The Swing State Project
Some guy with the cryptic name of DavidNYC has a new weblog called Swing State Project, in which he indulges his politics addiction by talking about states that went Democrat or Republican by 6 points or less in the 2000 presidential election. Even if you don’t share his addiction, it’s worth checking out his swing state map:
As much as I like to hassle my non-voting friends to get their collective asses in gear and participate at the polls, I’m aware that in the practical matter of removing Bush from office next year, my vote (or lack thereof) will have no effect on the outcome. Us blue-staters, along with red-staters like ymatt, already know where our electoral college votes are going next year. In a certain sense we’re slaves, in thrall to one or the other of the two street gangs that rule US politics.
But you green and yellow people are another story. You’re free to elect anyone you want. What will you do with that freedom? As someone who will be living with your decision, I confess to being really curious what you’re thinking these days.
October 22nd, 2003 at 11:44 am
Bush is a chimp (no offense to chimps)and will probably be remembered as the worst president in the last 50 – 100 years.
I’m voting democrat (even though I used to lean Republican).
-Missouri
October 22nd, 2003 at 11:53 am
Bush may just win Florida again. It’s got one of the most corrupt government’s in the nation, ruled by special interests….
…THough I do believe someone who can stir up the disconent in this government that doesn’t listen to the will of the people (Ie Howard Dean) has a shot.
October 22nd, 2003 at 7:17 pm
Addendum to my earlier comment about voting MO.
I think the state will go Republican (the rural areas are definately conservative) unless there’s a large voter turnout from urban areas on Kansas City and St. Louis.
Will the urban areas turn out? I really don’t know. Letters to the st. Louis Dispatch are very anti-Bush lately but as to the election…it might just be close.
October 22nd, 2003 at 7:50 pm
I’m going to do anything I can to see that Wisconsin doesn’t swing to Bush in ’04. But somehow I doubt it will anyway. I think we’re smarter than that (famous last words).
October 22nd, 2003 at 10:13 pm
Inner St. Louis is someplace that really is neglected from what i have heard from a U of St. Louis student. She was talking about the racial problems that the city has.
Bush hasn’t helped by alienating the classes — pro corporate, pro-greed, anti-welfare, anti-environment stances and a weak education record can’t be helping (especially since the city is closing schools)….
October 22nd, 2003 at 10:38 pm
No more (or less) cryptic than “Atrios”, I’d like to think. :)
I, too, long for the day where my vote actually matters in the general election. Of course, now that I live in DC (86% for Gore last time!), it matters even less than when I lived in New York. Well, here’s to big margins of victory that can’t be challenged.
October 23rd, 2003 at 12:54 am
Swing State Map
An electoral map highlighting the swing states in the 2004 election. (Produced with Jim Howard’s very handy Electoral College Calculator.)
October 23rd, 2003 at 6:27 am
Heh. I was going for sarcasm with the “cryptic” comment (because, see, it seems _obvious_ what the name means), but I realize, in retrospect that I failed pretty thoroughly.
Thanks for stopping by, and good luck with your site!
October 23rd, 2003 at 6:39 am
Heheh… probably my fault for missing it. Thanks for the plug, and good luck with your site, too. Love the URL! (And glad to see you are an opera convert.)
October 25th, 2003 at 12:32 am
Swing State Map
An electoral map highlighting the swing states in the 2004 election. (Produced with Jim Howard’s very handy Electoral College Calculator.)
October 25th, 2003 at 6:37 am
“Bush hasn’t helped by alienating the classes — pro corporate, pro-greed, anti-welfare, anti-environment stances and a weak education record can’t be helping (especially since the city is closing schools)….”
