Liberal, conservative, libertarian, populist and moderate states

[Antonio the Sixth]

Which state do you consider as liberal, which as conservative, etc ?

I did these map to illustrate this 5-way contest :



Blue : liberal states
Yellow : conservative states
Green : libertarian states
Red : populist states
Grey : moderate states

What do you think about it ?

[12th Doctor]

Pennsylvania's populism is vastly over-rated.

[Alcon]

I think this whole dichotomy is over-rated.  Nevada is not nearly as "libertarian" as it's made out to be.  It has its prostitution laws because it is less religious, and loves money.  I don't think those two alone add up to "libertarian."  A state like Montana would never turn down federal funding on principle.  Etc. etc...

I think a lot of people think of their political views in terms of liberal/conservative, but not libertarian/populist.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Each state has it's own areas of a lot of the following. In South Carolina, you have the upstate, which is socially conservative outside of the Columbia area, which is home of the government and minorities. Then you have the coasts lowcountry, which contain more economic conservatives, liberals and less social conservative types. Charleston is turning into a metropolitan area with a healthy gay community. Outside of it, you still have those who want to kill them. There's no one type of ideologue here in South Carolina. We have more conservatives than liberals as a whole, but that does not describe the state as a whole.

[Antonio the Sixth]

The states I represented in grey are those were two very different electorates with about the same importance exist. In oregon, for example, if the coast is as liberal has California an Washington, the heatland is also as conservative as neghboring rocky mountain states. About Kansas and Nebraska, I probably shoul put them in yellow rather than in green. Colorado and Nevada are not only libertarian states, both have a very conservative electorate as a very liberal one. Finallly, I should maybe put in grey some southern states Clinton won.

[Husker]

Red: Conservative through and through
Gray: Moderately conservative overall; rural areas are quite conservative and urban areas much more moderate
Green: More populism and pockets of liberalism than gray states; mix of red and blue
Blue: Liberal is not a bad word for a large % of population

[12th Doctor]

Red: Conservative through and through
Gray: Moderately conservative overall; rural areas are quite conservative and urban areas much more moderate
Green: More populism and pockets of liberalism than gray states; mix of red and blue
Blue: Liberal is not a bad word for a large % of population

Epic fail.

Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and Arkansas not populist?

Also, Liberal is a bad word in most of what geographically constitutes the state of New York.  If New York City were 60-40 Democrat then New York would be a Republican state.

[they don't love you like i love you]

It's too bad Al probably won't reply to this post, because I'd love to see his commentary on the idiocy that somehow Kentucky, Arkansas and West Virginia are economically right-wing states.

[Husker]

Epic fail.

Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and Arkansas not populist?

Also, Liberal is a bad word in most of what geographically constitutes the state of New York.  If New York City were 60-40 Democrat then New York would be a Republican state.
[/quote]

I debated putting those 3 states in the gray but they are way too socially conservative for that. I also think some of the economic populism in that area might be dying off, but I could be wrong. You also have a good point about NY, but I guess I would just consider most upstaters to be more moderate, particularly on social issues. In all reality though, pockets of conservatism and liberalism exist in almost every state. States with large urban populations and a decent area of rural voters (like PA and IL) are very hard to judge. Do you really call PA a "liberal" state when many parts of it vote like OK? On the other hand, the Philadelphia area seems more in line with NYC thinking. Missouri is another hard case. St. Louis is a pretty liberal city that fits in better on the East Coast than anything else in Missouri. 

[they don't love you like i love you]

I can't even begin to imagine a scenario in which New Jersey, Maryland, Colorado, and Washington are all referred to as populist.

Oh wow. I didn't even notice that.

I debated putting those 3 states in the gray but they are way too socially conservative for that. I also think some of the economic populism in that area might be dying off, but I could be wrong.

If the economic populism is dying off, why are the Republicans getting nowhere on the state level?

Also if NYC voted only 60-40 for Obama, he would've still won New York state.

[they don't love you like i love you]

OK here's my map:



Gray doesn't really mean "moderate" so much as "too polarized to neatly fit in any category". And some of the other states are gross oversimplifications obviously.

[Franzl]

Personally, I think the only state that could truly be called "libertarian" is New Hampshire, and even that's a stretch.

[Hash]

Why is Maine populist?

[Verily]

Also, Liberal is a bad word in most of what geographically constitutes the state of New York.  If New York City were 60-40 Democrat then New York would be a Republican state.

Wrong. Obama won upstate New York with around 56% of the vote. That's without New York City (or the inner suburbs: Long Island, Westchester and Rockland) at all.

You are right that "liberal" doesn't describe upstate New York all that well. Although that is definitely changing.

[nclib]

Also, Liberal is a bad word in most of what geographically constitutes the state of New York.  If New York City were 60-40 Democrat then New York would be a Republican state.

Wrong. Obama won upstate New York with around 56% of the vote. That's without New York City (or the inner suburbs: Long Island, Westchester and Rockland) at all.

Also keep in mind that McCain only won two upstate CDs.

You are right that "liberal" doesn't describe upstate New York all that well. Although that is definitely changing.

Yes, though it is still less conservative than most non-urban areas outside the Northeast.

[TeePee4Prez]

Pennsylvania's populism is vastly over-rated.

Agreed.  PA is an overall center-left state (D+2 to +3) with solid portions of all 4 ideologies.  I mean what state elects Bob Casey, Ed Rendell, Arlen Specter, and Rick Santorum within the last 20 years?

[Eraserhead]

This thread is extremely silly albeit kind of of fun to look at.