Red and Blue States???

[Dick Schmidt]

It seems that everyone nowadays talks about red and blue states, and it is universally understood that red=rep and blue=demo. I was just sitting and thinking about this, and wondered when it started as an accepted political shorthand. I really don't remember it from earlier elections, though maybe it was mentioned in 2000. How did the Democrats wind up with blue? Traditionally red has been associated with he political left, at least since the French Revolution. Now the Republicans are red.



TV stations have always assigned colors to their maps, but I don't remember them all being the same. Anyone know how this got started?



Dick

[boxcar]

Good question, Dick.

The way I understand it (from reading it somewhere online -- perhaps on Free Republic) is that the current system evolved from something quite different into what it is today.

As I recall, it originally started out as one color representing the incumbent and the other the challenger. But then it evolved to where now, one color is permanently assigned to the Repubs, and the other to the Dems. And I think this only started two elections ago.

At any rate, here is another take on this matter:

http://www.uselectionatlas.org/INFORMATION/ARTICLES/redblue.php

Boxcar

[Tom]

Dick, I remeber years when it was the other way around - Dem=red and rep=blue.

[Secretariat]

Weren't commies considered reds?

[sq764]

All this time I thought it was cause the Dems had the 'blues' after the election..

[JustRalph]

Weren't commies considered reds?

very funny jerk...........

you are one sad individual.

[boxcar]

sq764 wrote:

All this time I thought it was cause the Dems had the 'blues' after the election.

And were singing the "blues" like no one else can.

But in addition, they just couldn't help but seeing Red in their rage, election after election.

Boxcar

[Dick Schmidt]

Boxcar,


Thanks for the interesting article. About what I expected, no one really knows but lots of reasonable explanations.


Secretariat,

My point exactly. The Communists have traditionally been associated with the color red. Ever see the flag of the USSR or "Red" China? Lots of red. As I said, red and the "left" have been associated since at least the French Revolution in the late 1700's. I think the most reasonable explanation is the one given in the article, where someone speculated that the networks didn't want to make the Dems look like radical "reds" or even "pinkos". Seems reasonable to me, but that doesn't make it right. The true answer: nobody knows!

Dick

Who never finds any subject too trivial to devote time to it.

[Equineer]

In 2000 and preceding elections during the color-TV era, the electoral map colors were Blue for the Republican and Red for the Democrat.

Indeed, the current wave of hysterical Red-Versus-Blue-States jibes posted by neo-con bobbleheads exposes their political ignorance and reveals historical perspective as their second short leg begging for enhancement.

Will spammers recognize this opportunity to introduce new bogus enhancement elixirs (e.g., Are your political thrusts greeted by snickers? Would you trade your right n*t for more respect? Your prayers have been answered! Our amazing new herbal formula will add years to your partisan savvy!)?

My infallible media sources confirm that the color switch in 2004 was bought and paid for by neo-con special interests, expressly as a way of paying tribute to Karl Rove.

Red is synonymous with inflammation, and Karl Rove is the current neo-con wizard in charge of both the Southern Strategy and the Exploitation of Fundamentalist Fears... he promised to inflame the rednecks and fundamentalists... and he delivered the goods in 2004.

Southern neo-cons were especially pleased since red is predominant color in both the Flag of the Confederacy and the Rebel Battle Flag.

IMHO, Karl Rove certainly deserves his tribute, especially for delivering Ohio, where red is the predominant color in the flag flown by the All-Germanic Heathens, an ultra-conservative Aryan racist group that adopted the "alghiz rune" to symbolize a pre-Christian heritage and their peculiar fringe group brand Ohio atheism/agnosticism. :D

[PaceAdvantage]

Is anyone else but me tired of the Bush-Republican-"Neo-Con" Nazi racist innuendos?

It's getting VERY old vEtQUINEER. :sleeping:

[ponyplayer]

Losers......get over it all ready.

[sq764]

Unreal, you lose the election then you call the other side natzis and racists...

Wonder if any blacks or Jewish voted for Bush.. Couldn't possibly be, could it?