As a side note, I didn’t realize presidential elections weren’t always this close (the first presidential election I was old enough to vote in was 2000)!
Yeah, the midwest was a hotbed of progressive politics for the first half of the 20th century. Think Robert Lafollette and William Jennings Bryan. Labor unions were much stronger, and were pretty much the only organizing force in these communities besides churches. So when the unions disappeared…the rest is history. Even decades-long dyed-in-the-wool Democrats from the plains states are voting Republican now.
I’ve been reading What’s the Matter with Kansas? which provides a fascinating account of this phenomenon. Highly recommended.
But it looks like the west and midwest has swung back and forth
http://nationalatlas.gov/electionsprint.html
As a side note, I didn’t realize presidential elections weren’t always this close (the first presidential election I was old enough to vote in was 2000)!
Laurel
12 Nov 04 at 9:51 am
Yeah, the midwest was a hotbed of progressive politics for the first half of the 20th century. Think Robert Lafollette and William Jennings Bryan. Labor unions were much stronger, and were pretty much the only organizing force in these communities besides churches. So when the unions disappeared…the rest is history.
Even decades-long dyed-in-the-wool Democrats from the plains states are voting Republican now.
I’ve been reading What’s the Matter with Kansas? which provides a fascinating account of this phenomenon. Highly recommended.
Jeff
16 Nov 04 at 9:20 pm