This is an old piece.   In view of the renewed push from the right to drag the GOP even farther to the right, I thought it was worth the read.

In the interview, Atwater explained how the GOP, in its appeal to Southern voters starting with Richard Nixon’s Southern Strategy, reconfigured overtly racist policies from the Jim Crow era into Reagan-era economic policies, including particularly budget cuts targeting the poor:

Atwater's pretty free with his use of the "n" word in this piece.   Apologies, but it's in context and should be seen that way.