With VA Blue again is "Ol' Virginny" gone forever? (Norfolk: living in, versus)

[912]

Check out the map:

2012 Presidential Election Results - The Washington Post

One of many maps of its kind out now. Check out the county breakdown for VA. Basically, two NOVA counties carried the entire state for Obama. Obama didn't carry the Tidewater, or metro Richmond.

If anything, this map proves VA is a solidly red state, save the two most populous counties in NOVA (which are nowhere near representative of the entire state, due to its reliance on DC). The whole idea that VA is "fading away" or is "no longer Southern" is laughable, at best.

[springgrl]

Originally Posted by 912

Check out the map:

2012 Presidential Election Results - The Washington Post

One of many maps of its kind out now. Check out the county breakdown for VA. Basically, two NOVA counties carried the entire state for Obama. Obama didn't carry the Tidewater, or metro Richmond.

I'm not quite sure what map you're looking at, but when I go to county level on the map you link to, it appears Obama DID carry several areas outside of NoVA, including Richmond, with Henrico and Caroline Counties; Charlottesville including Nelson and Albemarle Counties; and parts of the SE VA area including Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Surrey, Sussex, etc.

If by "Ol' Virginny" you're meaning gentile southern behavior, I don't think you can say it's dying off because of this election. That is a product of upbringing. If we lose that, it's because of other factors.

But, with any luck, we are saying good bye to "you must be just like me to ride this ride" attitudes.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by 912

Check out the map:

2012 Presidential Election Results - The Washington Post

One of many maps of its kind out now. Check out the county breakdown for VA. Basically, two NOVA counties carried the entire state for Obama. Obama didn't carry the Tidewater, or metro Richmond.

If anything, this map proves VA is a solidly red state, save the two most populous counties in NOVA (which are nowhere near representative of the entire state, due to its reliance on DC). The whole idea that VA is "fading away" or is "no longer Southern" is laughable, at best.

By my count, Obama carried 12 out of 18 cities and counties with populations over 50,000. Sure the Repubs control more geography, but less and less of the population. This will only get worse for them as the old people die off and more diverse residents move in and have families. Here are the Presidential results by locality:

Virginia Board of Elections - Election Night Results

In 20 years, Virginia will likely be as red as California is now. Meaning not so much. By the way, if you look at a California electoral map you'll see huge red areas too. The problem is nobody lives there or wants to.

[CAVA1990]

Here's a link to Blue Virginia's website, a group whose goal is to help us make the transition:

Blue Virginia

[GustavoFring]

Virginia Election Results

This map shows that Obama carried basically anywhere in Virginia that mattered. Would be interesting to overlay this map with one that shows average income, gdp and education levels to see how closely the blue areas reflect those stats..

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by GustavoFring

Virginia Election Results

This map shows that Obama carried basically anywhere in Virginia that mattered. Would be interesting to overlay this map with one that shows average income, gdp and education levels to see how closely the blue areas reflect those stats..

You might want to include age in there as well. I imagine rural VA voters as elsewhere tend to skew older, favoring Republicans. I did read something today that says that political attitudes are generational and people really don't become more conservative as they get older. This bodes well for Democrats as the current elderly rurals are replaced by subsequent more liberal generations.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by wnewberry22

Basically the only strongholds of Southern Culture remain in the extreme southwest region of the state and southside and it is difficult to tell how long that will remain the case.

A very large portion of the Obama vote outside NoVa was cast by african americans, whose culture is quite Southern, and who quite often have deep roots in the Commonwealth, sometimes going back to the 17th century.

I suppose you mean WHITE Southern Culture.

I'm not sure even in that regard you can look only at the electoral results. While Obama nationally won few culturally southern whites, the number was surely not zero, especially looking at the college educated, at females, at the young and single. I imagine down in richmond you could find quite a few college educated single females, quite a few gay people, etc, who have southern accents and grew up with southern cuisine, who voted for Obama.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by springgrl

If by "Ol' Virginny" you're meaning gentile southern behavior, I don't think you can say it's dying off because of this election.

Do you mean genteel southern behavior? Because while the synagogues in NoVa are pretty Yankee these days (even Beth El of Alexandria, which has ante bellum roots) I am pretty sure the ones in Richmond still have something of a southern feel - and of course Rep Cantor is pretty "red" in current political parlance.

[springgrl]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

Do you mean genteel southern behavior?

You're correct that I had the wrong spelling. Thank you for pointing it out. I did not mean gentile, as in not of the Jewish faith, I meant the decrease in genteel behavior, as in politeness and good manners.

[GeorgiaTransplant]

Originally Posted by 912

Check out the map:

2012 Presidential Election Results - The Washington Post

One of many maps of its kind out now. Check out the county breakdown for VA. Basically, two NOVA counties carried the entire state for Obama. Obama didn't carry the Tidewater, or metro Richmond.

If anything, this map proves VA is a solidly red state, save the two most populous counties in NOVA (which are nowhere near representative of the entire state, due to its reliance on DC).

Your logic is a little flawed. Winning more land area does not mean winning the election, and does not make Virginia 'solidly' anything. Most of the state population lives in metro areas. Obama carried the state, and it doesn't matter how many more counties Romney carried: Obama got more votes.

Maybe next time the Republican candidate will get more votes. If he or she gets them all in two counties, but those two counties are the majority they still win the state.

Before you go to the 'I knew that!', reread your statement: apparently you didn't.