This is an interesting piece from the Associated Press that speaks to the complex currents of political change. The same independent spirit that resists taxation also fuels "liberal" causes like reproductive rights, same-sex marriage and legalizing pot. Ultimately, we're all more complex than simple party labels.
It also includes this amusing quote from a libertarian: "The West is the most American part of America."
Once GOP stronghold, West veers into Dems' column - Associated Press, Jan 26, 2013
1 comment:
Agree with the noticeable "leaning" toward the Democrats, especially in the case of the Mountain West, but I disagree the general thesis that the West was a "GOP stronghold" in the past or even that it will be more Democratic. Western Washington and the rest of Cascadia has always been very liberal, not to mention the urban-rural, liberal-conservative splits, respectively, up and down the coastal states. I don't see that the Mountain states are all that center-left, and I'm not even sure that the libertarian trend is such a good thing, either. And the initiative process has certainly been abused to the conservative right-wing advantage. In any case, the trends in CO, NV and even AZ are encouraging, provided that the Latino/Hispanic demographic continue to nudge those states to the Dems column.
Post a Comment