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Check out Illinois. Everyone wanting to toss in the towel. Call it quits in IL. Sorry. Dem strength appears to be Chicago,Joliet,etc. Look at all the red area!

Time to rebuild the Republican Party in IL before 2004.

Actually, I'd disagree. It suggests to me that it isn't Republican strength that needs to be rebuilt. It's Democrat GOTV/(cough)Fraud. Republicans should look for irregularities in the Chicago results, figure out what it was that the Democrats were doing there, modernize elections all over the state, and make damn sure their open and honest. If that means they'll have to clean up their house a little as well, then they shouldn't delay.

On the other hand, look at California. Bush ignored that state from the get go, but look at the insane turnout there. Either San Fran is solidly loony left, or California isn't in as bad shape as most people think that it is. I take it that the NorthEast wasn't competitive and is more like the "baseline" in a typical no-incumbent election.

What this map doesn't show too well is the difference between the solid red zones and the blue islands in the non-urban areas. That's important. Bill Clinton got elected twice because of those border regions.