wow, so Georgia had the fourth highest natural increase in the nation, behind NY, CA and TX.

At first I was surprised that Florida had a low natural increase relative to its size but then I remembered who lives there...

EDIT: Also, the 2012 numbers are up for the race, age and income characteristics of each state. It's cool living in a country that's ALWAYS going through some sort of demographic change

Aren't Republicans the ones who created the mythical "liberal media" as a foil several decades ago? And didn't it work for them in the past? If the media is in fact much more hostile to Republicans, which I'm not sure it is, then it's the Republicans who created the monster than turned on them.

["A woman in Broward County, Fla., unleashed fury on Dunkin’ Donuts employees after she didn't receive a receipt with a previous order. The whole incident can be seen in the rant that was uploaded to YouTube.In the eight-minute-long viral video, 27-year-old Taylor Chapman says that she is entitled to free food because of Dunkin' Donuts' stated policy that customers who do not get a receipt with their order are entitled to a refund.In addition to complaining about the receipt, she claims that the employee who helped her during the prior transaction was less than helpful."]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juLHmG76P4Q

"A woman in Broward County, Fla., unleashed fury on Dunkin’ Donuts employees after she didn't receive a receipt with a previous order. The whole incident can be seen in the rant that was uploaded to YouTube.

In the eight-minute-long viral video, 27-year-old Taylor Chapman says that she is entitled to free food because of Dunkin' Donuts' stated policy that customers who do not get a receipt with their order are entitled to a refund.

In addition to complaining about the receipt, she claims that the employee who helped her during the prior transaction was less than helpful."

http://www.ibtimes.com/dunkin-donuts-customer-taylor-chapman-goes-employee-viral-video-not-giving-her-receipt-1301079


Seriously guys watch this whole video. She's insane.

Polls continue to show us that Americans are more wary of big government than big business. Sure, ok, I guess these days we're constantly warned of the dangers of big government. The NSA scandal is a great example. And yeah, big government can overstep and end up really screwing you. But is it really a bigger threat than big business? Corporations have been proven guilty of just as many assaults on individual freedom if not more. The problem is we have no control over what goes on in a company boardroom. We can however, vote politicians out of office. So what do you think?

Well I was born in Fulton County, GA in 1989 so...

1992
Clinton: 57.3%
Bush: 33.2%
Perot: 9.2%

2012
Obama: 64.13%
Romney: 34.42%

But I grew up in Coweta County, GA

1992
Bush: 47.7%
Clinton: 34.5%
Perot: 17.5%

2012
Romney: 71.17%
Obama: 27.22%

(exurban fundamentalist paradise)

The Scripps National Spelling Bee was held last week and the winner was 13 year old Arvind Mahankali of Queens, who won after he spelled the word knaidel correctly. (It's a yiddish word for dumpling)

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/30/18633195-arvind-mahankali-13-wins-national-spelling-bee-with-knaidel?lite

I watched it this year and noticed the very large number of Asian American, and specifically South Asian kids in the competition. In fact, the last 6 winners have been of Indian descent. So does anybody want to explain why Indian American kids seem to dominate this competition? Is it upbringing or an intense focus on....spelling?? And what does this say about Indian Americans and Asian Americans in general?

I think German Americans are too assimilated to be swayed something like that. There are still some german enclaves but there's not much cohesion amongst German Americans like there are among other ethnic groups.

A decent executive, got some good things passed, really energized progressives in a good way, but his administration has had some fumbles, so I give him a B

ok guys lets not get carried away

But what is the damn point of stuff like this?  Cutting benefits for poors?  There are so many things we can do to balance out-of-whack budgets and the GOP is constantly going after the poors/working class.  It's just nasty. 

pbrower... they are not on the level of Nazis and rapists.  C'mon.  There are degrees of nastiness.  This is nasty, but not THAT nasty. 

The point is that these people actually believe what they're doing is right. All of these efforts aren't coming from a dark place. To them, they're making things better.

I guess you just have to get inside the mind of someone who is a white, conservative fundamentalist Christian. They've been taught to believe in this mindset since childhood and even legislators aren't immune to the right wing Fox News echo chamber.

