the Dixicrats came from the democrat party and returned to the Democrat party after the election of 1948. Thurmond switched to republican in 1964, and was pretty much the only one who did. This is yalls big switch? Democrats kept charging forward with their vile racism, with Hillarys good old buddy Byrd being one of them. He even filibustered the Civil rights act of 1964 and was one of the ones the voting rights act of 1965. Her statement was he was a friend and mentor, lol...you cant make this crap up. When Jim Crow, segregation and the Klu Klux KLan wasnt winning them elections, elections dominated by Republicans between 1865 and the 1920s, they must have thought they needed a new plan. Maybe your talking about FDRs New Deal? You know the one where he tried to get the support of the southern Democrats, and they flatly told him that they would come on board as long as he made no effort to overturn segregation or lynching. Of course he agreed to this, the NAACP was really hoping he would jump on board with the anti lynching bills in 1922, but he would not because he needed the southern democrat racists to pass New Deal legislation. Funny thing is his wife Eleanor support anti lynching bills and championed them. FDR even hooked those Democrat racists out by getting Hugo Black, KKK member , appointed to the Supreme court. Lets not forget the Social Security Act of 1935 which the southern democrats, whose support FDR needed, again black balled and made sure it did not apply to agricultural laborers nor domestic servants—a pool of workers that included at least 60 percent of the nation's black population. New Deal programs like the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) were segregated and offered the best jobs to whites. The administration denied FHA loans to blacks seeking to move into white neighborhoods, but they did assist blacks in buying homes in black areas. Despite all of this enormous pandering to the racist Democrats in the south in complete opposition to the black community, by 1936 75% of blacks became Democrats on the promise of this "New Deal" So yeah I suppose there was "big switch" but it wasnt what you propose, where the Republican party became the racists...not by a flipping long shot