How Much Further Right Can Appalachia Go?

[ElectionsGuy]

In the Modern Era, democrats have done well in the Northeast, Midwest, and the Pacific Coast, but the party is dying in places like Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee. These states overall have trended to the right in recent years, and all of them had their best performance for the republican candidate in 2012 since 1972. Far Eastern Tennessee has always been historically very republican (look at 1980) but Eastern Kentucky and Southern West Virginia have been historically democratic because of the coal country there. These are old-fashioned democrats turned hard against the anti-coal Obama administration and the new environmentalist part of the democratic party. My question to you is... How far can the Appalachia go? Will there be a limit? Will it continue to go on like this if we keep having anti-coal presidents? and Will this be a short term or long term trend?

Also if the republican Senator for 2014 gets elected there (which he/she is highly expected to), it will be the first time a republican senator got elected in West Virginia since 1956.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I'm afraid to discover it.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

This is probably rock bottom assuming the next nominee is white.

[HansOslo]

I think there is still room to grow for the GOP in Appalachia. Take for example West Virginia. There is no reason for why such a state should be represented by two Democrats in the Senate.

[Stranger in a strange land]

I think there is still room to grow for the GOP in Appalachia. Take for example West Virginia. There is no reason for why such a state should be represented by two Democrats in the Senate.

There absolutely is: it's still one of the poorest states.

[ElectionsGuy]

I think there is still room to grow for the GOP in Appalachia. Take for example West Virginia. There is no reason for why such a state should be represented by two Democrats in the Senate.

There absolutely is: it's still one of the poorest states.

Poor doesn't equal Dem all the time though. Just look at the south. Yes most of the very poor are blacks but there are also many poor whites who vote republican. Really if you think about it the poor/rich divide is because of mostly race. Poor and rich whites have less of a divide.

[eric82oslo]

I think there is still room to grow for the GOP in Appalachia. Take for example West Virginia. There is no reason for why such a state should be represented by two Democrats in the Senate.

There absolutely is: it's still one of the poorest states.

Poor doesn't equal Dem all the time though. Just look at the south. Yes most of the very poor are blacks but there are also many poor whites who vote republican. Really if you think about it the poor/rich divide is because of mostly race. Poor and rich whites have less of a divide.

Yep. Rich Asians vote mostly Dem, while most poor whites, and especially in the south and rural areas, vote GOP.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Kentucky just elected a Democratic legislator in an upset in a special election.

The GOP has maxed out in Appalachia, and the coal counties are losing population like it's going out of style anyway.

[CatoMinor]

Kentucky just elected a Democratic legislator in an upset in a special election.

The GOP has maxed out in Appalachia, and the coal counties are losing population like it's going out of style anyway.

Wasn't that a Dem seat already anyways? And the GOP is not maxed out in Appalachia at all on the state level, maybe presidential.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Wasn't that a Dem seat already anyways?

It was, but this time the GOP only got 34%.

Only 1% of jobs in Kentucky today are in the coal biz.

[CatoMinor]

Wasn't that a Dem seat already anyways?

It was, but this time the GOP only got 34%.

Only 1% of jobs in Kentucky today are in the coal biz.

How much did the indie receive?

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Wasn't that a Dem seat already anyways?

It was, but this time the GOP only got 34%.

Only 1% of jobs in Kentucky today are in the coal biz.

How much did the indie receive?

21%. Almost all of that was split from the Democrats, because he is very popular among Democratic voters in that area.

[HansOslo]

I think there is still room to grow for the GOP in Appalachia. Take for example West Virginia. There is no reason for why such a state should be represented by two Democrats in the Senate.

There absolutely is: it's still one of the poorest states.

That is true, but what are the Democrats doing about it. West-Virginia was a one-party state for much of the 20th century, and it is still poor.

The problem is that the Democrats don’t have a coherent strategy to actually help the working class in these regions. Gun control, immigration reform and climate change legislation might be sound policies, but it isn’t going to help the working class voters in places like West-Virginia.

What is needed is some sort of industrial policy, which both the major parties lack.

[DC Al Fine]

I think there is still room to grow for the GOP in Appalachia. Take for example West Virginia. There is no reason for why such a state should be represented by two Democrats in the Senate.

There absolutely is: it's still one of the poorest states.

That is true, but what are the Democrats doing about it. West-Virginia was a one-party state for much of the 20th century, and it is still poor.

The problem is that the Democrats don’t have a coherent strategy to actually help the working class in these regions. Gun control, immigration reform and climate change legislation might be sound policies, but it isn’t going to help the working class voters in places like West-Virginia.