1) Cutting aid for poor people is good because it forces them to become self sufficient. Heaven helps those who help themselves. Besides, blacks need to get off the government plantation.

2) Restricting early voting is good because voter fraud is a HUGE HUGE HUGE problem....

3) God doesn't want America to expand rights for gay people because the bible clearly states that homosexuality is a sin, and America is a Christian nation

4) Cut taxes for the rich by any means necessary because Reagan showed us the trickle down economics works!

5) Abortion is the single greatest holocaust in America today and it's our god given duty to stop it.

See if you've thought like that your whole life, and now you're in a position of power, you probably think you're a huge freedom fighter.

Not even necessarily where it is legal.  What states would you say would make a married gay couple feel most welcome? 

1. VT - probably the most "hippie" and free love state there is.  Also the most "liberal" in the American sense of the word.

2. NJ - look at the polling.  65% for same-sex marriage.  Highest in the country.  Why?  Our liberals are your typical liberals and our conservatives care almost exclusively about economic matters. 

3. NY - NYC is home to most of the population and very, very gay friendly.  Add that to your college towns and other northern liberal enclaves and it's a nice spot. 

Is Vermont really that far out there in moonbeam land? What I've heard from people from Vermont is that there is certainly a liberal element, but most people are just your typical small town New Englanders- pretty normal. It's just that the state has a progressive heritage that endears people to the Democratic party and liberal causes.

Also, Montana does border a Democratic county, although just barely. Teton County, Wyoming, the only Wyoming county to vote for Obama, just barely touches Gallatin County, Montana.

Damn, you're right, so it's only Florida and Oklahoma. By the way I thought Texas didn't have any until I found Caddo Parish in Louisiana. Also Las Animas County in Colorado almost touches Cimarron County in Oklahoma, but it doesn't.

Caddo isn't a county. It's a Parish. But Texas borders Dona Ana County, New Mexico.

splitting hairs

If it hadn't been for cope's response, morgieb might have ended up with some death points.  Please keep in mind that not everyone keeps up with celebrity gossip.  Kardashians are not the first thing I think of when I think of Armenians.  They're not even in my top ten thousand things to think of.

whaaat? I'm confused. What was so horrible about a pop culture reference? I don't see how it's a big deal.

ok guys lets not get carried away

people always forget that Georgia is actually a pretty big state

yes, RIP, I'm sure he's in a better place.

Since he lived a long and productive life and this is no great shock or tragedy, let's talk about his replacement. Lautenberg was a true politico and this is probably what he would want to be discussing as well.  The way I see it, Christie has a few options.

1) Appoint a legitimate conservative Republican. This might put him in better standing with Republicans nationwide, helping his 2016 chances, but it would probably hurt him in NJ. He loses favor with moderates and liberals before his reelection battle, only to see his appointee get voted out.

2) Appoint a very moderate Republican. This intensifies the RINO finger pointing but his appointee has a better chance of surviving and it's another conservative vote on at least some of the important things. A subdued pick that wouldn't really help Christie but could help Republicans in the senate in the long run.

3) Appoint a Democrat. This would probably help him a lot in November of this year but would absolutely destroy his chances for the 2016 nomination. People just wouldn't forget about that kind of treason.

4) Hold a special election. Probably the safest pick. He washes his hands of the entire thing and it's just neutral for him. Dems can still praise him for bipartisanship and Republicans can still call him a fake Republican for not appointing a conservative.

very cool. So where do Dems pick up the most seats? I assume they have a return to form in the more liberal areas of the country. But do they succeed in the south?

As a Georgian, I'd like to think that Roy Barnes wins the Governor's race against Nathan Deal by getting strong support from black people, working class whites and senior citizens. Johnny Isakson probably wins another term but maybe it's a much closer race.

What about gubernatorial and senate races in states like Florida (Sink wins?) or Tennessee, Texas (Perry finally kicked out?) Oklahoma, South Carolina (governor Shaheen?) and Kentucky (does Rand Paul lose?)

