I had not given any real thought to the exact time that things flipped in the South but I believe you've pretty well nailed it David. In thinking back to the events as they happened in my own area and the way many reacted it makes sense. When George Wallace announced his run for the presidency, quite a few Southerners turned Independant. It wasn't so much that they agreed as a whole on Wallace policy and actions in the Civil Rights events but that he did take a stand for the Southern point of view on Federal intervention in what should have been state issue. The correctness of that stand is another matter. He was one of 'us'. He understood that the reaction to Federal mandates made for a bitter taste in many mouths. The Democratic Party was no longer one that could be accepted by the Southern born because it had become so liberal on some issues that left the region at a loss. The Republican Party was more accepting too of the thoughts of conservative people who were a majority at that time. When Wallac was shot, the Independant idea went by the wayside. The reasonable choice became the Republican Party because at least there was a feeling there could be some moderation after all of the turmoil that again mostly occurred on Southern soil. We had been disrespected, and as today lumped into one unkind and general catagory, This change was one way to show this displeasure. As time went on, it became more of a 'fit' for the party affiliation. They had indeed flip flopped.

Pam