation, pro-regulation (Yes a "Progressive" in the true meaning of the world). Bryan took the Democratic party from being a "me-to" party it had been since the Civil War, to the progressive party it was int he middle of the 20th Century (and had to fight this fight over and over again, as people like the DLC kept trying to take the party back). In 1900 he ran again, but inflation had returned do to the opening of Gold Fields in South Africa and Australia so Free Silver was NOT the big issue in 1900 in had been in 1896, but imperialism was. Imperialism became the big issue in the election of 1900, Byran opposing the US taking the Philippines while McKinley (and McKinley's Vice President Theodore Roosevelt) wanted it part of the US, no matter how many natives we had to kill. In 1904 Theodore Roosevelt ran against a Democratic DLC equivalent and the Democrats lost (Bryan is noted for his absence in the campaign) but Bryan returned again in 1908, this time pushing his Corporation Regulations more than anything else (After 1908 Bryan said he would NOT run again, and came out for Woman's right to Vote, something he had avoided do to his need for Southern Votes, but when he did not plan to run again he came out for the Vote for Women, this is from a man whose WIFE was an Attorney as was at least one of his Daughters).
Anyway, I went into Bryan's Campaigns for he pushed the Democratic Party to the left. THe GOP responded by going left themselves for they saw HOW while he was doing and attempted to head off the left ward movement. This was Theodore Roosevelt's famous comment to a fellow GOPer regarding one of the Reforms TR was supporting that if he did NOT support TR's program, then more radical people (like Bryan) would get elected and you will like his program even less.
Now Bryan was the greatest speaker of his time, people would travel to hear him speak. He "authored" a book (i.e. collected together and had it published) a collection of some of the greatest speeches ever made, he included both Grant's famous "Why I am a Republican" and "On Woman’s Right to the Suffrage" by Susan Brownell Anthony.
Some of the Speeches Bryan thought were "Great":
http://www.bartleby.com/268/Bryan like great Speeches, but he also like what we would call progressive ideas. This live of progressive ideas came out of his fundamentalist roots, he believed in the bible. In many ways his attendance in the Scoops Monkey Trial was more an attempt to bring the issue of the use of the theory of Evolution to downplay traditional Christian ideas of Charity and care for your fellow human beings, than any attack on Science.
A list of Difference between the Movie "Inherit the wind" and the Scoops Monkey trail:
http://www.themonkeytrial.com/A more detail website on the Trial:
http://www.bradburyac.mistral.co.uk/tennesse.htmlAnyway, Bryan is noted for staying out of the 1920 Election, forcing the 1924 Democratic Convention to go over 100 ballots before picking a Candidate (Which Bryan wanted to be progressive,s ot he party put his brother on as VP). Bryan was dead by 1928, so the DLC equivalents was able to get a Tammy Hall politician nominated (Al Smith) who then suffered the worse defeat any Democratic Candidate has ever suffered. In 1932 FDR won, but became more and more progressive as the 1930s went on (but like Bryan ignored the problem with the Blacks do to the need for Southern Votes). Bryan's fundamentalist followers stayed loyal to the Democratic Party during this time period, as did the Rural Grange. This was continued into the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.
One of the reason FDR went Left in the 1930s was the conversion of most inner cities from GOP strongholds to Heavy Democratic inner Cities. These new City Bosses wanted aid for their people, including Welfare and work programs. The rural South and North also had these same needs. Thus what we call progressive/Liberal society was forged in the 1930s. The GOP took notice and tried to stay relevant, but found that the Rural north was NOT enough to keep them in power. A Change was needed and they found it in the Democratic decision to embrace racial integration. Racial Integration technically was part of the Democratic Platform in the 1930s, but except for some WWII construction jobs in the South (Which seems to come from Elanor Roosevelt more than her Husband) it was all talk and little actual work. This changed under Truman, who tried to integrate the Services AND had a anti-Lynch law passed (This gave Truman over 2/3 of the Black votes in 1948, enough to get him re-elected, prior to the 1930s Blacks had voted overwhelmingly for GOP candidates, when they could vote, many of these blacks would vote for Ike in 1952 but afterward would become solid Democratic Voters).
Thus if you look at the Democratic Party in the 1950s, you had a problem. The Democratic Party was very strong in the Suburbs, but weak in the Suburbs. Strong in the South, but the Southern Support was Anti-black, while inner city Democrats were pro-black (i.e. blacks could vote, but stay in certain neighborhoods). Most liberals had joined the Democratic Party bringing with them a more liberal attitude to race relations, an attitude many in the South opposed. Nixon saw this as a GOP opportunity, and he convinced his corporate supporters to "reach out" for these Southern White Voters. Many were fundamentalists (as had been Bryan) so the Corporatist decided to fund these Fundamentalists and arrange for them to be able to get broadcast TV Stations as a "non-Profit". The only restrictions was these Fundamentalist could NOT endorse any Candidate (This was good in the 1960s for many would have had to support Democrats).