We need results!!

Also Kristy Kona sounds like a fun girl to hit the bars with. I'm sure we'll see her hosting a show on Bravo

wow, that's quite a landslide. I'm not sure those results are believable but this is your thing and it's certainly interesting.

The TL seems to completely mirror the 2008 election, so I have a question. Since Obama IRL won handily but still underperformed in some ancestrally D areas, like the rural upper south and coal regions, do we see the same thing with Tyson flipped? Like, I can imagine a lot of old white southerners who are still registered Ds but have been voting Republican for decades at the national level switch back to Kerry in 2008 because he's white.

It's just that in the deep south it's really not possible to have 90% of blacks and 80-90% of whites voting for the same candidate, which is what it would take to get those results in the south that you posted. There's just too much racial polarization.

!!!! Maybe for President Tyson's first term, you can create kind of a Dem tea party. A groundswell of conservative Dems in the south suddenly start a movement that claims to oppose Tyson's policies but also has tinges of racism. It would be really cool to see a return of conservative southern Dems winning the south in the 2010 midterms.

Ok, too much commentary. I'll stop. But very interesting TL!

[NOTE: If anybody could tell me more about Alsace Lorraine I'd love to hear, because I don't know much about it.]

To be more specific:

Maternal Grandmother: Born in DC . She's half Italian and half German. Her mother (my great grandmother) was the daughter of Italian immigrants -mother was from a small village near Naples and her father was from northern Italy. On the German side, her dad was fully German and came from German stock based around Indiana. They came to America in the mid 1800s

Maternal Grandfather: He grew in in NYC. His father was English and Irish- father from a small village in southern England and mother the daughter of Irish immigrants who came over during the potato famine. His mother was the daughter of two immigrants from Alsace Lorraine, although their country of origin in their immigration papers is listed as Switzerland NOTE: If anybody could tell me more about Alsace Lorraine I'd love to hear, because I don't know much about it.

Paternal Grandfather: As far as I know, he's of Scots Irish stock. I've found records of people in this line from way back to the early 1800s. Most lived up in North Georgia and East Tennessee and were farmers. My grandfather grew up in North Georgia but moved to Atlanta to practice law.

Paternal Grandmother: Born in Atlanta. I know the least about this side of the family. I was always told that her side was more English and aristocratic than my grandfather's scrappy mountain ancestors. They came to America during the colonial era and I know of one in particular who fought in the American revolution. They lived mainly in South Carolina and some were slave owners. 

[populations that identify more with two cities from other states (NJ: New York and Philadelphia, CT: New York and Boston)]

I loved, loved, loved when I saw this.  NJ and CT are actually extremely similar states.  

-largely suburban
-a couple medium-sized, albeit run-down, cities
-populations that identify more with two cities from other states (NJ: New York and Philadelphia, CT: New York and Boston)
-pretty diverse populations (Non-Hispanic whites: 77% in CT, 69% in NJ)
-some very wealthy shore areas (Gold Coast in CT, Ocean County in NJ)

CT probably always had the edge on us when it came to vote share for the more liberal of the two parties for a couple of reasons.

1. NJ has SOME rural-ish areas.  CT really doesn't have any.  
2. CT is just a bit more "northern", geographically and culturally.
3. CT doesn't really have anything like Northwest Jersey.    

From now on, though, the states will probably vote very similarly.  NJ has a bit more of a diverse population to offset the Confederate sympathizers and NASCAR dads in the Pine Barrens and scattered around other parts of South Jersey.  Connecticut is a pretty static state.  New Jersey is losing white population to those emigrating south for warmer weather, and the fact that immigrants still tend to come to Jersey because, in all honestly, you CAN find a job here.  

Glad the thread interested you!

The part in bold is what I found interesting. I always assumed that pretty much all of CT was tied to NYC but apparently that isn't the case. I have an aunt (by marriage) who grew up in eastern Connecticut. She's a big sports fan and she's always rooted for Boston teams like the Red Sox and the Patriots. She grew up going into Boston a lot but the first time she ever visited New York was when she was an adult, after she had moved away from Connecticut. So since that area of the state identifies more with New England then it would make sense that whites would vote more like they do in New England than the mid Atlantic.

