2004 election maps....

[Helevitia]

or as us westerners call it, well balanced

[Dr Mordrid]

More stuff coming in....this time some quotes by Democrats re: their new situation;

Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn.

"We Democrats better think long and hard about what happened ... and how our party is going to connect with the hopes and aspirations of the people, We have lost the ability to connect with people's value systems, and we're going to have to work to get that back."

Sen. Zell Miller, D-Georgia (retiring & replaced by a Republican Tuesday)

"Secular socialism, heavy taxes, big spending, weak defense, limitless lawsuits and heavy regulation — that pack of beagles hasn't caught a rabbit in the South or Midwest in years. The most recent failed nominee for president stands as proof that the national Democratic Party will continue to dwindle."

Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-North.Dakota

"I think that the Democratic Party nationally is perceived as being out of step with mainstream values. I want our party to do a better job of speaking to matters of faith and family."

House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-California (San Francisco)

"We have lost just about everything that we can lose."

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom

"There is a sense of helplessness that we couldn't tip the election in any way. We couldn't do it rhetorically or in an actual vote. You feel powerless."

Green Party leader Jo Chamberlain

"We stepped aside and told the Democrats, 'Go get the White House' and they failed, so now the progressive left is suffering because of their poor planning and leadership."

The other interesting point is that there is likely to be an inter-mural war between the "old Democrats", the DLC (the centerist Democratic Leadership Council) and the far-left "Dean-iacs" for control of the party.

I guess it was inevitable that the long knives would come out, but if the Dean-iacs win it will just further marginalize a party that's already too far to the left. Trying to attract them during the primaries is what made Kerry take positions that took him down the creek in the general election.

If, on the other hand, the DLC gains influence (they have been pushed aside by the leftists since the late 90's) then you'll see candidates like DLC Chairman Sen. Evan Bayh D-Indiana come to the fore to rival Sen. Hillary Clinton for the 2008 nomination.

Sen. Bayh and his ilk are about the only hope the Democrats have for that year. Even then they'll have to nominate a VP that can balance the ticket regionally. Examples are Rep. Harold Ford D-Tennessee or New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to attract southern or western voters back to the fold.

Rep. Ford is one of the new generation of centerist black leaders whose popularity crosses party lines. Gov. Richardson is a former UN ambassador and very much a centerist tax cutter who believes in minimalist and efficiently run government.

If instead they nominate Sen. Clinton the same dynamics that nailed them this year will be in place, only more so since she's one helluva lightning rod in the south, southwest, midwest and mountain states.

Dr. Mordrid

[G400SG16mb]

the mainstream in the USA seems to be going more and more right wing.

[GT98]

Originally posted by G400SG16mb
the mainstream in the USA seems to be going more and more right wing.

Population is getting older too...tends to be come more conseritive

[VJ]

Originally posted by G400SG16mb
the mainstream in the USA seems to be going more and more right wing.

This is not only the case in the USA. Just think about Austria a couple of years ago. But even in Belgium and neighboring countries extremist right parties are gaining in popularity.



Jörg

[ZokesPro]

Jesusland... can't help but laugh everytime I read that!

@Jesterzwild: I want to move the the Tropics of Canada!!!

[Jammrock]

...Sen. Hillary Clinton for the 2008 nomination.

Brings back the old rumor that Kerry was picked to lose against Bush so Hillary could run in 2008. Next election, I think, will make the last two seem like walks in the park.

As for the left (liberal) - right (conservative) swing (remember that not all countries use the same left-right system, in Denmark the left-party is the conservative one) occurs at the change of pretty much every generation.

Though in my own view, I have noticed that people are more apt to go extreme left or extreme right, and few are in the middle any more.

[Maggi]

oh my god ...

the USofA has been taken over by the reds

communistic bastards y'all ...

[Dr Mordrid]

That coding used to be reversed with blue being Republican and red Democrat. This was the case when Reagan won in 1980.

Rumor is that the leftist media types who made the change decided to get rid of red for Democrats because it reminded people of their socialist leanings.

It didn't help

As for the increasing polarization; that started back in the early 80's after Reagan won and the Republicans took over the Senate for the first time in 25 years.

The Democrats just freaked out and started saying that if you voted for Republicans they'd take away senior citizens Social Security & the oldsters would starve to death, babies would die (even though the Dems were the ones supporting partial-birth and late-term abortion) and other such nonsense.

Once the bomb-throwing started it spread to both parties due to retaliation and has just gotten worse over time.

When the Democrats lost the House of Representatives in 1992, giving the Republicans control for the first time in over 40 years, things went even further downhill.

That really put the Democrats over the edge and the rhetoric ramped up to the point of silliness on both sides.

Dr. Mordrid

[Kooldino]

Interesting stuff.

[ALBPM]

I glad and Shocked to see New Mexico vote Republican for once in the almost 40 years I've lived here.

Finally, in the last few years we have been able to get rid of the corrupt Democratic Padrones that have made New Mexico State Politics the laughing stock of the nation.

Here, Hispanic families are raised to vote Democrat no matter what. So, we have been stuck in a vicious cycle of small-time State Politcians embezeling State funds and keeping New Mexico stuck in 3rd World Nation status/mentality for years.....

The only Democrat I have had any respect for has been our current Govenor Richardson.

Take a Democrat to lunch........ They're Crunchy on the Outside and Chewy in the middle.... That's because they are a bunch of Spineless Crooks and Whiners down here......LOL!!!!!!!


Ah....... I feel much better now

[mmp121]

Doc M,

Where did you get those images from? Is there a higher resolution one (especially of the US by county map)? I know CNN has each state's county by county, but I prefer yours that shows the entire US by county.

And yes I know I can just right click on the pic and get the URL (which goes to docs web site). But I want to know the source of the images.

[K6-III]

I, for one, am fully in favor of USC. Let Jesusland exist on its own...

[The PIT]

I thought this had finnished seems it hasn't.

[GT98]

Originally posted by K6-III
I, for one, am fully in favor of USC. Let Jesusland exist on its own...

Yet again why we can't get anything done in this country, we always have to be one side or the other instead of working together to work out your differences.