A Brit Who Gets It

[th87]

This is a fact - hanging out with a diversity of ethnic groups makes one more sympathetic to different nationalities. And which party is viewed as unsympathetic to the world community again?

Your "fact" is an opinion that ignores the negative ramifications of mixing racial, ethnic, and national groups and assumes all members of said groups live exclusively in cities.

Paint me unconcerned how each party is "viewed," although I'm not sure who's view you're referring to. Maybe you're suggesting we should be basing our nation's policies on what the world community's view of America happens to be?[/quote]

Negative ramifications? I didn't even mention any positive ramifications. I just discussed a tendency that occurs when different races interact with one another. There is nothing positive or negative about it.

Demographic diversity is ALWAYS higher in cities. Always. Sure, small towns might have one or two non-white families, but cities have thousands. And of many different ethnicities. I'm surprised this is even an argument. (There is nothing positive or negative about this either. It just is.)

Also never said anything about basing the nation's policies. Only discussed the reason that cities went blue. Whether this was the right voting decision is beyond the scope of this discussion.

[th87]

It's sadly amazing that some of the best (and sometimes newsbreaking) coverage of the U.S. scene is coming from overseas.

More and more if you want some objective reporting (or some common sense) read a foreign newspaper.

Sad day for American journalism.

Actually, what this map displays is the blatant RACISM that decided this election. Who lives in these few counties, mostly containing big cities, that swung the election to the black candidate? Right! Black voters, voting as a bloc--like mind-numbed fools, dutifully kept on that liberal plantation by their "overseers"--the so-called "black leaders".

One of the things that stands out on that map, though, is that Wisconsin is about the only state outside New England with mostly blue counties.

Real Americans--outside of New England and Wisconsin, at least--voted for McCain--but just in not quite bloc-like percentages that would counteract the black racist bloc voting.

Racism? I'm betting the Kerry and Gore maps looked substantially similar.

Big cities go liberal. All the time. Except Dallas, I believe.

[texaspackerbacker]

It's sadly amazing that some of the best (and sometimes newsbreaking) coverage of the U.S. scene is coming from overseas.

More and more if you want some objective reporting (or some common sense) read a foreign newspaper.

Sad day for American journalism.

Actually, what this map displays is the blatant RACISM that decided this election. Who lives in these few counties, mostly containing big cities, that swung the election to the black candidate? Right! Black voters, voting as a bloc--like mind-numbed fools, dutifully kept on that liberal plantation by their "overseers"--the so-called "black leaders".

One of the things that stands out on that map, though, is that Wisconsin is about the only state outside New England with mostly blue counties.

Real Americans--outside of New England and Wisconsin, at least--voted for McCain--but just in not quite bloc-like percentages that would counteract the black racist bloc voting.

Racism? I'm betting the Kerry and Gore maps looked substantially similar.

Big cities go liberal. All the time. Except Dallas, I believe.

Exactly! And for the SAME racist reason--the bloc voting by blacks--AGAINST the views and positions most of them believe in, and FOR the candidate their "overseers on the liberal plantation" tell them to vote for.

Just because the recipient of the racist bloc voting wasn't black in those cases doesn't diminish the sick stench of RACISM in black voting patterns.

Do you think they'd vote that way for Condoleeza Rice, Michael Steele, Lynn Swann, etc.? Hell No. The liberal slavemasters would persuade them not to.

[Fosco33]

If moving to a popular vote 'isolated' small towns or states like UT or OK, I don't think people would mind in the end. If a candidate ignores white, rural people's interests, they'll pay for it in the popular vote.

If moving to a popular vote shortened the campaign time, all the primaries and all the BS/interruptions every few years, I may just be convinced on that alone.

Whoever is in office really hasn't materially changed my life in any permanent way. People who really care about politics usually have some skin in the game (i.e., how much money will I/we/X-program get for X-activity).

[texaspackerbacker]

If moving to a popular vote 'isolated' small towns or states like UT or OK, I don't think people would mind in the end. If a candidate ignores white, rural people's interests, they'll pay for it in the popular vote.

If moving to a popular vote shortened the campaign time, all the primaries and all the BS/interruptions every few years, I may just be convinced on that alone.

Whoever is in office really hasn't materially changed my life in any permanent way. People who really care about politics usually have some skin in the game (i.e., how much money will I/we/X-program get for X-activity).

I'm CERTAINLY not advocating doing away with the Electoral College system. Doing that would further empower the America-hating assholes of the liberal-saturated mainstream media.

The Electoral College clearly BENEFITS good normal Americans in the majority of states that aren't laden with mind-numbed minority bloc voters.

[SkinBasket]

Sorry th, I thought you were trying to say something.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I'm CERTAINLY not advocating doing away with the Electoral College system. Doing that would further empower the America-hating assholes of the liberal-saturated mainstream media.

ya, noithing like a little undemocratic structure to set things right.

I have complained more about media bias in the recent election than anybody, it was truely over-the-top this year.

But shit, the media is part of our democracy, as imperfect and messy as it is.

