[GeekDejure]

When and how did this absurd color scheme become accepted by conservative Americans??? Does RED not stand for Communism??? The colors on this map should be reversed !!!

[Captain Jack Aubrey]

It used to be reversed. When Carter beat Ford, all the GOP states on the TV networks were blue and Carter red.

It changed sometime after Reagan, maybe with Bush 1. I thought it was nuts the first time I saw it. Why change GOP from blue to red, unless the Dems hated the red analogy.

[Salamander]

"Reagan red", the color of courage and the blood of patriots.
Let's take back the color like we took back the country...:)

[and I'm rather partial to red, naturally]...LOL!

[grobdriver]

When and how did this absurd color scheme become accepted by conservative Americans???

Well, it first showed up in 2000 in USAToday.
Their colors - not much we, the public, can do about it.
I can tell you why those colors, though - has nothing to do with Communism.
Friendlies are always colored blue, while the aggressor (enemy) is always colored red.
The original map colors merely reflect their bias.

[Mr. Silverback]

Sure, and the Cincinnatti Reds should change their name so no one will mistake them for Commie Fifth Columnists.

Jeez-O-Bleedin-Pete, it's a color! Who cares?

[mathluv]

Up until this time, the 'incumbent' was blue, and the newbie was red. There was another thread where the map was reversed.

[matchwood]

"When and how did this absurd color scheme become accepted by conservative Americans??? Does RED not stand for Communism??? The colors on this map should be reversed !!!"

I think it was the reverse at one time - probably Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw changed it.

[ZULU]

Good point.

[HardStarboard]

>>>The colors on this map should be reversed !!!<<<

Deal with it! It has become accepted convention and I'll adopt red as a fine fine color as long as I know it means we'are winning!

[Little Ray]

Originally, Blue was for the incumbent (Gore, as VP was the incumbent) and Red for the challenger (Bush). After the election map of 2000 was made known, Red became the color for Republicans.

[wildbill]

Communism is so 20th century. It's over. So don't sweat the small stuff. :-)


Some democrat geek used this color scheme a few years ago and its been that way ever since. No point in trying to change it.

[Crush T Velour]

THat's why the MSM switched it. During the Reagan landslides of 1980 and 1984, the Republican states were always BLUE.

It might also be the the Democratic MSM might have gotten superstitious and thought red might be an unlucky color.

But it IS true that they switched it.

~ Crush T Velour