The paradox of Tar Heel politics : the personalities, elections, and events that shaped modern North Carolina

cover image

Where to find it

Davis Library (5th floor)

Call Number
F260 .C57 2008 c. 2
Status
Available

North Carolina Collection (Wilson Library)

Call Number
C329 C555p
Note
Dustjacket.
Call Number
C329 C555p
Status
In-Library Use Only
Item Note
Dustjacket.
Call Number
C329 C555p c. 2
Status
Available

Park Library (School of Media & Journalism)

Call Number
F260 .C57 2008
Status
Available

School of Government Library

Call Number
F260 .C57 2008 c. 3
Status
Available
Call Number
F260 .C57 2008 c. 4
Status
Available

Undergrad Library

Call Number
F260 .C57 2008
Status
Available

Authors, etc.

Names:

Summary

How can a state be represented by Jesse Helms and John Edwards at the same time? Journalist Rob Christensen answers that question and navigates a century of political history in North Carolina, one of the most vibrant and competitive southern states, where neither conservatives nor liberals, Democrats nor Republicans, have been able to rest easy. It is this climate of competition and challenge, Christensen argues, that enabled North Carolina to rise from poverty in the nineteenth century to become a leader in research, education, and banking in the twentieth.



Although party divisions and the issues of race that often distinguish them are deeply rooted, Christensen explains, North Carolina voters remain loyal to candidates who focus on issues such as education and building a business-friendly infrastructure. He takes us to picket lines and debates and through numerous red-baiting and race-baiting political campaigns. Along the way we are introduced to many remarkable characters, including a U.S. senator who was a Nazi sympathizer, a candidate for governor who was a Soviet agent, a senator who helped bring down Joe McCarthy and Richard Nixon, and a TV commentator who helped usher in the Reagan Revolution. Long before the talk of red state-blue state polarization, North Carolina was an intensely divided state politically. With Christensen as a guide, readers may find there is sense after all in the topsy-turvy nature of Tar Heel politics.

Contents

The Simmons machine -- The Shelby dynasty -- Branchhead boys -- The last of the conservative Democrats -- Dixie dynamo -- Jessecrats -- Jim Hunt and the Democratic revival -- Phoenix rising -- White shirts.

Other details