[Political Junkie Too]

Let's recall the context of the current red/blue usage.

It used to be that the TV networks colored the states based on Electoral College wins using Blue to represent the party incumbent in the White House. Red was used to represent the challenging party.

However, 2000 changed all that with the USAToday publication of the "Bush Country" map.

Here is a 2004 Freerepublic variation, showing Bush in Blue and Kerry in Red.

However, by this time the image of red/blue as conservative/liberal had become seared into the consciousness of the American people.

-PJ

[Hawthorn]

>> the image of red/blue as conservative/liberal had become seared into the consciousness of the American people <<

Your second graphic is obviously far superior!

USA Today's 2000 map has long struck me as a massive psychological "coup" to undermine the old public understanding that reds (Communists) and pinkos (fellow travelers) are bad, while blues (American patriots) are good.

Looked at another way, it seems the MSM and the academic left want the public still to think that red equals "bad" and blue equals "good" -- only it's now the Patriots who are the baddies while the Leftists are the good guys.

Why give in to this abuse of the English language? I say we should fight back to reclaim proper usage. So every time there's a FReeper post that refers to conservatives as "reds," let's call for a correction.

[Ingtar]

I believe red used to mean challenging party and blue incumbent. The Bush/Gore election changed that.

[Ingtar]

I believe red used to mean challenging party and blue incumbent, or vice versa. The Bush/Gore election changed that.

[fieldmarshaldj]

It’s not seared into people that know better. Thank heavens Dave Leip gets the colors RIGHT on his website. We can easily reclaim blue if we STOP CALLING OURSELVES ‘REDS’ ! I never stopped using blue as the proper Republican color, and I never will. To hell with this Orwellian newsspeak crap.

[FreeAtlanta]

excellent map. We need to start putting that and reworked others on as many web sites as possible. At the very least, we can screw up the liberal reverse word meaning mantra a little.