Why the massive rural/urban divide?

[Beet]

It's not a rural vs. urban divide so much as an exurban/suburban vs. metropolitan divide. Looking at maps tend to exaggerate the importance of rural areas, where less than 20% of the population lives. The GOP is getting its margins from suburban areas, while Democrats are getting their margins from the cities.

[Beet]

It's not a rural vs. urban divide so much as an exurban/suburban vs. metropolitan divide. Looking at maps tend to exaggerate the importance of rural areas, where less than 20% of the population lives. The GOP is getting its margins from suburban areas, while Democrats are getting their margins from the cities.

Depends where you are, although this is true overall.  What you describe is more of a northeastern phenomenon.  In some states (Washington included), cities are generally more Democratic than suburbs, but suburbs are generally about state average, while exurbs are more Republican than state average but oftentimes still Democratic.

Interesting... though I think what I described more than just a northeastern phenomenon, with California being the most obvious and extreme example. Though, what you describe is interesting. I would like to see a map of King and Pierce counties broken up into township-like results, along with population densities. Even if these suburban areas are marginally Democratic, I'd still argue the Republican voters inside these areas are significantly more numerous (and thus important to the GOP) than rural Republican voters.

[Beet]

A lot of people are getting this wrong. Where you live does NOT determine how you vote. How you VOTE determines where you live. This is a totally new phenomenon in American culture and it's NOT a positive development for the social cohesion of the nation. And I say that as someone who is very guilty of this behavior himself.

Take where I live in the Atlanta area. The inner city votes Democratic by a wide, wide margin. Part of that is racial, but not entirely as the rich white people in the inner city vote heavily Democratic as well. Now come out to the extended suburbs and the picture is 100% reversed even though the vast majority of the people who live in Forsyth County (where I live) actually work in or much nearer to inner city Atlanta. Most of them are transplanted Northerners like me, and they selected Forsyth because it's the kind of place (socially, politically, etc...) where they want to raise their children.

It's almost exclusively about your FAMILY. When I was single, I lived in NYC, Philly and DC at different times...why? Well, near the bars, social life and less commute. Plus, as a single guy, I had no problem carrying a gun at all times to fend off the vultures who tend to congregate in the inner cities. But with a family, I wanted to move as far away from that crap as possible, both for reasons of security, and the desire to raise solid, productive citizens as my kids rather than the cretinous children I see coming out of inner cities at EVERY socio-economic level these days.

Look, I don't see how your argument fits your premise.

As I said a long time ago, families are the future. Actually I am pretty much the opposite of BRTD here, I view anything but a two-parent family living in the suburbs with kids as deviationist. Other arrangements can be tolerated, but only temporarily.

If you are equating families with the GOP then this will soon become a one-party state, because social arrangements that do not reproduce themselves or that do not sustain lasting loyalties can never form the basis for a major party.

Also: This thread has gotten bogged down in semantics, lowest form of debate. That is rather unfortunate.