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The Red Sea - Want to know why George Bush won? Set sail into the crimson heart of America
WaPo ^ | 1/16/05 | David Von Drehle

Posted on 01/17/2005 7:51:58 AM PST by pissant

Early in December, with a photographer and his assistant, I drove from Nebraska, near the geographical center of the United States, to the heart of Texas -- more than 700 miles, through empty spaces and sprawling cities and all or part of four states. We headed pretty much due south, no dodging or weaving. And never did we pass within 100 miles of a county that voted for Democrat John F. Kerry in the recent election.

We were voyaging on the Red Sea.

This Red Sea does not appear on any map but one. Or let's say, it appears most clearly on one particular map. This map is marked with the boundaries of the 3,141 counties or county equivalents in the 50 United States. Counties where Kerry won more votes than President Bush are colored blue. The rest, the counties carried by Bush, are red.

See?

Blue islands and blue archipelagos, a blue isthmus here, a blue peninsula there, rise in a Red Sea that stretches from coast to coast. Rise quite literally, in many cases, because blue country is often marked by skyscrapers and high-rise condos and state capitol domes and university clock towers. Red country, as we shall see, is often quite flat.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bush
Probably the 1st time a Wash. Post reporter has been to middle America.
1 posted on 01/17/2005 7:52:01 AM PST by pissant
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To: pissant; Admin Moderator


Previous thread
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1322099/posts


2 posted on 01/17/2005 7:54:53 AM PST by Timeout (What's the chromosome, Kenneth?!)
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To: pissant

Wonder if he understood that Red America IS the REAL America?


3 posted on 01/17/2005 7:55:22 AM PST by Judith Anne (Thank you St. Jude for favors granted.)
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To: pissant
The reporter probe parachuted through the previously unexplored atmosphere and relayed data back to the mothership in Washington for an hour and a half.

It will take decades to analyze the treasure trove of data.

4 posted on 01/17/2005 7:55:26 AM PST by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
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To: pissant
Somehow, I think the majority of America already KNOWS why George Bush won. :)
5 posted on 01/17/2005 8:05:05 AM PST by SoFloFreeper
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To: pissant

I'd rather drown in the Red Sea than swim in the blue.


6 posted on 01/17/2005 8:10:04 AM PST by benjaminjjones
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To: pissant
I wonder if the reporter was required to go through a de-contamination process upon returning to the blue of WA DC?

Maybe he was just mentally evaluated to make sure that his mental conditioning was in tack.

I'll never forget one of my first visits to Washington DC and see that the leading TV stories were which congressional committees were meeting the next day and who was scheduled to testify. I said to myself that that kind of stuff wasn't what this country was about or what was truly significant and newsworthy anywhere but within the Beltway.

The same can be said about the gossip column in the NY Times and NY Post. Likewise, what is on sale at Macy's or the latest in fashion doesn't determine what is happening in this country.

In all fairness, having spent time in the red sea, I can also say that while extremely important to some starting the daily news with commodity futures prices on cattle, wheat and other products and following up with soil moisture contents and detailed weather forecasts, also is not what American is about.

American is about hard working people, the American dream of independence and the pursuit of happiness. Boy are we lucky and boy have our ancestors and those who live here before us worked hard so we could have these unique opportunities. That is what the Red Sea is about.

7 posted on 01/17/2005 8:10:57 AM PST by Robert357 (D.Rather "Hoist with his own petard!" www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1223916/posts)
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To: SoFloFreeper

My perspective is as some one who has "escaped NY" 25 years ago and living in the "Redonia" ever since.

People growing up in NYC/NJ/NE area have no clue. They are so wrapped up in their own little me me me staus world and look down on the rest of us (very generally speaking and no offense to those behind the enemy lines).

I am inwardly bemused at couples living in LI bragging about pulling down 350 K- Not mentioning, having a nanny raise their kid, paying the mortgage on a 900K house (2400 ft2), as well as ponying up 20 K in property taxes, and paying through the nose for everything.


8 posted on 01/17/2005 8:14:55 AM PST by slapshot ("Where is my NHL season??????)
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To: pissant

Want to know why George Bush won?

Like duh! He got three million more votes.

9 posted on 01/17/2005 8:17:39 AM PST by reg45
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To: pissant
Counties where Kerry won more votes than President Bush are colored blue. The rest, the counties carried by Bush, are red.

What I would really like to know is how the "libs" and "lefties" managed to preempt the color "blue" to designate lib counties and states in presidential elections. The 92 election and before the colors were reversed and the libs were accurately depicted by the color "RED".

10 posted on 01/17/2005 8:25:25 AM PST by kimosabe31
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To: kimosabe31

They whined of course. As the media is their b*&$h they let the libs have their way. Red was just too appropriate for these commies.


11 posted on 01/17/2005 9:11:34 AM PST by conservativewasp (Support John Kerry......... Ho Chi Minh would. Damn! Now I need a new tagline.)
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