Southern Politics

February 8, 2013 - The mismatch between who voters chose for Congress, and the actual makeup of the U.S. House after the 2012 elections, has sparked a new debate about gerrymandering. But what's the best solution to ensure the wishes of voters are honored?

February 7, 2013 - The woman picked to lead North Carolina's early childhood education programs is facing media scrutiny for derogatory statements she's made on social media. In 2005 she was at the center of another controversy: a widely-discredited government website accused of anti-gay bias and peddling false information about contraception and abortion.

January 30, 2013 - Every December, the family foundation run by GOP mega-donor Art Pope publicizes the money it gives to the arts and community services. But it rarely mentions its grants to conservative groups and causes -- even though they make up 70% of the Pope Foundation's philanthropy.

January 30, 2013 - The legislative session that starts today promises to bring big changes to North Carolina as the leaders of the once-progressive state seek to slash unemployment insurance, create a more regressive tax code, impose voter ID requirements, increase private control of public schools, and enshrine right-to-work in the state constitution.

January 24, 2013 - President Obama outlined a decidedly progressive-minded agenda for his second term -- one the South's white oligarchy of business, political, religious and media leaders will fight tooth and nail.

January 18, 2013 - Much of the impetus for the civil rights movement came from students who led marches, took beatings, sang freedom songs, and went to jail. James Orange organized schools in Birmingham, Ala. and recounted his experiences in a 1981 interview in Southern Exposure, which we share in honor of the magazine's 40th anniversary.

January 17, 2013 - In 2012, 41 percent of Southern voters chose a Democrat for Congress. But this month, less than a third of U.S. Representatives from the South will be Democrats. Welcome to the world of gerrymandering, Southern-style.