Opinion of posters who think they know more about a state...

[Miles]

...than people who actually live there.

For example, when Bob tries to lecture me about the political atmosphere and cultural leanings of western NC even though he won't say if he's ever actually been there himself while I'm a state resident.

[Donerail]

I do this sometimes if I legitimately know more about it than they do (if they're disconnected from their local politics or something).

[Napoleon]

FF, because living there is only valuable for anecdotal evidence.

[Vosem]

Especially when you talk about a rather large state (like NC), I'm hesitant to say HP. After all, while you are of course an expert on the political discourse and leanings in your little town or neighborhood or county, they don't necessarily reflect other places in the state. (Although when it comes to the specific example you're discussing, you're in the right).

[Antonio the Sixth]

They are more likely than not to be wrong, but some of them can be right.

[Stranger in a strange land]

I do this sometimes if I legitimately know more about it than they do (if they're disconnected from their local politics or something).

Especially when you talk about a rather large state (like NC), I'm hesitant to say HP. After all, while you are of course an expert on the political discourse and leanings in your little town or neighborhood or county, they don't necessarily reflect other places in the state. (Although when it comes to the specific example you're discussing, you're in the right).

Generally, living in a place doesn't give you any special insight into its politics unless you work in government, politics, media, or journalism. The fact is you probably only know about 400 people, who are unlikely to be representative of your entire state, or even your town if it's larger than a few thousand.

[Sbane]

Lean ff...especially in a larger state. You might know the immediate area or metro area but that's not enough in a state like North Carolina with multiple important metro areas.

[Associate Justice PiT]

FF, because living there is only valuable for anecdotal evidence.

     You also get the benefit of a news focus relevant to the politics of the area. After all, how many people on Atlas know about Jean Quan's 100-blocks plan?

[tmthforu94]

HP's. I don't like it when people get on here, unless they're from the state or are in the state a lot, or just actually do know a lot, and try to talk like they know all about a state when we all know they really don't.

[Torie]

Oh, there are states I don't live in, about which I think I know a lot about their politics (e.g., Michigan). There are ways to learn about a state within having actually lived in it. That is why God invented texts to read.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

FF, because living there is only valuable for anecdotal evidence.

And so in one sentence, a poster manages to sum up all that is wrong with American foreign affairs journalism. Bravo.

[Miles]

Oh, there are states I don't live in, about which I think I know a lot about their politics (e.g., Michigan). There are ways to learn about a state within having actually lived in it. That is why God invented texts to read.

Yes, Torie, you are very knowledgeable about states outside of CA. But you don't go throwing that in other people's faces like Bob tries to do...

[Grumpier Than Thou]

FFs. I don't know anything about the state I live in, so there you go.

[nclib]

HP in BigSkyBob's case, but not always so, for the reasons others have stated.

[Napoleon]

FF, because living there is only valuable for anecdotal evidence.

     You also get the benefit of a news focus relevant to the politics of the area. After all, how many people on Atlas know about Jean Quan's 100-blocks plan?

One could read as much news of another state as they ignore in their own.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

HP in BigSkyBob's case, but not always so, for the reasons others have stated.

[Associate Justice PiT]

FF, because living there is only valuable for anecdotal evidence.

     You also get the benefit of a news focus relevant to the politics of the area. After all, how many people on Atlas know about Jean Quan's 100-blocks plan?

One could read as much news of another state as they ignore in their own.

     On the other hand, it's impossible to understand the political realities of any area if you do not understand how the residents of that area think. Living somewhere gives you a natural advantage in that regard, since you know what is and is not relevant to local politics.

[Miles]

HP in BigSkyBob's case, but not always so, for the reasons others have stated.

This was the answer I was looking for.

[Gustaf]

Reading the headline I thought it was going to continue with "...just because they live there" and was intending to answer HP.

The use of anecdotal evidence annoys me immensely and people who use living there as an argument are almost always wrong.

[Hash]

With the exception of obvious idiots like BSB, I usually tend to dislike those who think they know more about a place than just about anyone else just because they live there.

[Bacon King]

It really depends on the circumstances. Some people do follow the broader political scene of their home state very closely, while others allow their own partisan paradigm to influence perceptions of the politics around them. Similarly, some forumites could honestly be considered experts of places they've never even been (Al, Lewis, Hashe, etc), while others act like know-it-alls based on a couple of biased blog entries they've read about a state.

Personally, I doubt most Atlasians know more about Georgia than I do; I recall in 2010 being very confused wondering why everybody here was saying Clay Cox woils make the GA-7 primary runoff. I'd also argue that I know more about New Orleans politics (excepting BrandonH probably, but I don't see him post much on local issues), but MilesC definitely has me beat on the rest of the state. When it comes to other parts of the country and the rest of the world, I'll generally defer to experts on the region, be they locals or not.