Pittsburgh-one of the most liberal towns in USA

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by MountainDewGuy

Pittsburgh isn't liberal. Voting Democrat and being a liberal are two different things, and I suspect that the criteria confuses that.

No, they aren't. If you click through to the original study, they are looking at personal attitudes, not voting history.

Not that I'm saying you're doing it, but it's a personal bugbear of mine that a lot of people seem to equate liberalism with only being some white upper-middle class stereotype. While the influence of the black electorate in Pittsburgh is pretty small in comparative terms, I've noticed many people claiming that cities with high black populations "aren't really liberal." Which completely discounts that black Americans are way to the left of center not just on economic issues, but most social issues other than same-sex marriage. They're generally pro-choice, for gun control, and opposed to the death penalty, for example. IIRC they have been consistently more opposed to U.S. military actions as well. Just because they don't drive Subarus or listen to NPR doesn't mean they aren't very much left wing on the whole.

[Craziaskowboi]

Those who are surprised with the results are more than likely judging the city by the entire metropolitan area. The city proper is liberal, and the Allegheny County suburbs are a mixed bag. The outer metropolitan counties are all conservative.

[gladhands]

My first inclination was to say Pittsburgh is more Democratic than liberal, then I remembered that it has more churches with pride flags than anywhere I've ever been. That's gotta say something.

[AnneWest]

Originally Posted by Craziaskowboi

The city proper is liberal, and the Allegheny County suburbs are a mixed bag. The outer metropolitan counties are all conservative.

And that's why my test is valid...I've seen terrible things happen to political yard signs out here in the wilds of North Fayette.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by AnneWest

And that's why my test is valid...I've seen terrible things happen to political yard signs out here in the wilds of North Fayette.

If they were signs for candidates for North Fayette commissioner, or West Allegheny school director, that would not be out of character for the area. But I don't see putting up signs for Sanders---or Cruz, Trump or Mrs. Clinton- as being that much of a target.

[Ankhharu]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

If we're the 19th-Most Liberal City in the United States, then the rest of the country must be pretty right-wing politically. Look at the Facebook comment threads for KDKA, WPXI, WTAE, the Post-Gazette, and the Tribune-Review, for starters. "DERP! BIKE LANES ARE STUPID! DERP! IT'S ADAM AND EVE; NOT ADAM AND STEVE! DERP! ALL BLACK MALES ARE CRIMINALS! DERP!" I feel like banging my head against a brick wall when debating against these supposedly "liberal" Pittsburghers. Supposedly ~40% of city residents possess at least a Bachelor's Degree, yet I find myself correcting misspellings on those comment threads incessantly.

The dumbest person I know has a Masters Degree from the University of Kansas. And if you saw her facebook page, you'd wonder if English was her native language (it is). People need to realize that possessing a degree does not make one smart. You only need money and the fortitude to push through. Intelligence not required.

[ForYourLungsOnly]

Originally Posted by Ankhharu

The dumbest person I know has a Masters Degree from the University of Kansas. And if you saw her facebook page, you'd wonder if English was her native language (it is). People need to realize that possessing a degree does not make one smart. You only need money and the fortitude to push through. Intelligence not required.

Bit of a broad brush you are painting with there. I know a few engineers, a nurse anesthetist and a Pharm D who required a good bit of intelligence to get their degrees. I do agree that a degree doesn't automatically make you intelligent, though. Not all degrees are created equal.