THIS FAR AND NO FURTHER
A Timeline of Events Surrounding the Radical Right's Attempt to Subvert American Democracy
Written and Compiled by Black Max
They Said It:
Beyond Red and Blue
The Massachusetts Institute's Robert David Sullivan does an exhaustive analysis of how America breaks down into ten separate political regions, taking the simplistic "red state-blue state" paradigm several important steps further. The breakdown is summarized as follows, using the given map:
- Northeast Corridor: Includes New York City, all of New Jersey, and easterly parts of Pennsylvania and Maryland. By far the most affluent and well-educated region on the map, the Northeast Corridor is quite liberal, giving both parties some of their most prominent liberal spokespersons.
- Upper Coasts: Two disparate areas on the map, one anchored by Boston and the other by San Francisco, make up this region. Very liberal in makeup, and often this region is the cradle of burgeoning industries. Affluent, well-educated, but battling chronic labor shortages. Though it may be more liberal than the Northeast Corridor, it is less reliably Democratic, as third-party candidates of all stripes tend to capture the imaginations of this region's voters.
- Great Lakes: Includes several upper-Midwestern cities such as Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh. Slow population growth makes its politicians vulnerable to change. Strongly, and more traditionally, Democratic.
- El Norte: The newest of the US's 10 regions, this area, covering the southwestern edge of the US from California to Texas, much of New Mexico, Denver, and a small enclave in southeastern Florida, is strongly Hispanic. Economic liberals tend to do well in this region.
- Big River: Includes most of the Mississippi River watershed, from Minnesota and Wisconsin to Louisiana, and includes such Midwestern cities as Memphis, St. Louis, and Nashville. This is the center of Democratic "prairie populism," and often gives the Democrats successful national leaders. It is by no means a secure region for Democrats, though, and its states are often the most hotly contested in the country. In this region, conservative Democrats often fare better than their liberal colleagues, and anti-abortion Republicans find strong support.
- Southern Lowlands: A region swinging from Delaware and Maryland through the southern Atlantic states and into Louisiana, this region has some of the most racially segregated congressional districts in the country, featuring strongly black (and strongly Democrat) districts countered by equally strongly white (and thusly Republican) districts. Major cities include Atlanta, Charlotte, and Jacksonville. The region has moved steadily rightward during the last decade, though it is still strongly contested in most races. Republican segregationists still have their followings in this region.
- Farm Belt: Includes Nebraska, most of Kansas, the Dakotas, and slices of western Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri. This region is the whitest of all 10 regions, and one of the poorest; predictably, it is reliably Republican in its makeup.
- Appalachia: Comprised of the Appalachian Mountain region cutting through Pennsylvania and including West Virginia and parts of several Southern states, it is the oldest and poorest of the 10 regions. It tends to run conservative, making it tough for liberal Democratic candidates to spark much interest in the electorate.
- Southern Comfort: Encompassing the Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas, and including large swatches of East Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, this is the most reliably Republican region in the US. Democrats who do well in this region tend to be either conservatives, natives, or both.
- Sagebrush: Geographically the largest of the 10 regions, it includes all or part of 17 states, including most Western states, Maine, and parts of New Hampshire. Its main cities include Colorado Springs and Phoenix, and the region is probably the fastest growing, economically speaking, in the country. While often reliably Republican, the region conflicts strongly with the religious conservatism of the "Southern Comfort" region, marked by economic conservatism and cultural libertarianism. -- CommonWealth Magazine
