LA Times - Bush won 97 of the 100 fastest growing counties

[Mackenzie]

At first, I was shocked by this huge lopsidedness.

But then when I saw that the article mentioned housing prices, I wasn't surprised anymore. Those on the political left tend to prefer restrictions on development in order to protect the environment, whereas those on the political right tend to prefer urban sprawl.

Since housing prices are based on supply and demand, then it does make perfect sense that the housing prices would vary from one area to another depending upon the political climate, and on the attitudes toward protecting the environment vs. providing affordable housing. Whatever policy you have, there will always be tradeoffs. Each policy has its own positives and negatives.

Anyway, does anyone here have any other explanations to explain this situation?

Here's a little of the article. You can read the full article at the link:

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-fast22nov22,0,4272509.story?coll=la-home-headlines

In this month's election, President Bush carried 97 of the nation's 100 fastest-growing counties, most of them "exurban" communities that are rapidly transforming farmland into subdivisions and shopping malls on the periphery of major metropolitan areas.

These growing areas, filled largely with younger families fleeing urban centers in search of affordable homes, are providing the GOP a foothold in blue Democratic-leaning states and solidifying the party's control over red Republican-leaning states.

[enki23]

1. these people aren't materializing from the void

they were republican before they moved to the "exurbs." why would this be seen as anything but people who were already republican tending to move to specific "exurban" settings?

all this says, if it says anything at all, is that our national divisions are becoming more pronounced, if you only measure a very non-random sample of quickly growing counties. these people aren't sprouting from dragons teeth, however, and i didn't see anything about an exurban baby boom. so they come from somewhere. the areas these people are moving *from* will be correspondingly *less* republican. however, it's almost certain that the pool of counties they are moving from is significantly larger than this very non-representative list of 100 fastest growing counties, so the corresponding effect in any given "source" county would be smaller, if you bothered to measure it. alternately, if the main source counties were large urban counties, and the "fastest growing" measure was based on rate of growth rather than on absolute changes in population numbers, then a small negative rate of growth in one large urban county could easily translate to a very large positive rate of growth in a less populated, semi-rural county. in any case, white flight does not now, and never did explain changes in overall numbers of republican and democratic voters. it simply describes differences in their choices of housing choices, and options.

[TwentyFive]

5. You're right. This is the republican way....don't fix problems, just move

and start over fresh.

When I travel, I always dread going into these 'new' areas, like the ones about 25 miles outside of Austin, TX or Orange County, CA. These places are overrun with selfish, overworked people....driving Ford Expeditions 20mph over the speed limit, sipping a Starbucks latte, chatting on their cell phone...it's all about me, me, me, and always me!!!

I can spot these people as republican from a mile away.

[cubsfan forever]

2. LATimes hmmmm...

That pretty much sums it up.

Professor 2

[TwentyFive]

3. Doesn't surprise me. Suburban Sprawl is like a cancer that

metastases. Things get old, dingy, and middle-aged looking. The developers just move further out, destroying more environment, and building more highways to get there.

If you live in these places, you have to drive miles to get someplace. So many SUVs, driving for miles....polluting and using more gas. And these republican fools drive to Walmart to buy more useless trinkets....putting them on their credit cards.

What will future generations think of us? We thought slave owners were morally bankrupt. Well, we're just as bad. If future generations are around....they will certainly look back and see this as a very dark period in history.

[WI_DEM]

4. It's not a good trend

many ex-urbanites moving to the suburbs. Many of these should be our voters.

[cubsfan forever]

6. See post #1 n/t

Professor 2

[Cha]

7. If they're bush voters..

it can't be a good place to be.

[BeFree]

8. Probably all have...

... the newest and fastest voting machine black boxes. You know, the ones that make sure the vote is counted the *right* way, by virtue of a single programmer writing that oh so special code.

'Fastest growing counties' doesn't say much, a ten thousand people populated area that gained ten thousand more people has grown one hundred percent, but still has only twenty thousand people. In fact, places like NYC, say, could grow by twenty thousand people and be a low growth area.

[TruthIsAll]

9. Before or after the hack?

tia

[BlueDog2u]

10. Right n/t