Looking at the little red and blue map, it’s pretty obvious that America is deeply divided. People in cities want Democrats, people in low-density areas want Republicans. The West and the Northeast are the only places where the Democrats preveil, but population-wise they count for a lot.
This divide has been there, more or less (notably, we used to have a Democratic South) for quite a while. Is this worrysome, or is it just how things are? Why does population density/location play such a big role? Can America really call itself one country? Will we ever break out of this? Will bad things come of this?
Speaking from California, much of America seems like an alian nation to me. I want to make sense of why I live in a country that seems like two different worlds.
Any notion that America will now unite behind Bush should be quickly put aside. The division is deeper, the resentment more bitter, and the resolve to fight against what is perceived by the left as an evil administration is burning white hot. There will be a few weeks to lick our wounds, but soon the Repugnicans will take this ample rope they have been given and hang themselves, and I for one will be there to kick the chair out from under them.
I’ve always thought America would do well to break off into several independent entities that are semi-consolidated under one government, like the EU. It’s not just the politics. The culture of the South is extremely different from that of the West. The spiritual values of the Northeast are much different from those of the Midwest. Alaska and Hawaii don’t even count in most people’s idea of what America is. We’re four or five different countries that have been forced to live together in increasing disharmony.
I honestly think it’s time for a peaceful separation. Put it to a vote, see which states want to belong to which nations and just get the divorce over with. If Czechoslovakia could have an amicable splitting, why can’t we?
Its not really as black and white as you think. Most of us are gray, but were stuck with having to choose between far right and far left. The far right did a better job again this election of convincing the uninformed moderates. That sucks for lefties like me, but I love my country and I’ll make a conscious effort to support my President, even though he’s an asshole.
We’ve always been divided over one set of issues or another and it will probably always be that way. What’s important to those in the North East might not be important to those in the South West. And eror is right, it isn’t just about issues there are cultural differences. I’m cool with some of the differences between California, New York, Arkansas, and Arizona. I don’t think it’s that big a deal, in the old days when we were divided we might start lynching or hold a good old fashioned tar and feathering.
I don’t see any real advantage to switching to a EU type system.
You must be the Amazing Fucking Kreskin or something. Please, oh wise one, open your third eye and reveal to all who I voted for. I recognize that Americans are divided on many issues. Those who go out of there way to inflame the other side just make things worse. Maybe if people stopped acting like assholes we could reach some common ground.
Yeah! And maybe they could each have their governor, legislature and judicial system. They could all impose thier own laws and taxes, and have all the power except that which they concede to the bigger government.
The electoral votes are divided, but the fact is, President Bush has a greater percentage of the popular vote…the most by any presidential candidate since 88. It sounds to me as if the country is divided more between those who live in urban areas and those who don’t.
How ironic, given that Kerry is now going to try to win the electoral vote via lawyering—in 2000, the Democrats were very big on reminding people that Bush didn’t win the popular vote and had to win the electoral vote by lawyering, and telling us all how that made him an illegitimate president. Now those same people want their candidate to win the same way they thought was so horrible in 2000.
The states are all too small to be truly independent entities. With the exception of maybe California, New York, and Texas, none of them have the population or the natural resources to support themselves. And also, under my “plan” the countries would all have their own militaries and postal systems, and there would be no overriding “AU” (American Union) taxes. The AU would serve simply as a military alliance, and maybe we’d all use the same money still for convenience. So the hypothetical countries would be a lot more separate than the states.
Now this, this is rich. In light of all the threads like this one, asking for restraint or forebearance is a little naive.
Oh, you ain’t seen nothing yet. I am going to be the fly in your soup, the gum on your shoe, that itch in the middle your back and that invisible mosquito, buzzing, buzzing, buzzing around the ears of smug Conservatives across this country. Then mutliply that by 60 million, and you have some idea of what the next four years are going to be like. Common ground indeed; you have no idea.
How is it you can have contempt for one side, but not the other in this case? By your standards, equal blame should be placed on the Republicans for insisting that lawyering was OK, but now dismissing it as bad faith?