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To: annieokie

Joseph Farah has something to say about this.

http://www.creators.com/opinion/joseph-farah/how-to-red-states-blue.html

How to Red States Blue

(excerpt)
I must be getting old. I’m getting forgetful. I have trouble remembering what a red state denotes and what a blue state means.

But I don’t think it’s an early case of Alzheimer’s that causes this confusion. Rather, I suggest to you the fact that I am old enough to remember when Democratic states were labeled red and Republican states were considered blue.

I would also suggest that former system made more sense and was deliberately changed by media partisans who didn’t like to suggest Democrats as being associated with the color red.

Let me provide a little history for those too young to remember and for those old enough to have forgotten.

The current use of Republican red and Democrat blue began only eight years ago. It has been attributed to the late Tim Russert, a respected television interviewer, but one who worked formerly for Democratic Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York. He first used this color scheme in 2000, according to the Washington Post, and it took.

I’m not surprised it did, given the political complexion of the national press corps.

In fact, even the predictably leeward tilting Wikipedia acknowledges the newly adopted U.S. hue standard stands in stark contrast “to the system of political colors in most other long-established democracies, where blue represents right wing and conservative parties, while red represents left-wing and socialist parties.”

I strongly suspect this not-so-subtle change eight years ago was deliberate on the part of Russert and those who so eagerly picked up on it.


17 posted on 02/17/2010 9:47:16 AM PST by Jack Hydrazine
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To: Jack Hydrazine
Thanks. I will go read more.

I don't remember anyone making a fuss about this when it happened, but it was so strange to see it changed. I thought they must be Broadcasting the wrong information on the Election night maps.

I kinda thought it had something to do with the Liberal communist RED color and their wanting to distance themselves from it.

Oh well, I suppose when the next Election night maps show the SEA of RED, they will want that color back. ROFL.

19 posted on 02/17/2010 10:00:55 AM PST by annieokie
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