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Old 11-08-2011, 07:54 AM
 
6,347 posts, read 9,837,217 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiger Beer View Post
DC more heavily votes 'Democratic', but it doesn't mean it's liberal. It's more a reflection of the demographics. You'll also see parts of Mississippi heavily voting Democratic, especially where a heavier black population lives. But, those Mississippi voters are far from liberal.

Than you have Democrat voters in states like Michigan or even West Virginia. They vote Democrat because of worker's issues, but not because their liberal.

When you get out west, like San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, etc. It's so much more liberal, that the Democratic Party is seen as modest, and the Republicans are seen as extremist. Therefore, you get more of the green party, communist party, and everything else that would subtract from Democratics.

I don't see Washington DC voters being all that interested in even a half of the liberal progressive issues going on in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest.
Ok, fair enough. I should have said 'democratic' and not liberal.

By the way WV has been voting republican the last few presidential elections, and democrats here are more like moderate republicans.
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Old 11-08-2011, 10:10 AM
 
999 posts, read 2,003,616 times
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Washington, DC has everything. Let's clear a couple of myths first.

Myth #1: Washington, DC is the most liberal city in the US.

NO, not even close. It is true that the city has a high number of registered Democrats and the city overwhelmingly votes for Democratic presidential candidates. The delegates and other shadow representatives are also Democrats.

In terms of left-wing and progressive activism, I would not rank DC as a high as the Bay Area, New York City, Boston, Portland OR, Seattle or Madison, WI.

There are two reasons why DC leans so heavily Democratic during election: 1. Black residents vote Democratic because it is the political party of the civil rights movement and the party pays lip service to economic justice. Furthermore, most blacks do not trust the Republican Party--a party of middle and upper class white males and where segregationists and racists have found a new home since the 1960s.

2. Many Democratic voters are hard-core members of the Democratic Party. They work on The Hill for a Democratic Senator or Congressman. They may work for the Democratic National Committee or satellite organizations affiliated with the Democratic Party. Or they may have campaigned for Democrats and helped raise donations during election cycles. In the end, the people who live in DC are committed Democratic Party loyalists. Party First...Ideology Second.

And just because you are a committed card-carrying member of the Democratic Party, this does not make you a progressive activist or a left-wing agitator. Far from it since Democrats represent the political elite establishment. Many loyal Democrats support free trade, weakening of collective bargaining rules and tax write-offs for wealthier Americans. The Democratic base in DC has also voiced significant support for US military action overseas. The Washington Post is the mouth piece of Democratic Party establishment. And yes, the DC Dems loved Adrian Fenty and Michelle Rhee when they ruled over The District like right-wing authoritarian figureheads.

Trust me, true liberal/progressive thinkers and activists would not stand with the DC Democrats on these issues.

Myth 2: DC is not a place for conservatives/Republicans.

Baloney. Phooey. When the Republican Party took majority control of Congress in 1995, conservative activists packed up their belongings and relocated to DC in greater numbers. More Republicans in the Congress need to hire staff with solid conservative credentials and the siren call went out all over the nation. Thanks to the Tom DeLay "K Street Project" initiative, Republican loyalists were landing jobs at law firms and trade associations in spectacular fashion. If you were a young, up-and-coming conservative activist, you were going to land some where in the DC job market.

After the George W. Bush inauguration in 2001, there was another tide of Republican and conservative people moving to the DC region. Conservative think tanks were hiring more staff. Conservative-leaning lobbying firms were mushrooming all over town. Public relations firms were courting GOP political operatives, former Hill staffers and fundraisers. It was not unusual to see so many Bush/Cheney bumper stickers on the streets of DC during the 2000 and 2004 national elections.

The early wave of committed Republican followers during the Reagan Years preferred to live in the suburbs in Northern Virginia. But by the 2000s, there were more conservative people living in The District itself...buying and renting property next to their Democrat neighbors on Capitol Hill, Penn Quarter, DuPont Circle and Columbia Heights. Apparently, conservatives like some of the urban lifestyle as well--not all Republicans prefer to be bumpkin hicks living on a farm in Virginia and listening to country music all day. And there are Republicans and conservatives who are quite happy living in DC.

So there you have it.
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Old 11-08-2011, 06:50 PM
 
11,155 posts, read 15,658,878 times
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^
Well said, Coldbliss.
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Old 11-09-2011, 08:54 AM
 
Location: the future
2,562 posts, read 4,608,548 times
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Default boredatwork

It seems to me all the problems in the country ppl point to DC and ppl in DC have nothing to do with nothing, except the politicians. To me and alot of people that think outside the box realize even though I may vote democrat, a political party Democratic or Republican wont ever solve the real problems.
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Old 11-09-2011, 10:31 AM
 
Location: DC
6,848 posts, read 7,950,998 times
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DC region is not DC

Republicans live in Virginia much more than in the District.

DC is IMO closer to Blue Dog Democrats than the more activist side of the party, but no way is it remotely Republican conservative.
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Old 11-09-2011, 11:45 AM
 
Location: Springfield VA
4,036 posts, read 9,209,744 times
Reputation: 1522
Quote:
Originally Posted by DCforever View Post
DC region is not DC

Republicans live in Virginia much more than in the District.

DC is IMO closer to Blue Dog Democrats than the more activist side of the party, but no way is it remotely Republican conservative.
Well I'd argue that the DC suburbs in VA are getting more and more blue. They certainly were in the last Presidential election. Really you have to go to outer suburbs to find the conservatives.

At the same time it would be folly to say that there aren't any conservatives in the District. They just make up a very small percentage of the population.
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Old 11-09-2011, 11:51 AM
 
Location: Portland, OR
8,802 posts, read 8,865,661 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by coldbliss View Post
Republican Party--a party of middle and upper class white males and where segregationists and racists have found a new home since the 1960s.
That's one of the myths right?
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Old 11-09-2011, 12:57 PM
 
999 posts, read 2,003,616 times
Reputation: 1200
Nope. It's real. There are misogynists, racists and homophobes in the Democratic Party too. But the Republicans attract a greater number of these folks. The polls verify the argument. You don't have to Google much to find polls that ask questions to Democrats and Republicans about black people in power, gay rights, and the Islamic faith. Republicans were less supportive of these things.

That's just how it is.

Quote:
Originally Posted by VTHokieFan View Post
That's one of the myths right?
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