It’s August 2nd. On this day in 1980, Ronald Reagan kicked off his 1980 presidential general election campaign with a speech at the Neshoba County Fair in MS. During the speech he used the phrase “states rights,” which was widely seen as a racial dog whistle.

Jody and Niki are joined by Kevin M Kruse of Princeton to discuss Reagan’s campaign, the significance of that kick-off speech, and the long running Southern Strategy.

Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory

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Election Sunday: Reagan's Dog Whistle (1980)