Politics grows more moderate in the suburbs

Chicago Tribune ^ | September 10, 2001 | Susan Kuczka

[ignatz_q]

By a sizable majority suburban Chicago residents favor tougher gun control laws while less than one-third support more restrictions on abortion, according to a Tribune/WGN-TV poll that gauged public sentiment on two of the era's most politically charged issues.

A whopping 63 percent said they would like to see more restrictions on gun ownership, and more than half either support current laws on abortion or want them eased, according to the poll.

[ignatz_q]

Do you think this is a national trend? Illinois is relatively liberal, so it may not be, but I'm curious if any of you see this happening more in your communities.

[KC_Conspirator]

No. This is not a "national trend". Illinois is a blue Algore state, which makes them a pariah to the rest of the nation. The facts are that nationally the abortion issue is split almost right down the middle at 50%.

[jdege]

It doesn't seem to be happening in Minnesota - and we're as liberal as anyplace.

The growth areas in the suburbs are electing solidly pro-gun legislators.

[Russ]

I believe this is wide spread. The problem is that people are now making decisions and voting based on how they "feel" and not on logical, deductive reasoning. Emotions play a larger role in the decision making process than ever before. We'll pay a huge price for this trend in future years.

[arkfreepdom]

It's because the idiots forgot why they left the cities.

[KC_Conspirator]

The growth areas in the suburbs are electing solidly pro-gun legislators.

Thats the key right there - "growth areas". The newer suburbs are filled with people who work their duffs off and are independent. The older suburbs are filled with teachers, which vote democrat because they can't think for themselves.

[Torie]

This is not a "national trend".

Yes it is, in the suburbs of large metropolitan areas everywhere, even Texas. The GOP base in the these types of suburbs is eroding. Granted, it is particularly pronouned in the Northeast, Chicago and the West Coast, but it is a trend everywhere.

[KC_Conspirator]

Uh, no its not. I will remind you of the county by county map of the 2000 election. They are all red, or rather Dubya country.

Sure, the democrats made some inroads, but overall the suburbs are still very much Republican. Klinton made some inroads by the time of his second election by fooling amny of the people, but the leftists like John Kerry are about to hijack the party again, which is good.

A quick look at Johnson County, KS is exactly the kind of makeup of Dupage County, IL (as mentioned above). The district is democrat only because it contains a large college town and an inner city area (The 2 "red" counties in all of KS). Even Dubya did not win district wide. There are few democrats elected at all, and they are all in the older neighborhoods where the teachers live.

[Dan from Michigan]

Yes and No. Illinois is much more anti-2a than other states though, because of Sickago's influence.

In Michigan, there are the three Detroit Area Counties. All of them have different politics, even though they went to Alwhore.

Wayne County
Wayne County is by far the most dem. It has the city of Detroit as well. The South Suburbs(Dearborn, Riverview, Trenton, Gibralter, etc) are bigtime blue-collar union areas. They are also the home of a lot of pro-2a dems. This is DINGELL country. In fact, at least 4 of the dems here backed Conceal Carry. The west suburbs are more suckermom areas, but still have a lot of pro-rights support. Eileen DeHart is a dem, and is now on MCRGO's board of directors, so that can tell you where she stands on CCW. The farthest west suburbs in Wayne County are republican leans on the north end, and solid dem in SW Wayne.

Oakland County
This has some strong RINO and anti-2nd amendment areas to it. It went for Alwhore as well. North and West Oakland is the most conservative. West Oakland is the most pro-2a, and is closer to Livingston than the rest of Oakland County. The southernmost areas of Southfield, Oak Park, Royal Oak Township(NOT ROYAL OAK) are all majority black areas and 75% dem. Pontiac is another big dem area. The worst 2nd amendment wise area is the Huntington Woods and Ferndale area. Very elitist and dem area. Royal Oak leans against us, but isn't as bad as it once was. Troy and Rochester lean our way. The Bloomfields and Birmingham are anti-2nd amendment, but one of the reps there is pro-rights.

Macomb County.
Leans dem, but is moving right. Very pro-union, but also very pro-2nd amendment overall. North Macomb is very conservative and GOP and south Macomb is very dem(union). The county is pro-2nd amendment as a whole.

Then there is the other SE Michigan counties. Lenawaee is a swing rural area and is pro-2nd amendment. St Clair is VERY pro-2nd amendment, and is possibly where MCRGO is strongest. Also a swing area. Livingston County(My home) is pro-2nd amendment and is the 3rd or 4th most GOP county in the state, although it isn't as rural as it used to be. Wasthenaw County has Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor is strong anti-2a, but the rural areas there are pro-2a, and I believe the sheriff there is pro-2a so there is hope for pro-2a dems there.

It all depends on the area.

[Dan from Michigan]

See post 9. I'd guess that DuPage is like Oakland County.

[Torie]

I could list you a lot of suburban counties that Gore actually carried (e.g., Westchester, both Montgomeries, Delaware, Oakland, DeKalb, St. Louis, everything in the Bay area, Ventura, Washington, the county north of Seattle. But the point is that even in the ones Bush carried, in most cases the margins were down unless primarily exurban counties.

The bottom line is that Bush's margins eroded in most suburbs in larger metropolitan areas unless those suburbs were exurban.

[ignatz_q]

Illinois is much more anti-2a than other states though, because of Sickago's influence.

For the record, there are a few of us conservatives in Chicago. I don't much care for the city goverment, but I love my city. Wouldn't leave it for anything.

[Dan from Michigan]

LOL. It's the old Detroit-Chicago rivaly(especially with sports).

Now if the Lions and Bears can be good again..

[KC_Conspirator]

St. Louis and Oakland counties? Sheesh, it consists of socialist inner cities and a smidgeon of suburbs (just enough to nullify the suburban votes). Hell, they even had to cheat the last election in St. Louis and its Dick Gephardt's union packed backyard. The record still stands that Dubya carried the suburbs, and thus the "soccer moms". Of course, you won't hear the media say that because it would mean the Republicans are once again the party that appeals to the average family.

[KC_Conspirator]

I would also like to include Montgoemry County, MD in my last point as well. That place is filled with inner city socialists from Baltimore.

I would also add that the older neighborhoods also encompass the old rich types: their spoiled oofspring tend to be quite liberal because they have not earned one red cent during their lifetimes.

[Torie]

Oakland does not include Detroit, and St. Louis County does not include the city of St. Louis. I hope that helps.

[Steve_Seattle]

"Politics grows more moderate in the suburbs."

Notice how pro-gun control and pro-abortion positions are characterized as "moderate."

[Torie]

That place [Montgomery] is filled with inner city socialists from Baltimore D.C.

Actually, the GOP and Bush erosion in the type of suburb I mentioned is largely due to cultural issues, e.g., abortion, guns, anti-fundmentalist on religion, pro-environment (environmental issues have both an economic and cultural component), more tolerant of gays, etc. Thus the yes of the term "socialist" is really not appropos.

[Steve_Seattle]

I live just north of Seattle, and the liberalizing trend is very apparent here. Much of this is due to a tremendous influx of minorities over the last five years. In my daughter's high school civics class, about 60% of the students were for Nader, and she was the ONLY one for Bush.

[Steve_Seattle]

"largely due to cultural issues."

That's exactly how it seems to me. Environmentalism is huge, the soccer moms are afraid of guns, and the professional women regard being pro-abortion as a badge of modern womanhood.