re: Alabama falls to #49 in ranking of all 50 States. Drops 3 spots from #46 in 2018.

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You claimed the Civil Rights Act, which only passed because of Republicans over the universal opposition of southern Democrats (including an impassioned filibuster led by liberal icon Robert Byrd), pushed southerners to Republicans because...racism? It's so stupid that it doesn't require any challenge. It's clearly, historically, false. Anyone claiming otherwise should be immediately discounted

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It was a culmination of several factors, but the CRA was the straw that broke the camel's back. It was an effective wedge and very much the basis of the GOP's southern strategy that followed the CRA's passage.

Republicans can't claim sole responsibility. Yes, southern democrats opposed the CRA, but the law was introduced and pushed through via democratic control in both legislative bodies, and signed by a democratic president. And yes, a larger percentage of republicans voted for the bills. So what did the southern wing of the democratic party, the Dixiecrats, do when they were overruled? The voters effectively switched loyalty to the party that chose to cater to them via the southern strategy. Some legislators, like Byrd, reformed. Most, like Thurmond, switched parties entirely. This is why the south has been solidly republican since then.