This is topic Do I live in a red state or what... in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.


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Posted by brojack17 (Member # 9189) on :
 
So I voted today. I go to the table to get my ballot and there are three signs hanging on the wall:

Republican
Last Name
A-J

Republican
Last Name
K-Z

Democrat
Last Name
A-Z
(at the end of the table)

Not only are there apparently twice as many Republicans as Democrats, but the Democrats are pushed to the end of the table.
 

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Posted by Ron Lambert (Member # 2872) on :
 
How is it that "red state" came to mean Republican and "blue state" came to mean Democratic? Red has always connoted left--that's why commies are also called reds. And everyone knows the Democratic party these days is the left-leaning liberal party. So it should be Democratic states that are red, and Republican states should be true blue.
 

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Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
 
Good show, Ron. I had trouble figuring out if that was intentional or unintentional parody.
 

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Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
 
I can never remember which color goes with which party.
 

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Posted by kmbboots (Member # 8576) on :
 
"Republican" and "red" both start with "r".
 

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Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :
 
As does "Ron Lambert"

--Enigmatic
 

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Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
 
link
 

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Posted by Juxtapose (Member # 8837) on :
 
It could just be a red county.
 

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Posted by Irami Osei-Frimpong (Member # 2229) on :
 
I thought there was red meat involved.
 

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Posted by brojack17 (Member # 9189) on :
 
I never thought about why the colors were what they were. Good luck trying to call republicans red in the '80's.

I was in San Francisco for work and struck up a conversation with a guy at an Oakland A's game. When I told him I was from Oklahoma, he said, "Red Stater! Red Stater!" It was really funny.

I have always called Oklahoma the buckle of the bible belt. We have 3.2 beer and just legalized tattoos pretty recently. There are many other things but those are two examples of how conservative this place is. All that said, I still like it here.
 

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Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
 
Thanks for the link, Jon Boy. It's weird how several events came together and locked in the color scheme in 2000.
 

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Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Enigmatic:
As does "Ron Lambert"

--Enigmatic

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AS does "redneck

:ducks:
 

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Posted by Dragon (Member # 3670) on :
 
Wow, I hadn't realized that the colors were such a recent thing.
 

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Posted by Ron Lambert (Member # 2872) on :
 
Also in wiring electronic components, like stereos, VCRs, and so forth--the red cable usually goes on the left, and the blue cable on the right. I think red for leftists.

This is not parody. It is the normal, natural, nearly universal mnemonic device used internationally, as the Wickipedia article referenced by Jon Boy notes. Red means left, or it should. And since Democrats tend to be leftists, socialists, and commies in their outlook, their party color should be red.
 

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Posted by brojack17 (Member # 9189) on :
 
Of the apparently only 20 Democrats in the state, 11 voted for Hillary. She got 55% of the Dem votes.

McCain got 37% and Huckabee got 33%.
 

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Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
 
I live in a very red state as well, and particularly a red area. In the last presidential race, my precinct voted 98% Bush.

Both Decmocrats and Republicans picked up their ballots at the same tables yesterday, but I did note that the sign in book for the Republicans had already filled several sheets when I arrived and the sign in book for the Democrats was on the first page.
 

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Posted by brojack17 (Member # 9189) on :
 
I must say belle, I'm a little surprised that your area is such a red area. I heard Huntsville had more PHD's per capita than anywhere else and sense academia tends to lean to the left, I would think it would be more of a swing the other way.

But then again, you have a huge military base out there and most military families lean to the right.
 

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Posted by Alcon (Member # 6645) on :
 
According to CNN, more Dems voted in Oklahoma than Republicans. Just sayin'

401,083 Democrats voted in Oklahoma on Super Tuesday.

Only 329,726 Republicans voted.

Also Ron, that's just how the media chose it. I think the first time I remember seeing it was during the Bush-Gore election, but that's also the first election I remember seeing. Wikipedia confirms.
 

