Southwestern Missouri

[freepcrusher]

I always thought that until the 1960s, Missouri's voting habits would be that the northern areas close to Iowa (a traditionally republican state) would be the most GOP part of the state while the southern part of the state close to Arkansas (a traditionally democratic state) would be the most democratic part of the state. But I found out that Southwest Missouri has always been republican. Since the abolition of at large districts in the 1930s, that part of the state has always been represented by a republican in the U.S. house with the exception of a four year period from 1957-1961. Looking at election maps, I see that even Alf Landon won several counties in that area.

So is this area similar to Eastern Tennessee (and parts of Kentucky)? That part of the state of course stuck out like a sore thumb in the sense that it was always republican even when the rest of the state was 70+% democratic. Also, both Eastern Tennessee and Southwest Missouri are located in mountainous or hilly areas in the Smokies and Ozarks and were isolated from the rest of the south.

Speaking of isolation, I always heard that those areas had a certain brand of republicanism to it. It was sort of an isolationist type of republicanism that was against wars, kind of like what Pat Buchanan believes.

[memphis]

Yes, they're hill people. Not much of a union tradition, so it's more like East TN and less like WV. Lately, they're getting a lot of old white people retiring there, which shoves it the GOP's way even more. Probably for that reason, it's also the fastest growing part of the state. Much like Oklahoma, it's where the South meets the prairie.

[HAnnA MArin County]

Depends on your definition of Southwest Missouri, but having traveled through there before, I'm not too sure about the history of the area, but I do know that you can't blink without seeing a church everywhere. The area is very socially conservative. It must be something about the area, because it sits on top of Northwestern Arkansas (AR-03), which is the most conservative part of Arkansas, in addition to bordering Northeastern Oklahoma, which is extremely right-wing, too. Not too sure what's going on in this area, but it does seem to be a bastion of conservatism.

I think the area is pretty much your typical Republican stronghold. The GOP controls everything in the area from local offices to federal representation. There are two Democratic state representatives (both from the city of Springfield), but nowhere else in the area is represented by a Democrat in the Missouri House or the Senate. Webster County (next to Springfield) has a significant Amish presence (I know they don't vote but probably still influences the culture). I have friends out there who say there are also tons of billboards displaying that Obama is a Muslim/not born in the United States/typical teabagger smears.

I really don't know what's up with this area. It is more conservative than its neighboring part of the state in Southeast Missouri (where I live), where mining and labor unions help Democrats in the Lead Belt and a significant proportion of African Americans in the Bootheel (not to mention this part of the state borders Illinois and that part of the state borders Oklahoma). And as someone has mentioned on here, a lot of older, white people are retiring there, probably because of the low cost of living and its your typical dream spot if you're a senior citizen with Branson only an hour south of Springfield.

[tpfkaw]

Ah, Southwestern Missouri.  My mother grew up in Springfield, and I've spent some time visiting there.  Springfield itself is a fairly typical mid-size, middle class city.  Low crime rate, nearly all white (although everyone is an incomprehensible mixture of ethnicities) reasonably prosperous economy that has grown through the recession.  City and suburbs are quiet and populated by good-natured people; they tend to be elderly since the trend over the last 50 years or so has been young people to leave, although that trend is reversing.  Elections are typically competitive; the city itself is about a 50-50 split, I'd estimate.  Both my grandparents are lifelong liberal Democrats, and my grandmother is active in the local Democratic Party (sample conversation: Grandmother: [my second cousin] just got into Princeton.  Me: Wow, that's great!  Grandmother: No it isn't, they're reactionary).

Exurban areas are another story.  They are the stereotypical "what's the matter with Kansas" zone.  Very poor; most everyone lives in a trailer or mobile housing of some sort; parents beat their children; most men probably beat their wives; most children get their breakfast at school.  Everyone owns a gun (children generally receive their first gun at age 9 or so), meth and especially alcohol abuse is very common, everyone smokes.  Everyone is a Christian; church is the center of their social lives, and there's a good chance they'll be reduced to tears while discussing abortion.  Obama is not well-liked; this is most likely the birther hub of America (my aunt voted for McCain because she was convinced Obama is a Muslim - she's a Democrat who voted for Clinton in the primary, and she has a master's degree in education!).  Travel deeper into the Ozarks and you'll find pretty much third-world conditions; no employment, people living in squalid huts or decaying trailers, omnipresent meth abuse (see the recent movie Winter's Bone).  Of course, it's not all like that; Branson is a boom town.  Nevertheless, it's pretty amazing how an island of relative prosperity (Springfield) can live in a sea of deprivation (the Ozarks).