An interesting article that breaks down the red state/blue state concept we’re all so familiar with into red county/blue county terms. If you’re too short on time to read, it turns out that most blue states are actually predominantly red when viewed by county. Likewise, most red states have some large blue sections. The blue sections turn out to be mostly the major cities. The author then argues that the Democrats need to focus more on ‘urban issues’. It’s worth reading even if you don’t agree with all of the points made. I think there’s some real wisdom in there.
Oh, and by the way, I’m really sick of all these “It’s the [Blank], Stupid” slogans and titles. It wasn’t that funny or insightful the first time.
3 replies on “It’s the Cities, Stupid”
Yeah
I saw a map some time back that showed the nation based not on the electoral results, but in a spectrum of red to blue based on what percentage each state (down to each county, actually) voted for either candidate. The most interesting thing to be found is that it’s not so much that the country is divided into two extremist camps of red and blue, but that most of the country is rather purple. While there are certainly strongholds of solid blue-ism and red-ism, there are a lot people there who are either A) not strongly inclined in one direction or the other, or B) pretty much disgusted with the way that extremists and special interest groups have taken over both parties.
I suppose politics (and so-called journalism!) is a lot easier when you can point out two directly opposing forces and play them against each-other. I don’t think it’s very healthy for the country, though.
It’s amazing to me that America as a whole doesn’t seem capable of dealing with elections comprising of more than two major parties. Why don’t third parties have a chance? It’s sad. And why don’t journalists try harder?
I agree 100% with the 2 party thing – I’d love to see a little less dominance from the two big players. My guess is that it’s mostly an issue of inertia – most Americans are born into traditionally Republican or Democratic leaning families and grow up not really comprehending that there could be alternatives.
Of course, it’s not in the interests of the major parties to change this, and most of the (relatively) successful 3rd parties are so out of sync with The Average American that they have yet to gain traction.