---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: After 2012, Republicans controlled all 11…"
description: "\"“After 2012, Republicans controlled all 11 state legislatures of the former Confederacy, and their campaign tactics centered more than ever on depictin..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/ian-haney-l-pez-25230_democracy_after-2012-republicans-controlled-all-11_856874.jpg"
---

#  After 2012, Republicans controlled all 11 state…

![“After 2012, Republicans controlled all 11 state legislatures of the former Confederacy, and their campaign tactics centered more than ever on depicting themselves as the white party and Democrats as beholden to minorities.48 But this is a far cry from saying that what happens in” quote by Ian Haney López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/ian-haney-l-pez-25230_democracy_after-2012-republicans-controlled-all-11_856874.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/ian-haney-l-pez-25230_democracy_after-2012-republicans-controlled-all-11_856874.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/ian-haney-l-pez-25230_democracy_after-2012-republicans-controlled-all-11_856874.jpg)

> ““After 2012, Republicans controlled all 11 state legislatures of the former Confederacy, and their campaign tactics centered more than ever on depicting themselves as the white party and Democrats as beholden to minorities.48 But this is a far cry from saying that what happens in””

[Ian Haney López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Republican leaders in former Confederate states frame themselves as the true representatives of white voters, casting Democrats as beholden to minorities.

**In simple terms:** Republicans claim to be the white party, portraying Democrats as minority‑driven.

Key Takeaway

Critically assess political framing and its impact.

Themes

politics race media framing

Mood

critical analytical

Type

political commentary

When to use this quote

- election campaigns
- public discourse
- policy debates
- media analysis

Key Concepts

identity politics strategic messaging

Questions to Reflect On

- What are the consequences of such binary framing?
- How can voters see beyond party labels?

A Different Perspective

The narrative oversimplifies complex voter motivations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Republicans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/republicans/) [State legislatures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state-legislatures/)

## Related quotes

> [The 1994 midterms had been a shocking rout for the GOP, which picked up 54 seats in the House and eight in the Senate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-kornacki/the-1994-midterms-had-been-a-shocking-rout-for-the-gop-which-picked/)

[Steve Kornacki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-kornacki/)

> [Republicans controlled the federal government for decades after the Civil War, and their policies funneled wealth upward -- with dire consequences. In 1893, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/republicans-controlled-the-federal-government-for-decades-after-the/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [Republicans who controlled the government in the 1920s insisted that national prosperity depended on government protection of the rich, who they believed would plow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/republicans-who-controlled-the-government-in-the-1920s-insisted-that/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [When the Republicans controlled the House from 1994 -2006, Democrats like Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, Henry Waxman Charlie Rangel, John Conyers and Rahm Emanuel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-rollins/when-the-republicans-controlled-the-house-from-1994-2006-democrats/)

[Ed Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-rollins/)

> [There are very few situations where Republicans cheat. They don't control the inner cities the way Democrats do. Maybe if Republicans controlled the inner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/there-are-very-few-situations-where-republicans-cheat-they-don-t/)

[Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/)

> [Democrats are not a national party. They have lost governorships, state legislatures, mayoralties. They have lost 1,500 seats since elections, 2010, '12, '14, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/democrats-are-not-a-national-party-they-have-lost-governorships-state/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [...Only physicians are likely to be regarded as competent to judge the qualifications of potential physicians, so licensing boards in the various states...are typically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/only-physicians-are-likely-to-be-regarded-as-competent-to-judge-the/)

[Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/)

> [The excuse of divided government is over: they have the House and the Senate as well; they have the state legislatures; they have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellyanne-conway/the-excuse-of-divided-government-is-over-they-have-the-house-and-the/)

[Kellyanne Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellyanne-conway/)

> [I think our message,the Clinton campaign was very strong. Remember, this is their fourth campaign in South Carolina. Two for Bill Clinton. Two for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/i-think-our-message-the-clinton-campaign-was-very-strong-remember/)

[Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/)

> [Despite two decisions, in 2008 and 2010, by the U.S. Supreme Court unequivocally affirming that the Second Amendment to the Constitution guarantees an individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/despite-two-decisions-in-2008-and-2010-by-the-u-s-supreme-court/)

[Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/)

> [I am unable to conceive that the state legislatures which must feel so many motives to watch, and which possess so many means of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/i-am-unable-to-conceive-that-the-state-legislatures-which-must-feel/)

[James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/)

> [What I write about is how much influence it's had in things like state legislatures and governorships and congressional races. The other thing that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/what-i-write-about-is-how-much-influence-it-s-had-in-things-like/)

[Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/)

> [If Jehovah cannot support his religion without going into partnership with a State Legislature, I think he ought to give it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/if-jehovah-cannot-support-his-religion-without-going-into-partnership/)

[Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/)

> [Democrats, folks, only have five states where they have the governorship and the state legislature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/democrats-folks-only-have-five-states-where-they-have-the/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [The late proceedings of those daring invaders to establish a national religion have opened the eyes of all lovers of liberty and religion... I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-royall/the-late-proceedings-of-those-daring-invaders-to-establish-a-national/)

[Anne Royall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-royall/)

## More by Ian Haney López

> [“Alabama in 1927 alone, 27,701 men were arrested on misdemeanor charges and offered for sale by county sheriffs. In Blackmon’s estimation, “roughly half of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/alabama-in-1927-alone-27-701-men-were-arrested-on-misdemeanor-charges/)

[Ian Haney López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/)

> [“Start with the first half of Phillips’ statement, the claim that economic issues favored the Democrats when government programs “taxed the few for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/start-with-the-first-half-of-phillips-statement-the-claim-that/)

