{cont.}  ... 45 seconds of the 42-minute interview.  In context, Atwater is describing the "evolution" of a Southern politician from the 1940s through the 1970s, and the rhetoric they would employ to win votes.  He isn't describing his own attitude (necessarily), and he certainly doesn't say, "This is how I advised Ronnie to do it."   And it's clear that's how he was understood at the time.  Prof. Lamis himself says at one point, "So, you're saying the Reagan's use, er, actually, non-use of race as a strategy in the South is because he has a broad national base?"  "Non-use of race ..."  Interesting phrase, eh??

In the interview, Atwater says time and time and time again (at 5 or 6 different points), that  *race wasn't an issue* in the 1980 campaign - the two key issues to winning the vote of the bluecollar white Southerner were (a) economics and (b) national defense.  He goes on to say that the emerging black middle class ("doctors, and lawyers, etc, that I've talked to ...) ...