Nixon "Southern Stagerty";
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_strategyThe reason for this "reach out" was that the GOP needed to take Voters from the Democratic Party. These Southern Whites look easy to get. These Fundamentalist preachers obtained Radio Stations, TV Stations and started to preach they fundamentalist ideas. The preachers stayed with traditional Christian Ideas until they had they followers hooked and them slowly changed the message to one of pro-Corporatist. Traditional anti-black attitude of Southern Fundamentalist help as these preachers pointed out the "problems" the blacks were causing (i.e. the race riots of the 1960s). This message was sent cross country but the emphasis was on the South (Virginia to Texas). The South had NEVER supported Government as much as the north so low taxes and services was (and is) the norm down south. The fundamentalist thrived in this insecure environment(Which reaches into the Mid-west in the areas along the Ohio River).
The policy of Corporatism as to the American South is to feed the Fundamentalist ideas that do NOT conflict with what Corporate American wants done, and to minimize any ideas that interfere with corporations. The problem is these Fundamentalist want SOME, IF NOT ALL, OF THEY CHRISTIAN IDEAS ADOPTED. These include anti-abortions laws, but corporations care less about such laws and tell their GOP congressmen and women to do what the Corporatist want. This is the cause to the present split between the Fundamentalists and Corporatist. Not surprisingly the reason for the split seems to be Iraq. While both wanted to invade Iraq, the Fundamentalist do NOT want they sons (and daughters0 dieing in a war of occupation (and definalty nOT for oil). Bryan's position on War still rings down to the Fundamentalist, it is to be done is needed, but if war is NOT needed it MUST be avoided (Bryan resigned as Secretary of State over Wilson's refusal to rein in the New York Banks loans to France and England, Bryan saw it was sooner or later forcing the US into WWI so he resigned to protest the refusal). Thus the split in the GOP. Fundamentalist have an inherit problem, Christianity REQUIRES you to be concern about your fellow humans, that is clear in the bible. Once you show the GOP can do NOTHING about abortion, then care for fellow Humans kick in. On that the Democrats are viewed as better by the fundamentalists. Thus between the Anti-War and Help your Fellow Human ideas (emphasis by Bryan when he was on the Stump and repeated to his day by many Fundamentalists) the Fundamentalist will vote Democratic IF THAT IS THE ONLY ISSUES and right now that is the only issue that fundamentalist can see can be solved by Politics (Abortion appear NOT be solving by Politics and thus out of the picture).
Now the fundamentalist are big in the American South, and as such an important part of the GOP. They are weak in the West (i.e. the part of the US EAST of California but West of Mississippi River). These areas the message the GOP uses is less Religious then libertarian. This message thrives for most of this area is still owned by the US Government for most of it is to dry for Agriculture (a lot of Cattle graze this area, but mostly on US owned land). These Westerns want to be able to go to these Federal lands and do as they please, even through they do NOT own the land, and at the same time expect the Federal Government to bail them out of any problems. Corporatist like this attitude for it means little ORGANIZED residence to their agenda and such people are easy to convince the problem is NOT the Corporations but the Federal Government. Now this is the SMALLEST are of the US in population, but the huge number of Electoral votes is why Bush won in 2000 and why Corporatist try to keep this area happy with their Corporate message.
The third areas of GOP strength is Suburbia. These are much more liberal than the South for example they want the option to get an abortion if they want one. They support equal rights for Blacks, but demand lower taxes. Corporate American tends to live is Suburbia. They want good roads and Cheap fuel. They want to see the value of theirs homes increase each year. Do to the actions of the GOP to win southern Fundamentalists, this groups has tuned against the GOP. For years the GOP thought they could keep Suburbia, the West and the South. This was the GOP plan since Nixon's Administration. For 12 years they did so, till Iraq show even Suburbia the problems with the GOP program. Now Suburbias has been and will be the most loyal GOP areas (Older Suburbs are becoming more city like and as such more Democratic, by Suburbs I means those areas Built since the 1950s i.e. since 1960).
This is the problem facing the GOP, Corporate America wants to control oil, but NOT to send their sons to fight for it (i.e. Suburbia does NOT want to fight these wars). The south does NOT want to, neither does the West. These three bases for the GOP reject this war (Through Suburbia only reject it if they have to fight it). This is the split within the GOP, the people who have done the Fighting for Corporate ideas (i.e. the Southern White Male) sees no reason to fight this war. Like the Democrats in the 1960s it is time for a switch in party loyalties, the question who will defect first? Will it be the Rural North? These guys have been ignored for years by the GOP, taken for granted. They want improvements in their rural areas but such improvements are NOT being down (or if they are done are done by Democrats).
The South Appears to be Solidly GOP, but the Fundamentalist are disorganized, the war and the lack of care for their fellow humans violates they basic Christian ideas, they will NOT join the Democrats over Abortion, but will also NOT support Corporate America in this war. The west is even worse on this level. The last group, Suburbia are used to GIVING ORDERS not having ot do them (i.e. fight this war).
What I foresee is the Rural North defecting slowly to the Democratic Party while the Fundamentalist South just sits the next few elections out. The West and Suburbia will support the GOP, but together they are NOT enough to win.
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