Now about that color scheme...

August 9, 2008 | me

[Clintonfatigued]

Freep away!

[ZOOKER]

Mess with everybody's minds.

From now on, conservative states are white, all others black...

[niteowl77]

Nothing the MSM does is by accident, nor is it (nowadays) benign.

[TheZMan]

In my opinion yes, much ado about nothing. Thank you for enlightening me as to the colors origins however. I’d often wondered about that.

[1rudeboy]

I think the whole red State/blue State thing took off when USA Today published that election map on the back of section one.

I remember thinking that the colors were assigned the wrong way around, and that it was specifically the intention to do so.

Dems? Red? No-brainer.

[Clintonfatigued]

“From now on, conservative states are white, all others black... “

Clever idea, but wouldn’t it strain the eyes of the audience?

[fieldmarshaldj]

To hell with these media newsspeak colors. To quote a young Democrat I spoke to not so long ago, "I want my red back !" They can gladly have it. Anybody that calls me a "Red Stater" (living in a GOP state) or "Red/Red Republican" to my face is gonna get a fat lip. Proud BLUE Conservative Republican here. :-)

Reagan's Blue GOP America, 1984

[garjog]

“Historically, the color red was equated with Communism.”

We know that the reason they used red for Dems is that they are closer to the communists and to label them red would be too close to home.

[sionnsar]

I think of "blue" as associated with "bluebloods" -- our arrogant self-appointed (politically and psychologically inbred) elites, whereas I am a red-blooded American and anything BUT a "Red."

My entry anyway...

[Jedidah]

This is silly.

[Defiant]

As I recall, the GOP color was always blue. When Reagan won in 1980, the board was described as a "sea of blue". I think that social research showing that blue has a calming effect, while red inspires aggression, caused the networks to switch to blue for the Dems. That, and they saw the Marxist connotation, and in an era when they didn't like being called liberals, and when they were supporting the communists in Nicaragua, Cuba and wherever leftists had a grievance, they decided to change the colors on election day maps. It is just another example of MSM propaganda politics.

I would like it to be switched back. The MSM never would, but Fox could. It would be another way to distinguish themselves from the herd. Then, when we win, it's not a lake of fire, but a sea of blue, once again.

[MARTIAL MONK]

I think that it was a conscious put down of all of us who have been defenders of the old White and Blue.

[PghBaldy]

The original tradition was to have Red as the Challenger/Party, and Blue as the Incumbent/Party.

[Defiant]

This is silly.

Ask yourself, why did the networks switch colors then, if it made no difference? Why did they change the color scheme that was universally used for several elections in a row? Hmmmm?

They did it because they know it helped their cause. Maybe only slightly, but om a Red/blue contest, there is some value to being blue, and when you are a leftist, there is some value to not being perceived as "red", even if you are.

In sports, it is the opposite. Studies have shown that the color red has a slight effect on the participant in athletic contests. Red teams win more than they should statistically, at all levels. It is very slight, but not an anomaly.

[Ronin]

It irked me a bit when it was new, but now I don’t really care. Too late to change it anyhow because it’s a part of the political lexicon now.

Other more important things to spend time thinking about.

[Defiant]

I don’t know about when you are talking about, but as I recall, 1976, 1980, 1984 and I believe 1988 all used blue for Republicans, whether they were challenger or incumbent. I think the first time the networks used red for the GOP was 1992, which would make sense, since Clinton focus-grouped everything.

[ABN 505]

You are correct, Blue was always the republican color as in true blue republican or bleeding republican blue and the Dems as far back as I can remember always used red. It has been only the last few election cycles where it has changed from blue to red. I suspected it was because of the commie association and I think it’s pretty well confirmed.

[TexasNative2000]

This is silly.

Indeed.

"Look - behind that rock - it's ANOTHER major conspiracy!!!"

[fieldmarshaldj]

It’s never too late to change it back, and we should demand it be done. Continuing to use the lexicon makes us look like lemmings. Fact is that this is just one more thing we’ve allowed the left to do to us in their neverending psychological warfare game. If we can’t even correct this, how are we ever going to win at much of anything else ?