2 chapters across the catalog
The discussion critiques the characterization of Lyndon Johnson as a civil rights hero, citing his private recordings as evidence of deep-seated racism. Carol Swain provides historical data showing that Republicans were competitive in the South as early as 1928 under Herbert Hoover, long before the alleged Southern Strategy of the 1960s.
Shelby Steele views the 1964 Civil Rights Bill and 1965 Voting Rights Act as America's greatest moral moments. However, the discussion posits that this national reflection was driven by the television screen. Seeing images of racial violence broadcast into living rooms created a sense of national shame, which eventually transformed into the phenomenon of white guilt.
