The Sun Belt Right
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  Political Geography & Demographics (Moderators: muon2, 15 Down, 35 To Go)
  The Sun Belt Right
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Author Topic: The Sun Belt Right  (Read 1136 times)
All Along The Watchtower
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« on: October 24, 2013, 06:48:08 PM »

While reading about the history of the "Sun Belt", I noticed that what many of the sprawling suburban regions of inland Southern CA (including Orange, San Diego, Riverside, and San Bernandino Counties) had in common with other metro regions in the interior West and Southwest (Maricopa County, Arizona; El Paso and Douglas Counties, Colorado; much of the suburban population of Texas, including the suburbs of Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth), besides besides being the epicenters of the Goldwater Right in the region, were several things;

1. They were new cities and suburbs, having exploded in growth after World War II and during the height of the Cold War.

2. They were centers of the new military-industrial complex, with many of the people there directly depending on the military or defense-related industries for employment, and many more indirectly, through service-sector jobs, professions, etc.

3. Their growth was again, not only deeply dependent on the MIC, but it took place at a time when many other regions in the country (particularly the Northeast and the Midwest) were starting to lose defense contracts and similar Cold War style jobs to the Sun Belt.

4. Aside from the military-industrial complex, the local economies in the Sun Belt were not very diversified, especially in terms of industry; in fact, most of these cities were never "industrial" to begin with, having gone directly from sectors like agriculture, oil, mining, ranching, etc. to military and then civilian defense-related industries.

5. A relatively small number of large landowners dominated these areas, politically and culturally, up until they became sprawling metropolitan fast-growth regions. Those landowners would have had political dispositions that reflected both their immense wealth and their (regional) perception that "Washington" or "Eastern Wall Street elites" had little to do with their earning that wealth.

There are of course, other suburban sprawl stories around the country, particularly in the Southeast/Old Confederacy, but also in the Midwest (parts of Chicago, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Cincinnati); and all of these areas have, at one time or another and to one extent or another, produced plenty of examples of the modern American Right.

So basically....speaking of the Sun Belt generally... it was the combination of an economy that was dominated by Natural Resources up until World War II, after which the military-industrial complex became incredibly powerful, that drove the mobilization of the new, suburban Sun Belt Right.

Anyone agree or disagree?
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Kevin
Junior Chimp
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« Reply #1 on: October 24, 2013, 08:41:16 PM »

I actually agree with you,

In most of the South and Southwest most of the suburban areas outside of NOVA and parts of North Carolina's research triangle and heavily old/culturally northern areas of Miami are pretty conservative.

Two points I have to add though,

1. Aside from military spending and oil the South's suburbs have grown to become more diverse economically esp. since the late 1980's and throughout the 90's since they have added other industries like medical research, education, information technology, and logistics to their economic base. Part of this has been caused by businesses leaving urban more Democratic states in the Northeast and Pacific Coast(MA, CA, NY) for the less regulated and less taxed business environment found in places like TX, AZ, and GA.

2. Another misconception is that most of the "Tea Party" representatives in Congress come from less populated rural districts in Red States when actually most of their districts are overwhelmingly white, conservative, middle/upper middle class suburban areas throughout the South and parts of the Southwest. 

3. Also the Sunbelt is changing demographically-the GOP's future in many parts of the South and Southwest is far from guaranteed.
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All Along The Watchtower
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« Reply #2 on: November 02, 2013, 01:21:44 PM »

I actually agree with you,

In most of the South and Southwest most of the suburban areas outside of NOVA and parts of North Carolina's research triangle and heavily old/culturally northern areas of Miami are pretty conservative.

Two points I have to add though,

1. Aside from military spending and oil the South's suburbs have grown to become more diverse economically esp. since the late 1980's and throughout the 90's since they have added other industries like medical research, education, information technology, and logistics to their economic base. Part of this has been caused by businesses leaving urban more Democratic states in the Northeast and Pacific Coast(MA, CA, NY) for the less regulated and less taxed business environment found in places like TX, AZ, and GA.

2. Another misconception is that most of the "Tea Party" representatives in Congress come from less populated rural districts in Red States when actually most of their districts are overwhelmingly white, conservative, middle/upper middle class suburban areas throughout the South and parts of the Southwest. 

3. Also the Sunbelt is changing demographically-the GOP's future in many parts of the South and Southwest is far from guaranteed.

Good points, thanks!
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