Do you think the South is more moderate than they vote? (Representatives, Clinton)
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In the Deep South, a lot of states had only 12% of their white population voting for Obama. But I have a hard time believing, for example, that 88% of white Southerners oppose gay marriage, or unions, or progressive tax rates. So what has happened? Have the Democrats on a national level become openly hostile towards white Southerners? (I do think this is a possibility that they've been written off, kind of like how Republicans seem only hostile towards blacks.) Is the South fertile ground for moderate Republicans, or conservative Democrats that distance themselves from Obama but also provide an alternative to the extremely conservative Republicans that seem to be their representatives in non-black majority districts.
Note: I am talking mostly about Deep South states such as Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. I don't think some border states such as Kentucky and West Virginia should be included quite yet, because they still have about 25% of whites who voted for Obama. Also, I don't think the reverse situation applies in the Northeast, since there is a significant minority that votes Republican and there are a lot of swing voters there.
In the Deep South, a lot of states had only 12% of their white population voting for Obama. But I have a hard time believing, for example, that 88% of white Southerners oppose gay marriage, or unions, or progressive tax rates. So what has happened? Have the Democrats on a national level become openly hostile towards white Southerners? (I do think this is a possibility that they've been written off, kind of like how Republicans seem only hostile towards blacks.) Is the South fertile ground for moderate Republicans, or conservative Democrats that distance themselves from Obama but also provide an alternative to the extremely conservative Republicans that seem to be their representatives in non-black majority districts.
Note: I am talking mostly about Deep South states such as Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. I don't think some border states such as Kentucky and West Virginia should be included quite yet, because they still have about 25% of whites who voted for Obama. Also, I don't think the reverse situation applies in the Northeast, since there is a significant minority that votes Republican and there are a lot of swing voters there.
What does everybody think?
In general rural areas are Republican and urban areas are Democrat. The northeast and the west coast have densely packed urban centers of population and thus are heavily liberal. The south and the midwest have their populations more spread out and thus are more Republican.
If you look at an election map you will see that both Atlanta and New York are islands of blue surrounded by red. The maps look similar despite one being in what is regarded as a solid blue state and the other as a solid red state. It really has more to do with population distribution than with one particular party being hostile to a certain group of people.
No not every urban area is liberal nor rural area conservative if you look at votes cast. Large urban areas tend to be more liberal but then they contain more dependent people also. I wouldn't say the extreme of either party is moderate at all. Certainly Obama isn't even considered a moderate democrat within his own party. Clinton represented the centralist of the party ;not Obama. O social issues sometimes there are surprising results such as the California gay marriage vote.
OP = "I have a hard time believing, for example, that 88% of white Southerners oppose gay marriage, or unions, or progressive tax rates."
Believe it.
You might consider Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions and Representative Mo Brooks (AL-5) to be "extremely conservative Republicans", however they represent their constituents' views nicely and will be re-elected by large margins.
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