Why does the Mississippi River flow "Blue" in spots?

[primatreat]

easy..... welfare!

[Socratic]

Mercury poisoning.

[Iowa Granny]

I can't speak for the other states, but the Quad City area (Davenport), Burlington, and Ft Madison have sizable River related industry, which is Unionized.

That would be Davenport in the Center or the bulge at the North/South halfway point,, Burlington at slightly more than halfway South of Davenport and Ft. Madison on the Southern Point of the Mississippi shoreline.

I don't know if my description makes sense to someone who doesn't understand the lay of the land. If not, ask questions and I'll try again.

[Rightly Biased]

ditto

[joesnuffy]

Well there's barely blue and then theirs 'heavily' blue...the map only show blue

[doctora]

Any blue is too blue for us.

[Esther Ruth]

I noticed that also as soon as the map came out and it made me curious also. I have noticed one area that we go to a few times a year, the northwest corner of Illinois, near Galena Illinois, Dubuque and all - very liberal, arts & croissants, progressives, etc. No one seems to be working, just meeting and forming committees, beautiful areas, tourism - but you can see the depression, but it does seem self inflicted, as if they are perhaps intentionally trying to bring in socialism (duh). As you go through all the towns also the churches that are the most predominant are liberal left leaning churches... these areas could REALLY use some right thinking churches... hint hint.. go ye!

[muawiyah]

Upstream you have the old Scandoteutonic corn/hog belt. The Germans grown the corn, vote Republican, and live the good life. The Scandinavians raise pigs on that corn, vote Commie, and feel despondent all the time.

Is there some problem understanding this? You oughta' hear those guys moan and groan ~ 's all the time.

[dufekin]

Yes. You got it. The Mississippi Delta (which extends from Louisiana clear to Illinois) is populated primarily by African-Americans, who are required by dictate of Jesse Jackson to vote Democrat, lest they be disenfranchised. This phenomenon also explains the smattering of blue counties throughout the South, including the "black belt" (so called because of the fertile soil, which in turn attracted plantations, which employed slaves, whose descendants still live there today).

Then there's Saint Louis. No questions there.

Move further north, and I believe that the Kerry bubble in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota is a vestige of the Farm state Democrats of ages past. After all, Kerry ran under the Democrat Farmer Labor banner in Minnesota, a label that probably attracts its share of unwitting agriculturalists. Many of these counties contain small cities, much of their population consisting of unionized workers. This vestige is eroding gradually.

Scores (i.e., 8-0-2 for Alaska) are, beginning in 1968, the number of Presidential contests when the Republican won an absolute majority, the number of contests when the Democrat won an absolute majority, and the number of contests where neither candidate won an absolute majority. For example, Republicans won 8 elections in Alaska, Democrats none. In 1968, Nixon (R) won 45-43-12, and in 1992, Bush (R) won, 40-30-30; no candidate (or an independent candidate) captured a majority in either of these elections. (In 1992, the Republicans won no states with an absolute majority, and the Democrats captured only Arkansas and DC.)

Nationally, we're 5-1-4. And that one was only barely, when Jimmy Carter won 50.1% in 1976.

Iowa is 4-2-4. Oops, make that 5-2-3; Bush did make 50%, now leading 50-49-1.

Wisconsin is just 2-1-7, a truly perpetual "battleground state." The 1 was Michael Dukakis, illustrating the uphill road that the Bush campaign had in Wisconsin. That Bush Jr. (2004) beat Bush Sr. (1988) in Wisconsin seems to signify an erosion of Democratic strength here. This time, Bush is behind right now by 11,813, and he could close that gap with overseas military ballots.

Minnesota is a horrible 1-5-4, a liberal bastion dominated by Minneapolis, where Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale still loom large. Minnesota will erode our way in due time, but it will be a latecomer, like Arkansas in the South.

[Tunehead54]

River 'RATS

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Well that 'splains it. I declare this issue closed. ;-)

[reg45]

When we lived in Indiana we called them River Rats.

[quantim]

Note the I-75 corridor in MI and the indian reservations in the U.P.

[nana4bush]

Check this thread for an interesting African American precinct breakdown.

http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1272048/posts

[MaryFromMichigan]

Despite all the red, Michigan as you know, went to Kerry.
There must be talk of starting a petition to have Detroit secede from the rest of the state.

[quantim]

Just getting rid of dem fraud would take care of most of it.

[TexasJones]

South Texas is EXTREMELY uneducated minority populated.

[jolie560]

To make the analysis even more challenging--check out both Vermont and Connecticut. Both are almost solid blue. It's hard to add a reason for that into the Miss River Delta mix.

[doctora]

Good stuff - thanks.