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Visual Validations of the 50 State Electoral Strategy
personal.umich.edu — These density-equalized electoral results cartograms quite literally show that upon closer examination, the United States aren't simply either "red states" or "blue states," but shades of purple.
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- sungoddess808, on 03/24/2008, -0/+6Great visuals!
- saska, on 03/24/2008, -0/+9Ahhh. Excellent political geek article.
- playuhh, on 03/24/2008, -2/+4hehehehe... deep deep bluish purple in november ftw!
- aladrin, on 03/24/2008, -3/+2Buried for lack of purple.
- Odeon, on 03/24/2008, -1/+2This is the best visual representation of US voting patterns I've seen.
What's interesting to me is that Republicans have built such a strong rural following this map makes it seem as if they'd only have to add 1 major urban area to lock up the presidency for the foreseeable future. With a better cut of the votes in Seattle or Chicago the G.O.P. could win a state that, outside of it's major city, is Red. Conversely, the Dems would have to spread their efforts over a much larger land area to cut into the conservative base.
What do you guys think?- Treoinmypocket, on 03/24/2008, -2/+4It isn't so much that Republicans have built up such a strong rural base as it is the psychology of living in a big city makes people more liberal. People tend to turn inward in big cities and look at the larger problems (of the city society around them) as not their problem but rather one that government should deal with.
That isn't a political party statement but a sociological reality.- vinnyvenus, on 03/24/2008, -1/+1Another theory is that cites seem to have huge minority population which favor democrats.
This is a what we call exit poll reality.- Treoinmypocket, on 03/24/2008, -2/+1There is also a theory that says city-dwelling minorities favoring of Democrats is a result of their being influenced by living in a pro Democrat area. In other words, it is a self fulfilling prophecy.
- Terr01, on 03/25/2008, -1/+1Another theory is that in the city you have to cooperate more and have to notice the kind of infrastructure that your tax dollar gives you instead of indulging in delusions of never being given anything back from your taxes.
- Treoinmypocket, on 03/24/2008, -2/+1There is also a theory that says city-dwelling minorities favoring of Democrats is a result of their being influenced by living in a pro Democrat area. In other words, it is a self fulfilling prophecy.
- vinnyvenus, on 03/24/2008, -1/+1Another theory is that cites seem to have huge minority population which favor democrats.
- Treoinmypocket, on 03/24/2008, -2/+4It isn't so much that Republicans have built up such a strong rural base as it is the psychology of living in a big city makes people more liberal. People tend to turn inward in big cities and look at the larger problems (of the city society around them) as not their problem but rather one that government should deal with.
- mtnagel, on 03/24/2008, -3/+1Welcome to 2004.
- felman87, on 03/24/2008, -1/+3And this is just 2004, imagine how much more purple things are today. Obama can play extremely well in this environment
- PerroLoco, on 03/24/2008, -4/+2Lies.
Damn lies.
Statistics.
Do they have one of those weighted by percentage of votes cast actually counted? - Treoinmypocket, on 03/24/2008, -5/+2This is interesting and something people should remember when they hear people like Hillary rail against the Electoral College. The Electoral College ensures less populace states have enough power in the election process as to not get overrun by the larger populations of the cities.
True democracy would see the country run by the populated states without regard for the rest of the country. The balance of the Electoral College gives more people a voice - counter-intuitive as that seems on the surface.- stonewaljacksn, on 03/24/2008, -2/+1dugg down for bringing hillary into it. as if all democrats weren't "railing" against the electoral college when Gore won the pop vote...as if ridiculous amounts of Dems aren't still railing against it today. at least keep your extreme bias out of ONE unbiased article
- Treoinmypocket, on 03/24/2008, -0/+1Extreme bias? I did say people "LIKE hillary". I know many Democrats have argued for the demise of the electoral college but Hillary reperesents the very cynical nature of that call - at least in my mind - because she has been thru her husband's two Presidential elections, knows intimately the value of it and is therefore all the more repugnant in making this call.
I don't think I'm biased, I think I used a compelling example - at least that was my intent.
- Treoinmypocket, on 03/24/2008, -0/+1Extreme bias? I did say people "LIKE hillary". I know many Democrats have argued for the demise of the electoral college but Hillary reperesents the very cynical nature of that call - at least in my mind - because she has been thru her husband's two Presidential elections, knows intimately the value of it and is therefore all the more repugnant in making this call.
- macman2k, on 03/24/2008, -0/+2The federal government is supposed to be a government of states not a government of people. Therefore, each state is supposed to be represented. Senators were supposed to be selected by the state government, not the people of each state. When you look at it from this perspective it changes your entire view of the electoral college. The goal was to keep power local and not centralized.
- Treoinmypocket, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1You are correct.
- stonewaljacksn, on 03/24/2008, -2/+1dugg down for bringing hillary into it. as if all democrats weren't "railing" against the electoral college when Gore won the pop vote...as if ridiculous amounts of Dems aren't still railing against it today. at least keep your extreme bias out of ONE unbiased article
- datastorageguy, on 03/24/2008, -2/+6That's great but Bush still won...twice. Thanks for playing.
- fluxion, on 03/24/2008, -0/+2right...
except this article has nothing to do with who actually won the election. it's just a more accurate picture of the political affiliations of the country.
Thanks for playing.- datastorageguy, on 03/24/2008, -1/+1I think the implied intent of this study is to show that the visual interpretation of the larger portion of the continental US being "red" does not indicate accurately the vote count. I agree with the study, but it is clearly motivated by other factors.
- fluxion, on 03/24/2008, -0/+2right...
- SpaceRibs, on 03/24/2008, -3/+2Does anyone else see jesus in the gradient version?
- triskele, on 03/24/2008, -1/+2Cartograms are always fun.
- dddavid, on 03/24/2008, -1/+1Excellent
- Rippleeffect, on 03/24/2008, -0/+1Might be obvious to most, but Dems tend to congregate around the urban centers. GOP like their space.
- TinternAbbot, on 03/24/2008, -0/+4At the risk of having my comment dugg down, I'm going to say that anyone who thought any state was a perfect red or blue is a perfect moron.
- incongruity, on 03/24/2008, -0/+2This is all well and good, except it all kinda fails to account for the way people see color (or, rather, how different colors are perceived differently): http://homepage.mac.com/tcp/PurpleAmerica/
- Jordan117, on 03/24/2008, -0/+3The last two maps make it look like a big blue America is being strangled by a giant red weed...
- MaikuSan, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1Ultimately, they're just red states and blue states because of the dumbass electoral college system.
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