Thread by @jackmjenkins

1. Okay, I missed this while I was away, but we need to talk about this David French “What Democrats Don’t Get About the South” piece in TIME.

As we say in the South, this piece is just French “puttin’ on airs” when it comes to assessing Southern Dems —> time.com/5349531/democr…

2. For starters, French throws around a claim about white Democrats and their belief in “the God of the Bible” without providing context.

Here’s what he says (weirdly unsourced, and we really need to stop saying “elite” like it means anything), and here’s the actual context:

3. See that “nonwhite Dem” stat? That’s important in the South, which features, say, major African American populations in the so-called “Black belt” (w/in blue strip below) and emerging Hispanic populations in Texas, etc.

Guess what? Those populations are often super religious.

4. e.g., here’s just some random data I pulled on Alabama, which shows black voters trending hard to the Democratic Party.

This is a key demographic in the state, and as @mboorstein noted last year, they were key in Dem Doug Jones’ 2017 senate win. washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-f…

5. Also props to my colleague @YonatShimron, one of the few reporters who saw the rising influence of this group coming in that race. religionnews.com/2017/12/07/in-…

6. The reality is that the Dem Party looks different in different places, which is to be expected for a party that is far more diverse (in multiple ways) than the GOP.

But anyone who watched the 2016 DNC knows Dems have a strong faith component —> vox.com/2016/7/29/1232…

7. French appears to gloss over all of this.

In fact, when French talks about “the South” as a voting block, it really seems like he’s mostly talking about the WHITE South.

8. But see, demographics in many parts of the South are changing, and while faith remains key, it’s not clear the majority will remain animated by the same cultural touchtones (e.g., guns) @DavidAFrench waxes poetic about.

Also rounding up immigrants isn’t “comical” French wth.

9. Selective visions of the South are nothing new — honestly, it’s something we Southerners excel at.

But maybe French, like many Southerners, should rethink his own.

10. Oh also French claims to be a lifelong Southerner but he was born in Kentucky and Kentucky isn’t really the South THAT’S RIGHT I SAID IT (but we’ll still buy your bourbon).