[Ian Haney López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/)

> [“the confluence of racial prejudice and conservative politics is the new racism. It’s a product of almost a half-century of ethnic discourse and coded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/the-confluence-of-racial-prejudice-and-conservative-politics-is-the/)

[Ian Haney López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/)

> [“When the children were asked how many white people were “mean,” they commonly answered “almost none.” But when asked how many blacks were mean,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/when-the-children-were-asked-how-many-white-people-were-mean-they/)

[Ian Haney López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/)

> [“Kevin Phillips also saw clearly that success lay in stimulating racial antipathies among whites across the country. For Phillips, if there was a regional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/kevin-phillips-also-saw-clearly-that-success-lay-in-stimulating/)

[Ian Haney López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/)

> [“The Tea Party that reenergized the GOP in 2010 and that implacably attacked Obama turned out to be a familiar nemesis of liberalism and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/the-tea-party-that-reenergized-the-gop-in-2010-and-that-implacably/)

[Ian Haney López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/)

> [“Reagan Democrats increasingly extended their antipathy from nonwhites to government as a whole. “These white Democratic defectors express a profound distaste for blacks, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/reagan-democrats-increasingly-extended-their-antipathy-from-nonwhites/)

[Ian Haney López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/)

> [“In the wake of 1984’s pummeling the Michigan Democratic Party commissioned Stanley Greenberg, then a political scientist and later a preeminent Democratic pollster, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/in-the-wake-of-1984-s-pummeling-the-michigan-democratic-party/)

[Ian Haney López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/)

> [“We would like to believe that if the polity understood that race-baiting continues to be widely practiced, people would repudiate it. Yet many whites…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/we-would-like-to-believe-that-if-the-polity-understood-that-race/)

[Ian Haney López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/)

> [“The core insight of modern liberalism is powerfully simple: we all benefit from a society that provides for the economic security and wellbeing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/the-core-insight-of-modern-liberalism-is-powerfully-simple-we-all/)

[Ian Haney López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/)

> [“Racial attacks on liberalism shifted the enemy of the middle class from big money to lazy minorities, and transmuted economic programs that helped to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/racial-attacks-on-liberalism-shifted-the-enemy-of-the-middle-class/)

[Ian Haney López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/)

> [“Dog whistling comes out of the South and its preoccupation with blacks, but it always involved equal opportunity racism, and never more so than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/dog-whistling-comes-out-of-the-south-and-its-preoccupation-with/)

[Ian Haney López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/)

> [“This is not to portray race as simply one among many issues, each with equal weight; instead, race has been the principal weapon in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/this-is-not-to-portray-race-as-simply-one-among-many-issues-each-with/)

[Ian Haney López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/)

> [“In 1963, Robert Novak had written that many Republican leaders were intent on converting the Party of Lincoln into the White Man’s Party. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/in-1963-robert-novak-had-written-that-many-republican-leaders-were/)

[Ian Haney López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/)

> [“Even so, unlike most in society, these politicians thought long and deep about how to turn race to their advantage. We’ve previously defined strategic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/even-so-unlike-most-in-society-these-politicians-thought-long-and/)

[Ian Haney López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/)

[Explore all 23 Ian Haney López quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/)

## More Democracy quotes

> [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [For not only every democracy, but certainly every republic, bears within itself the seeds of its own destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-not-only-every-democracy-but-certainly-every-republic-bears/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [There is plenty of time for Republicans to have a Macaca moment. But right now, as of October 17, 2014, the Republican Senate candidates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-continetti/there-is-plenty-of-time-for-republicans-to-have-a-macaca-moment-but/)

[Matthew Continetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-continetti/)

> [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/)

[Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/)

> [ Vote for Donald Trump. You're going to see something and you'll be so happy, you'll be so thrilled. This \[presidential\] election is about every… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/vote-for-donald-trump-you-re-going-to-see-something-and-you-ll-be-so/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-peaceful-transition-of-power-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-our/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

> [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Failure to find a way to incorporate political Islam in democracy, however uncomfortable its ideology is for secular liberals, will mean we have given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crispin-blunt/failure-to-find-a-way-to-incorporate-political-islam-in-democracy/)

[Crispin Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crispin-blunt/)

> [In a democratic nation, power must be linked with responsibility, and obliged to defend and justify itself within the framework of the general good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/in-a-democratic-nation-power-must-be-linked-with-responsibility-and/)

[Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/)

> [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/)

[Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/)

> [“All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or back gammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/all-voting-is-a-sort-of-gaming-like-checkers-or-back-gammon-with-a/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

[Browse all 11,220 Democracy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“After 2012, Republicans controlled all 11 state legislatures of the former Confederacy, and their campaign tactics centered more than ever on depicting themselves as the white party and Democrats as beholden to minorities.48 But this is a far cry from saying that what happens in”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ian Haney López"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/after-2012-republicans-controlled-all-11-state-legislatures-of-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Democracy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/after-2012-republicans-controlled-all-11-state-legislatures-of-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/ian-haney-l-pez-25230_democracy_after-2012-republicans-controlled-all-11_856874.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/ian-haney-l-pez-25230_democracy_after-2012-republicans-controlled-all-11_856874.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/ian-haney-l-pez-25230_democracy_after-2012-republicans-controlled-all-11_856874.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“After 2012, Republicans controlled all 11 state legislatures of the former Confederacy, and their campaign…” — Ian Haney López",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Ian Haney López",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“After 2012, Republicans controlled all 11...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/after-2012-republicans-controlled-all-11-state-legislatures-of-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/after-2012-republicans-controlled-all-11-state-legislatures-of-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
