Does Geography matter?

[SmokingLoon]

I think it does. The following is one NUDUer's opinion, based on informal polling. Feel free to reply with your own.


I feel that geography matters. I have done some informal polling amongst friends around the country, and asked them if where a candidate is from matters to them. They pretty much all said that they prefer that candidates be from either the South, the Midwest, or the West. They didn't like candidates from the Northeast, or the Pacific coast states. They also felt that candidates from the upper midwest, (Dakotas, Montana, etc) were out too. When hypothetical matchups were given, like a guy from the South v. a guy from the Midwest, the South won. Here are the regions, in order of preference.

1. The South
2. The West
3. The Midwest
4. Pacific Coast
5. Northeast

I asked my friends why. They said that people from the Northeast and the West Coast tend to think the world revolves around those places. They felt that people from the West, Midwest, and South were more "real". Go figure. I talked to about ten friends. None of them lived on the coasts. All are college educated, two are lawyers, two are social workers, 1 is a realtor, another is a housewife, two are in sales, two are management types. All are white. About 4 I would consider Republican, 3 Democrat, and the balance I would consider swing voters.

[bryant69]

1. The fetishization of the South

I don't know why, but it is clear that we are more comfortable with Southerners as president. As someone who grew up in California, I'm not sure I like it. (the implication is that someone from the south or the Midwest is some how more "American" than someone from California, or the North East.)

Bryant
check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[SmokingLoon]

2. I don't know why either

But I must admit that I, would choose South first, assuming I knew nothing else about the candidate.

[LWolf]

3. Interesting.

I never really thought about it until I read your post.

In general, geography doesn't matter to me. The person matters. If I were to consider geography rather than actual people or issues, I'd avoid candidates from the bible belt. Maybe anyplace with southern baptist influence. Luckily, I'm more interested in people and issues.

I'm in the West. California. Us left coasters consider the pacific coast to be part of the west! Of course, here in the Mojave Desert, I'm not on the coast; I'm on the dry side of the mountains.

[pmbryant]

4. Typical Republican attitudes

It is hardly surprising that your poll of white, non-coastal, predominantly Republicans found a preference for candidates from non-Democratic areas.

The NE and the West Coast are the most Democratic areas of the country, based on recent election results.

--Peter

[SmokingLoon]

5. I wouldn't consider them to be predominently Repub...

only 40% were. I can tell you that, as an Ohioan, I feel that California is a different planet, while Oregon and Washington seem OK.

[pmbryant]

6. Different planet?

I wonder why so many non-Californians feel this way. I have lived in California, and I have lived elsewhere, and, in general, California is just like the rest of the country, only more so. ;-)

California has its big cities, it has its farm belt, it has its suburban enclaves, and it has its small towns.

Why do people feel that it is a different planet? (I actually used to feel this way, myself, growing up in Chicago, but I have forgotten what inspired those feelings.)

--Peter

[SmokingLoon]

8. For a non CAer

like me, California seems so weird. The 9th Circuit sure doesn't help, either. Cognitively, I know there is more than SoCal, but LA just ruined it for me. Visiting LA was my version of Hell. For that matter, I hate New York too, but love Chicago.

[pmbryant]

12. What about LA was 'hell'?

Was it the air pollution? The endless sprawl? Something else?

I live there for a while and never really warmed up to it as a city, and the air pollution was really horrible. But its problems are the same as those of the rest of the country, only magnified due to geography and population.

And what's wrong with the 9th Circuit?

:shrug:

--Peter

[SmokingLoon]

15. What's wrong with LALA land...

Pollution, sprawl, crime, dirt, noise, price, no guns, the people. It also drove me nuts that half the people in the market couldn't speak English. I prefer to be around people who can communicate effectively. LA represents everything that is wrong with the cities of America, only on a bigger scale. I HATE cities for the most part. Chicago is tolerable, because the people are friendly. I also tolerate Cleveland, Knoxville, Quad Cities, Cincinnati, Lexington, Mobile, Kansas City, Indianapolis, and many others quite well.

edited to say: 9th circuit is the most overturned court in the land. They do too much legislating from the bench, IMHO.

[pmbryant]

24. The people?

Living there for years, I never had a problem with the people in LA myself.

And non-English speakers exist in great numbers in a lot more places than just Los Angeles (in fact, Chicago, is one such place), not that there is anything at all wrong with them.

As for circuit courts, I'm personally much more wary of courts like the 4th(?) Circuit (Virginia, etc), whose judges appear quite willing to completely give up all judicial review of executive law enforcement actions. Down that path leads the road to tyranny.

--Peter

[blindpig]

7. yes, but

I'll be damned if I understand why so many dems are hot for a southern candidate. I mean, this area is the true home of conservatives. An equally interesting question might be, does history matter? I think we (as a people) are letting the repubs do the defining, the first step to defeat.
btw, I've lived in SC for 22 yrs and am a native of MD.

[SmokingLoon]

9. Southern Candidate

Carter, Clinton...they were southern.

[CalebHayes]

10. The Demos must win one southern state to become president

[SmokingLoon]

14. Must be a huge state!

To have all those electoral votes!

[sweetheart]

11. nixon, reagan, bush

The republicans blow smoke at the model.

None of their men for the past 30 years is from the south, rather the northeast and california.

