Free Republic

American politics turn on a now familiar set of categories: red states vs. blue states, rich states vs. poor states, Frostbelt vs. Sunbelt. But these generalizations mask deeper, less visible fissures in our political geography. We have written a great deal about the role of density in metropolitan voting patterns, highlighting the remarkably consistent and robust political red-to-blue tipping point that occurs when a metro reaches a density of roughly 800 residents per square mile. I took a deeper look at our emerging political geography in a recent feature for Politico magazine, where I argued that the suburbs have become...

Using Census data, we've figured out that half of the United States population is clustered in just the 146 biggest counties out of over 3000. Here's the map, with said counties shaded in. Below the map is the list of all the counties, so you can see if you live in one of them. And here's the whole list of counties that are shaded in. Los Angeles County, CA Cook County, IL Harris County, TX Maricopa County, AZ San Diego County, CA Orange County, CA Miami-Dade County, FL Kings County, NY Dallas County, TX Queens County, NY (rest of list...

Using Census data, we've figured out that half of the United States population is clustered in just the 146 biggest counties out of over 3000. Here's the map, with said counties shaded in. Below the map is the list of all the counties, so you can see if you live in one of them. See link for list of names.

Craig Livingston, a Caribbean-American real estate developer and Democrat who lives in Harlem, has never voted for a Republican in his life. But on Nov. 8, he is prepared to do just that, casting his ballot in the New York City mayoral race for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg over his Democratic opponent, Fernando Ferrer. Mr. Livingston feels that the mayor has been accountable on his chief concern, improving the public schools, while Mr. Ferrer has failed to demonstrate that he is more than a lifelong politician. But there is no consensus among black voters in his circle. His cousin is...

Dumbing down the liberal way By Anthony Harris During the Democratic National Convention, C-SPAN covered "Grass-roots Campaign Training for Young Democrats," a seminar in which Democrat strategist Teresa Vilmain asked activists in training for examples of the Democratic Party's base communities (i.e., constituencies). One Dem smugly chimed "educated people," earning a cheap pop from the group. On another front: According to the Students for Academic Freedom complaint lodger, one professor at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minn., told his class that "teachers are more educated, and that's why they have liberal views." I've spent four semesters in a community college...

I got a question for all of you learned Freepers. I just listened to a Paul Harvey segment where he told of a 70+ year old guy who decided to be a bank robber. Went to the bank, pulled a rag over his face with no eyeholes, proceeded to bump into people, left in disgust, and the police pulled him over later. That was the Readers Digest version. Question - what are the voting patterns of criminals and would be criminals? Does anyone know of any research of those in prison and what political party they associate with or relate...

By Susan Page, USA TODAY Where will you spend Sunday morning? Will you go to church or Home Depot? Sing in the choir or play golf? Answer that question and you've given the most reliable demographic clue about your vote on Election Day. Voters who say they go to church every week usually vote for Republicans. Those who go to church less often or not at all tend to vote Democratic. Forget the gender gap. The "religion gap" is bigger, more powerful and growing. The divide isn't between Catholics and Protestants, Jews and Gentiles. Instead, on one side are those...

Growing gaps found from county to county in presidential race By Bill Bishop AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Sunday, April 4, 2004 The assumption since the 2000 election has been that the United States is evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. Nationally, this is still true. At the local level, however, that 50-50 split disappears. In its place is a country so out of balance, so politically divided, that there is little competition in presidential contests between the parties in most U.S. counties, according to an Austin American-Statesman study of election returns since 1948. American democracy is based on the continuous exchange of...

Is there a link between the way Israel's case is presented and anti-semitism? Israel's advocates protest that behind criticisms of Israel there sometimes lurks a more sinister agenda, dangerously bordering on anti-semitism. Critics vehemently disagree. In their view, public attacks on Israel are neither misplaced nor the source of anti-Jewish sentiment: Israel's behaviour is reprehensible and so are those Jews who defend it. Jewish defenders of Israel are then depicted by their critics as seeking an excuse to justify Israel, projecting Jewish paranoia and displaying a "typical" Jewish trait of "sticking together", even in defending the morally indefensible. Israel's advocates...

Increasing numbers of black and Hispanic voters will doom the GOP's chances for electoral success by 2008. That's the assessment - not from conservative immigration opponent Pat Buchanan but instead from America's pre-eminent political strategist, Dick Morris. "The Hispanic and black population increase, particularly the Hispanic population, has made New Jersey and New York and California and is making Florida into solidly Democratic states," Morris told nationally syndicated radio host Sean Hannity on Tuesday. "Four years from now - and eight years from now - the Republican Party will be fighting for its life because of this," he warned. Morris...