In the case of the White Supremacists, it wasn't a case of voting for Carter or for Reagan, but voting for Reagan and not voting at all. The intent of the Reagan campaign was to get them to vote AGAINST Carter and the Democrats--the party that had betrayed White folks by admitting Black people to its membership.
It is normally easier to get people to vote against than to vote for someone or something.
Reagan and his staff would never admit that they were going to make things easier on White Supremacists, although that is what they did: no action was taken during the Reagan administration against the Mississippi Burning case. All Reagan had to do was to appoint good ol' local boys to the local FBI offices, just as he named anti-union people to the NLRB.
So when he is elected, there is no investigation because the locals do not see sufficient evidence. The anti-union NLRB staffers decide on behalf of the employers every time.
What did Carter do about the Missippi burning case?
You are not makeing a strong case here , in my opinion.
That Reagan went to Philidelphia Missippi doesn't tell me about a decision of Nixions more than a decacade earlyer. There is a festaval there every year and politicians go where the crouds gather , if BHO goes there will that signify a southern strategy on his part?
Best of all, please read the article that you posted , in which the author states that the
solid southwas converted from a bastion of Democrat power into a set of important
swing states. This is a change in the state of the States , not in the partys .
Then here you say that
"wasn't a case of voting for Carter or for Reagan, but voting for Reagan and not voting at all."
So even as you make the case for "Southern Strategy " being real , you admit that it was passive ,and that Nixon or Reagan needed do nothing nor even promise anything to reap the effect.
So if the "Southern Strategy" isn't a myth what result did White supremicy harvest from it? Since FDR there have been more Republicans than Democrats , and Civil Rights advanced for Black people with either party in office.
To me it seems wrong for either party to claim too much credit , the big change happened in the grass roots.