The previous administrations alienated the tax paying public by making the burden of welfare and supporting others irresponsible behavior high enough that the taxpayers rightly don’t like it. Nor do they like the results of government as substitute parent. It isn’t just the subsidy that is direct; it is the other societal cost (crime, more out of wedlock births, poor school achievement, neighborhoods that are unlivable, gangs, endless arrays of social workers, court workers, lawyers, group homes, and the intrusion into the family life of everyone even those not on welfare…etc)
When we increased the welfare dole in the 70’s we had a 1000% increase in out of wedlock births. Even the NAACP knows that benefits drive behavior, though only one of their branches has been willing to come out and say the truth. If you want more of something, you subsidize it. When you subsidize bad behaviors that are negative for society, destroy fathers, destroy children, and work actively to decrease the wealth of all — why should we support you? It’s a failed set of policies much like the war on drugs. It just creates an endless stream of problems and expansion of government at negative benefit for the taxpayer.
As to education, education is a state matter and is not the federal governments business. The Dept. Of Education should be confined to making student loans for college and nothing more. This could just as easily be done by the treasury dept, thus making the Federal Dept. Of Education completely unneeded. Adding another level of people feeding on the public teat only serves to drive up cost.
St Louis does indeed have problems. High taxes, over regulation, and decent people moving out (those that haven’t already left) in droves. This is a city that has seen it’s population decline by more then 65% in my lifetime. They are doing everything they can to continue to drive people out. Ever try to deal with the city to rehab a house? How about trying to buy condemned properties to fix them up and make them livable? When was the last time you ever saw them clean the side streets (of snow, of trash…)? Trying to do anything in St Louis City is the path of most resistance. Much like Mexico under a one party system it has become corrupt, and the remaining few at the top parasite on the ashes of what was. It’s hard to blame Bush for the cities own mismanagement, corruption, and anti-resident, anti-rehab, anti-business policies.
As to the St Louis City schools, they are indeed bad. It is not, however, due to a lack of funding. They spend more than $12,000 per student. If you look around at districts in the county you will find St Louis City is spending quite a bit *more* and achieving far less. I’ll grant that with as many single female headed households as they have in the city they are at a disadvantage for outcome that money would not easily overcome, but that is not all of it. The administrations are entrenched, the teachers are unionized, and it’s impossible to remove those that need to be removed from the system. What those schools need is a house cleaning of staff and policies. I don’t think Slay has it right, he’s not firing enough people because he’s unwilling to take on the teachers unions and the school boards in the manner they need to. Those people SHOULD be held accountable for failing year after year after year after year. It’s our kids, is it not? If you don’t get results in your job you get terminated, I fail to see that education is any different. Too many of these folks are filled with very wrongheaded ideas from the same people who brought all of those wonderful failed policies that destroyed the neighborhoods the kids live in. The system is also very top heavy, and it needs wholesale resructuring which will be painful for some people to accept.
The St Louis School system reminds me of the medical insurance industry. You have 20 people in billing and administration for every doctor. Result? Spiraling cost, an unpleasant experience using it, and decreased services. Business doesn’t always get the perfect outcome either.
I don’t like Bush, but it isn’t for the things you have stated.
His environmental record is mixed. He did enact tougher environmental laws in many areas, but he also got rid of some very confusing administrative rules on wetlands that were truly burdensome and destructive. It was impossible to negotiate the mess that the EPA laid out. He did, despite all of the hoopla to the contrary, enact *tougher* clean air rules in most areas than what we had, but it was not as tough as some people wanted. I did not like what he did with water standards. I understand the why’s, and I still think it’s wrong.
I’m not concerned about drilling in Alaska. I am concerned that farmers in Missouri, Illinois, Wyoming, Montana, Oklahoma — are not being compensated at all for the drilling for oil and natural gas that goes on on their property. This was on the books when he got in, but I don’t like it. I wouldn’t like someone to come and set up an oil rig in my front yard and not be compensated for having to deal with it. Yes, we need energy, but we owe something to the landowner and right now he’s getting screwed.
What I really don’t like about the Bush administration is the lying. It’s as bad as Nixon & Clinton combined. They lie about the job numbers, the budget, Afghanistan, 911, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Israel, Nigeria, France, Germany, North Korea, China, they cover up the actions of Russia —. They lie about the legislation they pass. What they don’t lie about they make impossible to get information on. I don’t like the new gestapo. What one party did with the family court turning it into a monkey trial — this administration is doing to the criminal courts and “tribunals”. Of course, no one in that other party is raising much of a voice about it either. Funny how that works.
