Illinois in 2000
Illinois in 2004
Red - Democrat Blue - Republican
Seems we made some inroads and changed a few counties from democrat to Republican....it's doable.
Interesting article. TY for posting it.
I believe Minnesota is somewhat the same...geographically.
Bush lost Hennepin and Ramsey (Minneapolis and St Paul) counties by such large margins, it was impossible to win the state for Bush.
The inner cities as well as the first-ring suburbs provided Kerry's strong base from which he took Minnesota's 10 EV's.
I gotta give credit to the DFL. They worked their base hard...real hard. They hit the inner city areas over and over again. They weren't content with winning 65% of the vote. They wanted more....and they got it.
It was unfortunate the the Republicans couldn't find a valid candidate to run against Obama; and many Republican voters were dismayed by the import of Alan Keyes, talented as he may be. But it was a dyed in the wool loss once Jack Ryan's divorce situ was publically exposed (thanks to his porn star ex-wife). It made it look as though the other Republicans in the area were afraid of what might be snatched out of their closets. But we still have Henry Hyde and Denny Hasterdt to brag about. There is hope in Illinois for an eventual win.
To those who say that Bush does not have a mandate, all they have to do is look at the map of election results by county. Take away the SF Bay Area, Los Angeles, Chicago, NY, and Philadelphia, and this is Bush Country!
As Walter Williams pointed out after the election in 2000, the places of greatest Democrat strength are places of major dysfunction and social pathology -- higher illiteracy rates, higher crime, higher drug use, higher illegitimacy, higher unemployment. "Red America" is made up of producers; "Blue America" is predominantly made up of users (of government services). Rather than stand for policies that will enhance the health of society, the Democrats apparently believe that their path to success rests in dumbing America down more, making more Americans dependent upon government programs, and increasing social misery and hopelessness. The Democrats are the party of despair. While their support is isolated in pools of "blue," those pools of blue are increasingly becoming social and cultural hell-holes.
>>evangelical Republican Alan Keyes<<
For the record, Alan Keyes in Catholic.
In illinois it is hard to beat the Chicago vote. We need fairly mainstream candidates.
I voted for Keyes but I was pretty sure he would not do well.
We would have been better off with Poshard (D) in 1998. Old man Ryan stuck a knife in the heart and the back of the Illinois Gop and twisted.
Ouch...
Well anyways, Judith Barr Topinka holds the keys to purse strings still. But the Dems are everywhere else in state Gov.
Maybe Topinka can challenge Blagovich in 2006.
=8-)
Illinois is a lost cause. The commies have taken over.