Also, I had no idea that Jersey had any areas that were culturally southern. The Pine Barrens sounds kind of like the Florida panhandle- Largely white, close to the ocean, full of pine trees and lots of nascar fans.

There really isn't any single area in Jersey that is majority "culturally Southern".  It's just that in South Jersey you will find plenty of those types the more inland you go.  In my own town, there is a string of houses along Rancocas Creek that display Confederate flags.  That's in no way the majority, but you will run into it.  I honestly wish we could just ship 'em over to Delaware... they need to grow their population anyway.  

It seems to me that anybody displaying the rebel flag on the front of their house is pretty damn southern, or at least is a wannabe southerner.

Not that all southerners even like the flag, I certainly don't. I think a lot of people display it because they're trying desperately to create some kind of identity for themselves. I grew up in an exurb of Atlanta and there were a lot of kids who moved there from the northeast and midwest, and sure enough, a lot of them started wearing rebel flag t shirts and putting bumper stickers on their cars. What were they trying to prove??

I bet a lot of those people in the pine barrens are the same way- northerners who feel marginalized from the wealthier areas in NJ and adopt the rebel flag to create some outlaw image.

the Kardashians don't vote

Despite the terrible unemployment numbers, blacks people are still very much enthusiastic about not letting a GOP candidate get back in office for the foreseeable future.  Due to the damage dubya did in their minds on Sam Alito and the economy.

fixed

yes, please marry Sandra Lee so she can wow us with her wedding tablescapes and a fabulous semi homemade reception.

How come there's never any nail biting about whether white people (as a race) will show up to vote?? I just find it a little patronizing, like most black people need some sort of carrot on a stick to lure them to the polls.

Sure, the black vote increased with Obama on the ballot, but the vast majority of those black voters also showed up in 2004, 2000, etc etc. I just think the number of black voters who fall in the "I'm only voting cuz Obama" category has been overstated. And if it hasn't, then Dems should be equally worried about turning out Hispanics, Union workers and young people as well, not just black people.

[populations that identify more with two cities from other states (NJ: New York and Philadelphia, CT: New York and Boston)]

I loved, loved, loved when I saw this.  NJ and CT are actually extremely similar states. 

-largely suburban
-a couple medium-sized, albeit run-down, cities
-populations that identify more with two cities from other states (NJ: New York and Philadelphia, CT: New York and Boston)
-pretty diverse populations (Non-Hispanic whites: 77% in CT, 69% in NJ)
-some very wealthy shore areas (Gold Coast in CT, Ocean County in NJ)

CT probably always had the edge on us when it came to vote share for the more liberal of the two parties for a couple of reasons.

1. NJ has SOME rural-ish areas.  CT really doesn't have any. 
2. CT is just a bit more "northern", geographically and culturally.
3. CT doesn't really have anything like Northwest Jersey.   

From now on, though, the states will probably vote very similarly.  NJ has a bit more of a diverse population to offset the Confederate sympathizers and NASCAR dads in the Pine Barrens and scattered around other parts of South Jersey.  Connecticut is a pretty static state.  New Jersey is losing white population to those emigrating south for warmer weather, and the fact that immigrants still tend to come to Jersey because, in all honestly, you CAN find a job here. 

Glad the thread interested you!

The part in bold is what I found interesting. I always assumed that pretty much all of CT was tied to NYC but apparently that isn't the case. I have an aunt (by marriage) who grew up in eastern Connecticut. She's a big sports fan and she's always rooted for Boston teams like the Red Sox and the Patriots. She grew up going into Boston a lot but the first time she ever visited New York was when she was an adult, after she had moved away from Connecticut. So since that area of the state identifies more with New England then it would make sense that whites would vote more like they do in New England than the mid Atlantic.

Also, I had no idea that Jersey had any areas that were culturally southern. The Pine Barrens sounds kind of like the Florida panhandle- Largely white, close to the ocean, full of pine trees and lots of nascar fans.