Differences between red vs. red, blue vs. blue states

[Wesley_Clark]

@kenobi_65

Illinois generally gets classified as a blue state, but it’s not as simple as “due to minorities”.

Voting in Illinois often comes down to, “how does Cook County vote, versus the rest of the state?”, and that very typically plays out in a “Cook votes Democratic, the suburbs and Downstate vote Republican” dynamic.

But, this is not only because Cook County has a (fairly) large minority population: Cook County is still 55% white (and 25% black, as well as 24% Hispanic). The Democratic machine dominates politics in Cook County, and that machine has traditionally been led by white men, including both Mayor Daleys.

The power of that machine extends to the state legislature, where Michael Madigan (from Chicago) has been Speaker of the House for all but two of the past 32 years (and his daughter Lisa is the Illinois Attorney General).

Illinois has had both Republican and Democratic governors over time, as well as often having both Republican and Democratic US Senators. However, it’s pretty clear that it’s Madigan and the Democratic machine which really hold the power in the state – as our new Republican governor, Bruce Rauner, has quickly discovered (Rauner and the Democrats are in a stalemate over the state budget crisis).

OK, that was too long an explanation. In short: Illinois is “blue”(ish) in large part because the Cook County political machine happens to identify itself as Democrat.

Whites in Illinois voted for Romney by a six point margin in 2012, but because non whites are 30% of the electorate there and gave Obama a 70 point margin the state went blue. So race is a factor there, if Illinois were as monochrome as new England then Romney would have won instead of losing by 16 points.

[kenobi_65]

@Wesley_Clark

Whites in Illinois voted for Romney by a six point margin in 2012, but because non whites are 30% of the electorate there and gave Obama a 70 point margin the state went blue. So race is a factor there, if Illinois were as monochrome as new England then Romney would have won instead of losing by 16 points.

I never said it wasn’t a factor; Cook County is 1/4 black and 1/4 Hispanic, after all. And, yes, non-whites voted strongly for Obama (but don’t discount the fact that Obama is from Chicago, as well).

But, it’s not the only factor, by a long shot, as I described. For one thing, if race were the primary factor, then Chicago wouldn’t be at 26 years, and counting, since it’s had a minority mayor.

[Velocity]

I get the impression that Northeastern liberals are more comfortable with big money and corporations than liberals elsewhere.

[BrainGlutton]

@kenobi_65

The Democratic machine dominates politics in Cook County, and that machine has traditionally been led by white men, including both Mayor Daleys.

That machine still exists?!

It must be the last urban political machine remaining in America.

[kenobi_65]

@BrainGlutton

That machine still exists?!

It must be the last urban political machine remaining in America.

It’s probably not as strong as it was when Richard M. Daley was mayor (and certainly not as strong as it was in earlier decades), now that all of the financial chickens are coming home to roost in Cook County (and in Illinois, in general), but it’s surely still there. Clout is still very much a thing here.