I try not to be cynical about it, in all honesty I wish the Republicans would run a good challenger for the nomination. It’s the only hope of getting someone decent in. It’s unfortunate, but that wont happen. Instead we will have a lemon we know, verses another lemon to choose from. Reminds me of the last election.
December 1st, 2003 at 6:37 am
To mr. mmr You have to be etheir a fag or some old lady that lives in palm beach because you are a moron and if you oppose bush go move to france with all the other pussy’s.Every thing that you say in this webpage is nothing but lies you democrats say yhat the budget is the worst in 20 years ut it actually gone up 10 points in one quarter that,(if you dumb liberals say true to the facts) is actually the highest it has been in 20 years.
And on the issue of the war on terror not on iraq if ou think that saddam wsaant a thret you are nuts example his attack on the kurds and he had plenty of time to get his nukes out of iraq and into Syria or any other sorunding country. In the next year i hope howard dean is killed he is a meance to soceity and is a very evil person if he gets into office america will see five years of high taxes and litteral hell.What the democrats want is a robin hood type goverment steal from the rich (that have worked hard to get there money) and give to the drunks,indians,blacks,mexicans and all the people that are doing nothing and getting everythng that has truned into the new “american dream” and thats what will rune america.I can garanty that all of you liberals will deny this and brush it off as lies but im sorry its NOTHING >BUT< THE TRUTH!!!!
December 1st, 2003 at 6:41 am
tftytyogcg
December 1st, 2003 at 6:41 am
tftytyogcg
December 1st, 2003 at 6:42 am
To mr. mmr You have to be etheir a fag or some old lady that lives in palm beach because you are a moron and if you oppose bush go move to france with all the other pussy’s.Every thing that you say in this webpage is nothing but lies you democrats say yhat the budget is the worst in 20 years ut it actually gone up 10 points in one quarter that,(if you dumb liberals say true to the facts) is actually the highest it has been in 20 years.
And on the issue of the war on terror not on iraq if ou think that saddam wsaant a thret you are nuts example his attack on the kurds and he had plenty of time to get his nukes out of iraq and into Syria or any other sorunding country. In the next year i hope howard dean is killed he is a meance to soceity and is a very evil person if he gets into office america will see five years of high taxes and litteral hell.What the democrats want is a robin hood type goverment steal from the rich (that have worked hard to get there money) and give to the drunks,indians,blacks,mexicans and all the people that are doing nothing and getting everythng that has truned into the new “american dream” and thats what will rune america.I can garanty that all of you liberals will deny this and brush it off as lies but im sorry its NOTHING >BUT< THE TRUTH!!!!
December 3rd, 2003 at 8:07 am
Regarding Missouri – In 2000, didn’t they have issues with not enough polling stations, and a court had to order the polls to stay open so the people waiting in line could vote?
Also, if I recall correctly, they did vote Ashcroft out of office, right?
For those of us who live in a red or blue state – why not volunteer in a nearby swing state? (I live in MA, and plan to help out up in NH next year.) And, while you’re at it, cast your vote for a Green, or some other minor party, to help them with ballot access for future elections.
PyroBoy – If you learn to write a coherent sentence, people might pay attention to your views. (Quick grammar lesson: the plural of “pussy” is “pussies”. “pussy’s” is possessive – it means “belonging to pussy”.)
If you really want to insult someone more effectively, try using a phrase like “unthinking parrot of stunningly trite propaganda”.
peace
March 18th, 2005 at 12:30 am
This reminds me of The Free State Project. Of course, the difference is that Libertarians have an agenda that can be easily differentiated from both Republican and Democrat (who are far more alike than different).
I love this type of concrete, realistic political action. Hooray for Creativity!
mark
http://www.MakingLoveEasy.com