How can you be against campaign finance limits in the name of free speech and democracy, and then turn around and support something as undemocratic, crooked and retarded as our electoral college vestige?

[bobblehead]

What does that map tell me?

City folk interacting with diverse races like the Democrats, and country-folk only interacting with White people like the Republicans. No surprise there.

This guy's article also seems to take a shot at racial diversity. Like it or not, this is something he and everyone else will have to deal with soon.

yea, that is why norther wisconsin is all blue...the racial diversity of the populace.

[MJZiggy]

Amazing how the electoral college was so much more important than things like the map and the popular vote when it got Bush into office...

you missed my point...most of the country is very conservative but because small pockets of federal gov't users cluster together...yes users of the costly elements of federal gov't...and they deliver a popular vote while the rest of the country/state is forced to live by their rules.

I am VERY much in favor of electoral college, and obama won that this year. He is the potus (elect) and I have no gripes about that. Realize this though, oh blower of the popular vote horn. Obama is the first democratic presidential candidate in 32 YEARS to get more than 50% of the vote.

Since when are farmers who get crop subsidies not federal government users? And since when are those handouts not costly?

[texaspackerbacker]

I'm CERTAINLY not advocating doing away with the Electoral College system. Doing that would further empower the America-hating assholes of the liberal-saturated mainstream media.

ya, noithing like a little undemocratic structure to set things right.

I have complained more about media bias in the recent election than anybody, it was truely over-the-top this year.

But shit, the media is part of our democracy, as imperfect and messy as it is.

How can you be against campaign finance limits in the name of free speech and democracy, and then turn around and support something as undemocratic, crooked and retarded as our electoral college vestige?

Democracy can be corrupted by the incessant "programming" of the electorate with false and malicious propaganda. The left has been EXTREMELY adept at doing that in this country. As I have said over and over, they played the game of politics a helluva lot better than the good guys.

As for the "undemocratic" aspect of the Electoral College, Harlan, that has it's roots in the writing of the Constitution--the so-called Great Compromise which gave small population states the advantage in one house of Congress and big states the advantage in the other. It is that basing of electoral votes on the number of senators and Congressmen that gives a slight advantage to small states.

Who are we to dispute what the founding father did? I mean, if we hadn't messed with the 3/5 rule, after all, we likely wouldn't have the rottenness and potential catastrophe of an Obama presidency inflicted on us.

(140 million total votes X 12% blacks X 95% black racist voting X -2/5 = about 7 million less votes for Obama. He won by about 6 million. The difference in electoral votes would undoubtedly have made all the difference.) Oh well, I guess we have 19th century liberalism to blame.

[bobblehead]

Amazing how the electoral college was so much more important than things like the map and the popular vote when it got Bush into office...

you missed my point...most of the country is very conservative but because small pockets of federal gov't users cluster together...yes users of the costly elements of federal gov't...and they deliver a popular vote while the rest of the country/state is forced to live by their rules.

I am VERY much in favor of electoral college, and obama won that this year. He is the potus (elect) and I have no gripes about that. Realize this though, oh blower of the popular vote horn. Obama is the first democratic presidential candidate in 32 YEARS to get more than 50% of the vote.

Very true....and that explains why northern wisconsin is entirely blue I guess.
Since when are farmers who get crop subsidies not federal government users? And since when are those handouts not costly?

[MJZiggy]

Amazing how the electoral college was so much more important than things like the map and the popular vote when it got Bush into office...

you missed my point...most of the country is very conservative but because small pockets of federal gov't users cluster together...yes users of the costly elements of federal gov't...and they deliver a popular vote while the rest of the country/state is forced to live by their rules.

I am VERY much in favor of electoral college, and obama won that this year. He is the potus (elect) and I have no gripes about that. Realize this though, oh blower of the popular vote horn. Obama is the first democratic presidential candidate in 32 YEARS to get more than 50% of the vote.

Very true....and that explains why northern wisconsin is entirely blue I guess.
Since when are farmers who get crop subsidies not federal government users? And since when are those handouts not costly?

Bit if it all boils down to government use, then the whole midwest would be blue by that logic. People everywhere still use roads, and it really helps when they don't fall apart. Perhaps a timely bridge inspection could have let them know that the steel plated on I-35 were about to fail...actually didn't they do an inspection a couple years ago and say repairs were needed?

[Iron Mike]

Perhaps a timely bridge inspection could have let them know that the steel plates on I-35 were about to fail...actually didn't they do an inspection a couple years ago and say repairs were needed?

I was just at a conference where the Hennepin County Medical Examiner discussed the I-35 bridge collapse. The bridge was inspected two years ago, and while not "failed," was noted to have "serious deficiencies" that were scheduled to be replaced in 2009. The plates that held the girders together were supposed to be 2" thick and were 1" thick.

That bridge was designed to handle 4 lanes of traffic and actually had 6 lanes--plus TONS of construction equipment that were converting it into an 8 lane.

[Iron Mike]

But, you didn't hear that from me.

[MJZiggy]

It doesn't matter. The NTSB put out their report and most of what you said is in all the industry mags this week.