Posted on 08/12/2005 6:38:26 PM PDT by Reagan Man
Check again. Not one, but two. Jackson is on the list twice. Spots 191 and 192.
Dallas beat Austin as more liberal......excuse me while I laugh hysterically!
This just in: We're conservative Study findings are based on Abilene's voting recordhttp://www.reporter-news.com/abil/nw_local/article/0,1874,ABIL_7959_3997110,00.html
By Brian Bethel / Reporter-News Staff Writer August 12, 2005
When it comes to being conservative, we're No. 3 - at least according to the Bay Area Center for Voting Research, a Berkeley, Calif., think-tank.
In a recent study that looked at which presidential candidates cities supported in 2004, Abilene is listed as a national bastion of conservative thought and a supporter of President Bush, bested only by Lubbock at No. 2 and Provo, Utah, at No. 1.
Big surprise, say self-proclaimed conservatives. And liberals, for that matter.
''Abilene has become progressively Republican over the years,'' said Dr. Roger Spier, president of the Taylor County Democratic Club. ''All you have to do is look at the results of the last election to see that.''
What it all means, however, depends on one's political point of view.
''When you travel through the district like I do x85 the conservative nature of the area is constantly reinforced,'' said 19th District U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer, who represents Abilene and Lubbock - and, like President Bush, is a Texas Republican. ''I think the people of West Texas are God-fearing, love America and are by nature very conservative.''
At least some liberals beg to differ.
''The Republican Party has in the main been hijacked by an ultra-conservative movement,'' Spier said. ''They're riding on the bus to crazy town, and Abilene apparently has decided to go along for the ride.''
The Bay Area Center examined 2004 presidential election returns to see how people voted in each city. The two major candidates were the victorious Bush and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, a Democrat.
From those numbers, the center found percentages that were used to determine the voting habits of each city, said Lindsay Hogan, a spokesperson for the group.
While the study does show a strong Republican vote in Abilene, at least in the presidential election, even those who espouse particular philosophies often look at such studies with suspicion.
''I don't know what liberal and conservative really mean anymore,'' said Dave Haigler, Taylor County Democratic Party chairman. ''There are a lot of so-called conservatives, for example, who are on a campaign to undermine and dismantle our three-part separation of powers, which would not seem to be a conservative effort.''
Conservative newspaper columnist Cal Thomas - whose work appears in the Reporter-News and who called Texas ''one of the most pleasant places I've ever been,'' said he tends to find such polls ''suspect.''
''I often want a better definition of what conservative and liberal means,'' he said. ''Liberals care about their families and their children, just as conservatives do.''
Abilene's overtly religious nature - it is home to three Christian universities - was cited by some as part of its conservative appeal.
Eddie Jordan, pastor of New Light Baptist Church, said he has been impressed by the city's traditionally Christian nature.
''I do think conservative values are important here,'' he said. '' ... We have people who don't share those values, of course, but overall I think Abilene is a very conservative, thoughtful place.''
Abilene Mayor Norm Achibald agreed.
''I think it has a lot to do with our longtime history of being a conservative community, our West Texas values and our religious values,'' he said.
Top 10 Conservative Cities
1. Provo, Utah
2. Lubbock
3. Abilene
4. Hialeah, Fla.
5. Plano
6. Colorado Springs, Colo.
7. Gilbert, Ariz.
8. Bakersfield, Calif.
9. Lafayette, La.
10. Orange, Calif.
Top 10 Liberal Cities
1. Detroit
2. Gary, Ind.
3. Berkeley, Calif.
4. Washington, D.C.
5. Oakland, Calif.
6. Inglewood, Calif.
7. Newark, N.J.
8. Cambridge, Mass.
9. San Francisco
10. Flint, Mich.
Source: Bay Area Center for Voting Research
"...excuse me while I laugh hysterically!"
Point taken.
Definitely bullcrap, but I've been worried about Dallas since Kerry came within one point of winning it last year.
-Dan
I was wondering where Bryan-College Station fell in that category.... I think we've got Colorado Springs beat.
Yeah, I noticed that.
But basically, as I have already noted earlier, this is based entirely on partisan voting trends, not on actual cultural factors.
For example, I do find it believable that Mobile is the most Republican large city in the state, after all, we elected the state party chair to be our first elected Mayor in 75 years, and odder still, he had strong black support. (Municipal elections are non-partisan)
However, if the question is, are we most conservative, I'd say the answer is a qualified hell no. Now, we're not liberal by any means, but, when you get down to it, this is not the Bible Belt, something which I can't say for say Birmingham or Montgomery. Despite the fact that Montgomery County was carried by Kerry, I do think Montgomery is the most conservative of the Big Four, based on the fact that well, it is very much a Bible Belt town.
You look at some of the other cities on the list, their placement and all, and it is just out of proportion to what I know about alot of these areas, and I find it absurd that Dallas is higher on the list than Austin. Granted, Austin is full of Willie Nelson types, people who would vote for Kucinich and yet still hunt deer. This said, I don't think this makes them more conservative than Dallas, cause I have always thought of Dallas as one of the most conservative cities in the country.
Anchorage, Alaska, number 29? I would have thought it in the top 10. Most conservative city I've had the pleasure of visiting. Though its paper, Anchorage Daily News, is a liberal rag. Owned, not by Alaskans, but by a rich California conglomerate.
Fairbanks, our other "big" city, is not on the list. Even more conservative than Anchorage.
and I find it absurd that Dallas is higher on the list than Austin.
Not any more. It is your typical big city. Remember, you start out by carving the Park Cities out of the middle of it. You still have conservatives in North and Far North Dallas, but they are outnumbered by Oak Cliff, East Dallas, West Dallas, and of course, Oak Lawn.
There might be a couple of Republicans on the City Council, but it is overwhelmingly liberal. One of the last 4 mayors was republican. The other 3 have been democrats from core constituencies.
Dallas County, on the other hand, has only one (as I recall) democrat among the officials elected county wide.
No, B-CS voted Democrat -- and very liberal Democrat at that -- for Congress in 2004. Or if the Republican candidate won B-CS, her margin was too small to win district-wide.
Tony Sanchez defeated Rick Perry in Dallas Co. as well, I seem to recall.
California = 15 of the top 50 conservative cities.
California = 22 of the top 100 conservative cities.
That ought to drive home the fact that outside of the large population cesspools, California has a whole lot of conservative voters.
And should dispell the oft made claim that the state is a liberal wasteland.
Along the southern coast, four of the six counties in 2004 were red (republican); San Diego, Orange, Ventura and San Louis Obispo.
Six of the top 50 conservative cities are in Orange County, alone.
By way of population figures, San Diego and Orange counties both number about 3 million souls.
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