Were red states always Republican and blue states always Democratic?

[shawn703]

On those maps? For some reason, I thought they were reversed before, but I could be wrong.

[Dookus]

1. no

they change depending on which party holds the White House.

However, the current terms have become so ingrained that I suspect the current alignment may become permanent now.

[Jack_Dawson]

2. I heard California used to vote Repuke

Til most people started going to college. Ohio used to be Blue. Texas has always been stupid. Arkansas used to be blue. Oregon is always blue but now leaning red.

[West Coast Democrat]

6. Oregon, like California, has voted Democrat in the last several elections

so why would you say it's leaning red?

[2Design]

3. a lot of the red southern states were against desegration - they

were forced to allow white / black marriages in the 1960's by the Supreme court - that is where their fear of judges comes from - they want their way even when it is not good for the whole -

we still have the confederation against the yankees - only now it is being played out as red and blue states - things have not changed and now they are going backwards

[JohnKleeb]

4. nope

southern states used to be very dem, and many now mostly Catholic new england states were once very republican because of the WASPy influence.

[liberalpragmatist]

5. GUYS - he means the color scheme, not voting patterns

And the answer is no. There was no set pattern, so it used to fluctuate. Most of the maps in 1980 had a "sea of blue" because they gave Reagan-states blue, Carter-states red. TIME said they had in the 70s used blue and white. Plus, the global color scheme is generally to use red for center-left parties and blue for center-right parties (in general).

Now, it's become so ingrained, it's probably going to stay this way, with blue for Dems and red for the Repubs. News outfits like TIME and ABC News that used the opposite color scheme in 2000 are switching to the Republican-red/Democrat-blue scheme this year.

[SoCalDem]

7. Believe it or not..before the Viet Nam war & Civil Rights

party afilliation was not that much of an issue anywhere.. In the post war (WWII & Korea), everyday people concentrated on raising their families and getting the "American Dream".. The late 60's crystalized differences that had not been concentrated on for decades..

The deep south was primarily democratic and the Dixiecrats were still in a slavery frame-of mind.. I don't think that the rest of the country gave them much thought, because the migration to warmer climates had not happend much yet.. The automobile, and the growth of suburbs started people moving all over the place..

Prior to the late 60's , people stayed put.. Sons went to work where Dad worked.. Moms stayed home with the kids.. TV was very banal, and not much of any consequence was brought into the homes of most people..

The "grown ups" back then were so happy to have the wars over, that they became very selfish.. The Viet Nam war showed them that their sacrifices in the 40's were really for nothing...now THEIR sons and grandsons were being asked to die in a war..

At about the same time, the unionized factories were starting to age, and instead of updating them, the warmer climes beckoned..with promises of lower heating costs, cheap land, and a willing NON-UNION workforce..

It's no surprise that when an influx of 'new' people started moving all over the place, that ideas would clash..

The Dixiecrats rebelled by leaving the democratic party en masse, and thus the Republican southerner was born..

By the late 60's & 70's, the "new dealers" were pretty old and the younger, more angry idealogues took over..

The hippies and young free spirits really pissed off the BibleBelters, because they feared that THEIR kids might emulate them, so the culture wars started too..

Anyone who was not around in those times, cannot imagine the turmoil..

In a way, those times were payback for the years of ignorant bliss, and they ignited a fire that we are still feeling at our heels..