"...who lived through that time will not soon forget what they now see as the birth of [the] American conservatism"

was misstyped. This is what I meant to say:

"...who lived through that time will not soon forget what they now see as the birth of American conservatism."

I'm not quite sure just what it is you meant by your post, but other than my typo, I stand by mine. Essentially, I support Buck's remarks completely, I merely added more material to explain why I felt that way, material from my own experience and memory. As I said before, I don't think modern day conservatism is based on a racist foundation. I have made this point several times in other posts. It would be unfair to broad-brush all conservatives with a stain I am aware most do not share. In fact, I don't think racism as it was once understood in this country, that black people are inherently inferior for genetic reasons, is believed by any but the most ignorant and mean-spirited people, and I believe these people are a vanishing species and contribute less and less to the political dialogue every day.

Having said that, even though I don't think most conservatives are racists, I do believe most racists are conservative. I base that opinion on the accumulation of racists around conservative principles, at least of the rabid Southern variety I am most intimately familiar with. I do concede that they started out as democrats, but when the democratic party declined in the south, the most toxic of these racists embraced conservative thought. They also accepted the entire suite of conservative political principles, even though none of these principles were particularly racist in themselves. They, and their descendants and disciples, are still with us.

I hesitate to elaborate much on these issues because I know I cannot substantiate them with statistics or research, after all, it is no longer fashionable to admit publicly you're a racist and data is scarce. But I must form my opinions on what my instincts and experiences tell me when hard science is not available. I lived through that history and those times and have spent most of my life in the South, particularly the period immediately before and after the assassination of Kennedy, the period which coincides with the rise of modern conservatism. The modern Republican party owes as much to Southern racism as the old Republican party owed to Northern Abolitionism.

As far as other anecdotal evidence is concerned, every blatant and unrepentant racist I've encountered on this board has always posted from the conservative viewpoint. I owe you all this much, and you may all respond in any way you like, but I will not discuss this issue any further.