The democrat: clinton, carter fit your south model, so are you saying that the democratic party is still the southern racist party of olde who cannot nominate anyone but a white man from the south, whilst the repukes still pull on their northeast/west union legacy along the civil war divide.

Interesting... the democrats are the oxymoron of southern racism and the republicans the oxymoron of northern egalatarianism.

[SmokingLoon]

13. Bush is from the South...TEXAS eom

[sweetheart]

18. not at all, he's from connecticut

I've seen his dad's kennebunkport, maine house.... the texas thing was a marketing invention.

Wrong about the south.

[SmokingLoon]

19. He ran as a Texan...not a N.Easterner

Besides, he was Governor of TX, that makes him Southern or Western enough to many.

[sweetheart]

22. you want marketing or reality?

I mentioned the reality. The crawford stunt is as real as sauruman's isengard in middle earth.... but it looks good on film.

You either are discussing geographical origins or you're chatting about marketing spinography... and if its the latter, then the whole basis of discussion is a sham.

I grew up in california, and i moved to NYC and have lived in 12 states travelling and working constantly all over the bloody place... real americans are national, like national politicians... and yet we can spin ourselves as being from a particular place.

So there are 2 factors as i see it. Where you're growed up, and where you really make your home. Shrub and his family are northeastern nazi sympathizers trying to re-brand themselves as simply treasonous southerners.

The republicans don't nominate southerners... the democrats do... i forgot johnson... he's a real texan.

[October]

16. I respectfully disagree with your friends' assertion

...that people from the NE and West Coast tend to think the world revolves around them. That sounds like a spoon-fed soundbite or something, because facts just don't bear that out. Perhaps someone can remind them that we sure have had a ton of non-NE and non-West Coast presidents, leaders of the House and Senate, etc. So, isn't it obvious we on the Coasts are the very ones who do indeed vote for "others."

The newscasters and print journalists are endlessly suggesting that the norm in the country comes from the midwesterners, or "heart" of America, marginalizing the NE and California. They're also ever-eager to hear what farmers or "middle Americans" (real Americans) think. It's endless.

I've grown up with the unspoken understanding that those in the media and Washington, DC don't care much at all what those of us north of the Mason-Dixon line think.

So, does geography matter? It seems only Southern geography matters.

[SmokingLoon]

20. I agree with you.

It seems that the South is the center of the country now. I will admit to being a bit partial, though...I married a Southern girl last month.

[October]

26. Hey - congrats!

Congrats on the nuptials!

[Hippo_Tron]

17. Don't give a shit where the candidate as from...

As long as he/she stands up for the issues that I believe in.

[ChemEng]

31. I agree with you, Hippo.....(n/t)

[Kathy in Cambridge]

21. I think the Geography Matters argument is a Republican talking point

to marginalize areas where there's a lot of Democrats.

And your attitudes toward the NE and California fall in lock-step with this propaganda. I know a lot of people all over the country too (including a TON of SOuthern and Midwestern Dems and Independents), and this geographical argument doesn't matter one whit to them.

This resentment of the Northeast is so ridiculous. You hate NY? Have you been to the Adirondacks or Finger Lakes? NY is not just NYC. And New England? Some of the nicest small-town folks are in Western Mass, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Rhode Island, Mass, and Maine have some of the most beautiful, unspoiled coastline in the country.

As far as New England or the Northeast being 'less American' than the rest of the country, should I remind you where this country was fought for and where our Founding Fathers were from? I am sick to death of this pro-Southern, anti-Northeast BS. We have other battles to fight that are more important.

[GreenPartyVoter]

23. As a New Englander

I find this depressing.

I don't think I fit the "old money, Ivy leaguer, liberal elitist" Northerner in any way shape or form.

My guess is that when people think of the North East, they are thinking of Teddy Kennedy and Hillary Clinton. I guess they don't realize that there are plenty of great politicians here who aren't well-funded or connected, and who attended public university???

[Kathy in Cambridge]

25. Hillary Clinton is a Midwesterner

born and bred in the Chicago suburbs.

New England has an old-fashioned 'libertarian' kind of liberalism. Nothing elitist about small-town or big city liberals in New England. Most of the liberal elitists are at universities-but are from all over the place, not just New England.

[SmokingLoon]

27. Unfortunately, perception is reality

for many people. All of us fall into the trap at times, even me.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

28. And you speak for all middle America?

:shrug:

Since when?

[sweetheart]

29. yea, my thoughts exactly

loon perception is pretty shallow... how can the bird see fish below the surface if it is fooled by its own reflection?

Given candidate REAL origins, the discussion is rather interesting in that repukes only put in non-southerners, and the democrats southerners. But if we're gonna ignore that, then geesh, the facts get a bit thin in perception-land.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

30. good point

and it always irks me when the author of the thread doesn't respond to arguments, but only the comments that support their warped premise.

This guy sounds vaguely like another former DUer anyway...

[SmokingLoon]

33. I speak only for myself...

remember the original post about opinion?

[populistmom]

32. I come from a skewed point of view

I've lived half my live in Connecticut, the first half in Nebraska, where I grew up meeting some pretty progressive folks, since that was who my parents hung with. My dad is extremely cerebral and left of center and grew up mainly in rural Louisiana. It's really hard to put these narrow labels on people because of geography I think.

[SmokingLoon]

34. I agree,

but not everybody is like us.