What is needed is some sort of industrial policy, which both the major parties lack.

Precisely. The Democrats move to the right fiscally, helped them win soccer moms but the trade off was losing voters like these. Without a coherent economic agenda for these voters, they'll mostly vote on issues like guns & coal which are not exactly strong points for the Democrats.

[BaldEagle1991]

I think there is still room to grow for the GOP in Appalachia. Take for example West Virginia. There is no reason for why such a state should be represented by two Democrats in the Senate.

There absolutely is: it's still one of the poorest states.

So is Mississippi, Texas, and Alabama. Yet they're represented by two Republicans.

[barfbag]

I live in the Appalachian region currently even though my home state at this time is Florida. This is a great topic too. Obama is a horrible candidate for the mid south and Appalachian region due to his political history and stances on social issues. It has likely joined the deep south for now, but if the Democrats can get themselves turned around at least to where they were in the 1990's, then they may have chances again in Tennessee and Missouri while the other Appalachian states would move to light red or likely GOP. Yes, I know Missouri isn't in the Appalachian region but I'm just making a point. Anyhow it's very unlikely that the Democratic Party will move closer to the center anytime soon so the thought of them getting turned around is a big hypothetical. They've done far too much to alienate the common man who lives off the land and hunts for his own food.

[illegaloperation]

This article describes exactly what is happening in the Appalachian. It's a good read.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/columns/on-the-trail/the-shift-of-king-coal-20130114

[Bandit3 the Worker]

This article describes exactly what is happening in the Appalachian. It's a good read.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/columns/on-the-trail/the-shift-of-king-coal-20130114

In other words, Big Coal is trying to buy the election for the Republicans, a party that's done nothing good for the region in modern times.

[illegaloperation]

Blue for Democratic, Red for Republican

[Green Line]

Appalachia is extremely white, if the GOP keeps making gains with white voters, I could see these states going even further right.  And West Virginia and Kentucky still have lots of Democrats in conservative districts.  These will be Republican eventually.

[barfbag]

This article describes exactly what is happening in the Appalachian. It's a good read.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/columns/on-the-trail/the-shift-of-king-coal-20130114

In other words, Big Coal is trying to buy the election for the Republicans, a party that's done nothing good for the region in modern times.

Do you support the war on American coal?

[Bandit3 the Worker]

This article describes exactly what is happening in the Appalachian. It's a good read.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/columns/on-the-trail/the-shift-of-king-coal-20130114

In other words, Big Coal is trying to buy the election for the Republicans, a party that's done nothing good for the region in modern times.

Do you support the war on American coal?

Do you support the war on American green energy?

[barfbag]

I wouldn't be surprised if it looks like the triad of Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho within the next couple of decades. When we look at the black vote we find over 90% voting Democratic and the Hispanic vote is getting there unless our party does something very soon. We shouldn't underestimate how partisan an ethnicity could go. Whites in general will probably not ever get to this point, but in such a rural region where the most important issues are having guns for hunting and eating, protecting your family, and church attendance, and agriculture, I wouldn't say the trend is over. What I will say is that the last two elections may have deceived us as to the speed of the trend because Obama is a very poor candidate for the Appalachian region. If we see similar results to 2008 or even a little better for Democrats, then it shouldn't be mistaken as a sign for a reversal trend or even a stoppage in Appalachia's trend to the right. Many whites in this region also feel more abandonment from the Democrats they once voted for in comparison to whites in states that never belonged to the confederacy or old south.

[ElectionsGuy]

This article describes exactly what is happening in the Appalachian. It's a good read.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/columns/on-the-trail/the-shift-of-king-coal-20130114

In other words, Big Coal is trying to buy the election for the Republicans, a party that's done nothing good for the region in modern times.

Do you support the war on American coal?

Do you support the war on American green energy?

Green Energy works great! Just look at Solyndra!

[barfbag]

This article describes exactly what is happening in the Appalachian. It's a good read.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/columns/on-the-trail/the-shift-of-king-coal-20130114

In other words, Big Coal is trying to buy the election for the Republicans, a party that's done nothing good for the region in modern times.

Do you support the war on American coal?

Do you support the war on American green energy?

No, look at my thread on debating the environment and energy. Do you support the war on coal? Are you opposed to the war on drugs or the war on terror? Look at my environmental thread and you'll find I'm very much and environmentalist. Coal causes dangerous pollution for our atmosphere. I'm just encouraging you to explain what you don't like about coal.