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Posted by brojack17 (Member # 9189) on :
 
Hah, I didn't even look at that. It's pretty sad that less than on million voters turned out state wide.
 

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Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
 

quote:

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I must say belle, I'm a little surprised that your area is such a red area. I heard Huntsville had more PHD's per capita than anywhere else and sense academia tends to lean to the left, I would think it would be more of a swing the other way.

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quote:

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But then again, you have a huge military base out there and most military families lean to the right.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ron Lambert:
Also in wiring electronic components, like stereos, VCRs, and so forth--the red cable usually goes on the left, and the blue cable on the right. I think red for leftists.

This is not parody. It is the normal, natural, nearly universal mnemonic device used internationally, as the Wickipedia article referenced by Jon Boy notes. Red means left, or it should. And since Democrats tend to be leftists, socialists, and commies in their outlook, their party color should be red.

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Huh. My RCA cables are all red and white, not red and blue.

Also, the article doesn't say anything about the red = left scheme being natural, just that it's common.
 

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Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :
 
Same here. The only blue cable I've seen is component video for HD.

Also, The Rabbit wins the thread.

--Enigmatic
 

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Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
 
Still no go as far as direction, note the red cable on the right.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Component_video_jack.jpg
 

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Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
 
And I can't say I've paid attention to which cable goes on the left and which goes on the right. I guess the issue of red being left is more important to Ron than it is to me.
 

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Posted by Alcon (Member # 6645) on :
 
I think Ron's just bitter that his favorite president chose to associate the color traditionally given to the hated communists with his beloved party.

Yeah, sorry Ron, look at the article. The color scheme came about because of the colors Bush and Gore chose for their campaign media. Bush chose to use red, and got it associated with the Republican party.

*shrug* Not that it really matters. The way things are going -- I hope -- things will get less partisan and the Red state vs Blue state thing should fade into the past. Soon to become known only on VH1's "I love the 00s".
 

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Posted by Occasional (Member # 5860) on :
 
Well,I grew up knowing the "sea of blue" represented Republicans. I don't care what Bush did, and frankly I think the bias media ran with it just to make the Right angry. Republicans say they are Red States with a wink and a nod, but most consider themselves blue through and through.
 

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Posted by Alcon (Member # 6645) on :
 

quote:

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and frankly I think the bias media ran with it just to make the Right angry.

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Right, cause the media has such a left leaning bias.
 

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Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
 
I've never heard any Republican complain about the use of "red state" before now. You'd think that in the eight years since it was first coined, I'd have heard something, especially living in one of the most heavily Republican states in the nation.
 

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Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
 
I reject your reality and substitute my own!
 

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Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
 
That doesn't help, reality has a well-known liberal bias.
 

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Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :
 
It cracks me up that anyone would seriously be upset about the colors used on the electoral breakdown maps. Especially when they're both included in Red, White, and Blue of the flag. (By Ron's logic does our flag have stripes of communism running through it? Is it okay to burn just those parts? )
I guess I could understand being upset if it was something like "Our party gets Shining Gold and your party gets Nauseating Green-Brown!"

The whole conversation keeps making me think of this:

quote:

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Then there was the whole "Redneck" comment. And I'm sensing that you took that negatively. But let's break down that word "Redneck". First word red, color of power, fire, passion. Second word neck... neck... hey I can't think of nothing for neck right now, but without that you still got red and that's something to be proud of.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Jon Boy:
link

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quote:

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Red means left, or it should. And since Democrats tend to be leftists, socialists, and commies in their outlook, their party color should be red.

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Yes, way to unimaginatively ignore how satire can be unintentional.

Y R WE RED, IT IS THE LIBARALS WHO ARE TEH COMMUNASTS
 

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Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
 
And if the colors were reversed, we could use "Reds" as an epithet for the Democrats instead of "Libs." Imagine the possibilities!

--j_k
 

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