Does air conditioning make people vote Republican?

Salon.com ^ | August 21, 2008 | Edward McClelland

[libstripper]

Aug. 21, 2008 | When I moved into my apartment, in May, the first thing I did was tear out the air conditioners. I don't need air conditioning: My front window is 50 yards from Lake Michigan, and, as any Chicago weatherperson will tell you, "It's cooler by the lake." I can't afford it, either: Three window units can add serious dollars to one's monthly electric bill. But those aren't the real reasons I got rid of the A/C.

Air conditioning offends my sense of Northern pride. They have a saying in Maine: "If you can't stand the winters, you don't deserve the summers." But the air conditioner allows Arizonans to enjoy a cool, lakelike breeze in the comfort of their living rooms, without ever having to buy snow tires. As one who has seen firsthand how the Sun Belt created a poor Yankee cousin called the Rust Belt, I blame the air conditioner for the decay of Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo, N.Y. I blame it for the decline of the American labor movement. And I blame it for the election of George W. Bush, as well as the fact that we haven't elected a Yankee president in nearly 50 years. Honestly, I don't want something like that in my house. Especially if I have to pay for it.

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

Damn straight. In Maine, it gets both hot and humid in the summer months.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Don’t know if air conditioners make people vote Republican but government checks sure make the vote DemocRat.

[ModelBreaker]

"If you can't stand the winters, you don't deserve the summers."

Is it catty to point out that almost everyone in Maine has a heater? And that they use it during the winter?

[Minn]

The last time I visited Greece back in the mid-1990s, it seemed the only place you could find AC was inside a newer car.

I used to ride German trains around just to cool off.

[NonValueAdded]

Don’t forget leaving your elderly parents in the house w/o air conditioning while you are taking that 2000 mile vacation. Merde!

[HIDEK6]

I tell all my liberal friends that if they want to reduce their carbon footprint just turn off the AC and hang their clothes on the clothesline outside.

Try that and the homeowner's association will be all over you.

[gridlock]

It’s the Air Conditioner.

It is not the constant leftward drift of the Democrat Party and the fact that the party core has been siezed by radical activists of every conceivable stripe. It is not that your average voter feels no connection to a party leadership that spends more time reading Saul Alinsky than Mark Twain. It is not that the Democrat Party actively works for the defeat of the country and the destruction of our entire way of life. It is not that the Democrat Party spits on our soldiers and refuses to salute the flag.

No, it’s the Air Conditioner.

[laotzu]

In Maine, it gets both hot and humid in the summer months

How hot does it get in Maine?(not a joke setup)

[WayneS]

“(plus my HOA would likely have a fit if I put up a clothes line!).”

Reason enough for doing it, in my opinion...

[wbill]

They have a saying in Maine: "If you can't stand the winters, you don't deserve the summers."

I grew up in Maine, and I've never heard that. Pretty much, we just complained when it was cold in the winter, and complained when it was hot in the summer.

I'll take a wild guess and assume that this "journalist" spent a few weeks in Maine one summer, and now calls himself a "Mainer". Whatta Dip.

[Col Freeper]

LOL,

My goodness Edward, how long did it take for you to type up this silly accumulation of words?

It must be nice to know that no matter how ridiculous the topic, or how poorly written the hit piece, there will always be a silly little Leftist site like Salon.com who will pay you some greenbacks for it.

I think that your mama “spared the rod and spoiled the child” Edward.

Edward, put a sign on your ceiling and all your walls that says “Edward, go get a real job and become a benefit to society!”

It’s real important that you follow the advice on that sign Edward, because all that hate and bile roiling around inside you is gonna kill you sooner than later.

[wbill]

How hot does it get in Maine?

Generally, you can count on a week or two in the 80s and 90s. I've seen 100, but it's rare. AC in homes is rare, too. :-)

85 is hot, when there's no AC, and you're used to 60s and 70s.

[WayneS]

“Pretty much, we just complained when it was cold in the winter, and complained when it was hot in the summer.”

So then, folks from Maine are just like everyone else, every where else... Who’d a thunk it?

;^)

[Liberty Valance]

This is actually a pretty entertaining story if you read the whole thing. Reminds me of the joke about how “cool” Austin used to be ...

Q) How many Austinites does it take to change a light bulb?

A) 10. 1 to change the bulb and 9 to tell you how cool the old one was.

Thanks for posting libstripper. ;o)

[normy]

They have a saying in Maine: "If you can't stand the winters, you don't deserve the summers." But the air conditioner allows Arizonans to enjoy a cool, lakelike breeze in the comfort of their living rooms, without ever having to buy snow tires

Arizonans might say "If you can't stand the summers you don't deserve the winters." You see with heating oil or wood burning stoves, citizens of Maine can enjoy those warm Arizonan winter days in the comfort of their homes.

See how that works dipshit? (not you, the writer of course.)

[wbill]

So then, folks from Maine are just like everyone else, every where else

Ayuh. Unless you're a Massachusetts Liberal that summers over in Maine. Then you say that you're "From Maine", and that you're better than everyone else because of it. :-)

[laotzu]

and you're used to 60s and 70s

Thanks. Hawaiians don parkas when it drops to 70.
It really does depend on what you're used to.

If I were to visit one place in Maine, where would you recommend?

[thefactor]

absent the political tripe, i love articles like this. the advent of AC and how it led to a migration to the south is fascinating and something we rarely think about.

[KosmicKitty]

Thank you for noting this. GHWB popped right up in my mind when I read the Yankee president line

KosmicKitty <- Connecticut Yankee

[philled]

OK, Mr. Maine, I'm really not sure what your argument is. It is either that your a lot smarter than everyone else or that cold winters make you appreciate hot summers and make you vote for liberal? Here's some numbers for you that bear as much relevance to anything as your article does..

Let's look at McGovern, a liberal product of South Dakota.

South Dakota: Record High: 120 degrees Record Low: -58 degrees. Nixon: 54% McGovern: 46%

Maine: Record High: 105 degrees Record Low: -48 degree. Nixon: 61% McGovern: 38%