The Big Blue Wall

15 Jan 2009 05:45 pm

Atlantic Media's political director Ron Brownstein calls it the Big Blue
Wall. They're the 18 states which have voted for Democratic presidential
candidates consistently through at least five election cycles. That's
248 electoral votes. (In contrast, Republicans have won 13 states worth
about 93 electoral votes over five cycles.)

In a cover story for the next National Journal, Brownstein describes the
common demographic profile of these states -- "affluent; well-educated;
ethnically and racially diverse; culturally moderate to liberal; with
below average rates of church attendance and fewer evangelical
Protestants than the national mean."

Since his days at the Los Angeles Times, Brownstein has been a principal
expositor of the idea that electoral coalitions are built around and
sustained by culture, rather than economic well-being. And cultural
indicators predict that these states will remain blue for years to come.
That is -- Democrats may be on the leading edge of this trend.
Brownstein identifies two trends -- an increase in racial diversity --
and "the growing Democratic strength among white voters with college or
postgraduate degrees."

In 1988, large, affluent, white-collar suburban counties such as
Montgomery and Delaware in Pennsylvania, Bergen in New Jersey, Oakland
in Michigan, and Fairfield in Connecticut, provided huge margins for
George H.W. Bush.

These counties aren't likely to swing back to the Republicans anytime soon.

- - -


:)

"HK" wrote in message
...
The Big Blue Wall

15 Jan 2009 05:45 pm

Atlantic Media's political director Ron Brownstein calls it the Big Blue
Wall. They're the 18 states which have voted for Democratic presidential
candidates consistently through at least five election cycles. That's 248
electoral votes. (In contrast, Republicans have won 13 states worth about
93 electoral votes over five cycles.)

In a cover story for the next National Journal, Brownstein describes the
common demographic profile of these states -- "affluent; well-educated;
ethnically and racially diverse; culturally moderate to liberal; with
below average rates of church attendance and fewer evangelical Protestants
than the national mean."

Since his days at the Los Angeles Times, Brownstein has been a principal
expositor of the idea that electoral coalitions are built around and
sustained by culture, rather than economic well-being. And cultural
indicators predict that these states will remain blue for years to come.
That is -- Democrats may be on the leading edge of this trend. Brownstein
identifies two trends -- an increase in racial diversity --
and "the growing Democratic strength among white voters with college or
postgraduate degrees."

In 1988, large, affluent, white-collar suburban counties such as
Montgomery and Delaware in Pennsylvania, Bergen in New Jersey, Oakland in
Michigan, and Fairfield in Connecticut, provided huge margins for George
H.W. Bush.

These counties aren't likely to swing back to the Republicans anytime
soon.

- - -


:)

Fine. Obama won. He takes over next week. Let's turn the page and get on
with life, huh?

Eisboch

On Fri, 16 Jan 2009 23:43:30 -0500, "Eisboch"
wrote:

Fine. Obama won. He takes over next week. Let's turn the page and get on
with life, huh?

Excellent idea. Better yet, let's go boating and discuss it right
here.

(currently docked in Key West amidst a *lot* of expensive sailboats)

http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/...query=key+west

http://www.premiere-racing.com/

On Fri, 16 Jan 2009 23:43:30 -0500, Eisboch wrote:


Fine. Obama won. He takes over next week. Let's turn the page and get
on with life, huh?

Eisboch

Exactly!

Let's end the phony wars, bring our soldiers home. Break the backbone of
the Military Industrial Complex and their whores for good that grip "our"
government.

"We have met the enemy and he is us."
Walt Kelly through the comic strip character Pogo

RLM

On Jan 17, 11:13*am, Wayne.B wrote:
On Fri, 16 Jan 2009 23:43:30 -0500, "Eisboch"
wrote:

Fine. *Obama won. *He takes over next week. *Let's turn the page and get on
with life, huh?

Excellent idea. * Better yet, let's go boating and discuss it right
here.

(currently docked in Key West amidst a *lot* of expensive sailboats)

http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/...cast?query=key....

http://www.premiere-racing.com/

Heh, I have a few inches of ice to chip off my boat first... I guess I
could put skis on it

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 16 Jan 2009 23:43:30 -0500, "Eisboch"
wrote:

Fine. Obama won. He takes over next week. Let's turn the page and get
on
with life, huh?

Excellent idea. Better yet, let's go boating and discuss it right
here.

(currently docked in Key West amidst a *lot* of expensive sailboats)

http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/...query=key+west

http://www.premiere-racing.com/


Guys like you can really **** people off. :-)
It looks like we are in for a warming trend though.
This morning when I got up it was 1 degree F.

http://www.eisboch.com/weather.jpg

Eisboch

RLM wrote:
On Fri, 16 Jan 2009 23:43:30 -0500, Eisboch wrote:


Fine. Obama won. He takes over next week. Let's turn the page and get
on with life, huh?

Eisboch

Exactly!

Let's end the phony wars, bring our soldiers home. Break the backbone of
the Military Industrial Complex and their whores for good that grip "our"
government.

I am glad we spend $400 Billion to $500 Billion a year on the military
industrial complex. This very medium you are communicating on was
originally sponsored and incubated by DARPA (Defense Advance Research
Projects Agency) in the 1960's. There are two things that have provided
for our safety and security in the world. The first is the two oceans on
the coasts of the CONUS and the second is the best equipped and trained
military the world has ever seen.

I thank the military industrial complex every day.

"We have met the enemy and he is us."
Walt Kelly through the comic strip character Pogo

Yes, the enemy is us. It is our own citizens with our arm extended with
our hands turned palm up waiting for someone to give us something. The
age of entitlement is upon us and it is sickening to see. What we need
is to be kicked in the ass and told to put our arms down and get a job.

I don't want to hear about how everyone is being laid-off either. Back
when we only had 200 million people in this country we had the same
unemployment percentage. The number of people in the country has
increased by 50% and in that time the unemployment rate/percentage has
remained stable.

BAR wrote:


I don't want to hear about how everyone is being laid-off either.


Sure...stay delusional. It's the modern Republican way.

hk wrote:
BAR wrote:


I don't want to hear about how everyone is being laid-off either.


Sure...stay delusional. It's the modern Republican way.

Let me put the rest of the paragraph back in. So the full context of
what I was saying is restored.

I don't want to hear about how everyone is being laid-off either. Back
when we only had 200 million people in this country we had the same
unemployment percentage. The number of people in the country has
increased by 50% and in that time the unemployment rate/percentage has
remained stable.

BAR wrote:
hk wrote:
BAR wrote:


I don't want to hear about how everyone is being laid-off either.


Sure...stay delusional. It's the modern Republican way.

Let me put the rest of the paragraph back in. So the full context of
what I was saying is restored.

I don't want to hear about how everyone is being laid-off either. Back
when we only had 200 million people in this country we had the same
unemployment percentage. The number of people in the country has
increased by 50% and in that time the unemployment rate/percentage has
remained stable.

Sure...stay delusional. It's the modern Republican way.