New poll identifies most liberal and conservative states

[sinkingfeeling]

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/25/new-poll-identifies-most-liberal-and-conservative-states/#more-148143



The state with the most conservatives in the U.S. for 2010 was Mississippi, with 50.1 percent claiming conservative political views. Gallup also reported that 50.1 percent is the largest majority ever seen in the three years they have conducted this survey. Other states, including Idaho and Alabama, came in close at a little over 48 percent each.

The most liberal state isn't even a technically state at all. The District of Columbia topped the list with 41.1 percent espousing liberal political beliefs. Vermont was a distant second, with 30.5 percent.

[Poboy]

1. See, this is why when the country splits up, I'l have to move.

As I've said before, lets get this shit over with.

[Taverner]

22. Coming to the soon-to-be California Empire?

We will be the "Free State" for most of the world for a while

[Poboy]

23. Well, not much for cold, so maybe so! I almost went to Vancouver (warmest part of Canada) in 2004

after our country of idiots voted Bush in again -but I chickened out. I was almost there though. Papers were filed, tests were taken.
Its either Cali, Washington/Oregon west coast area when this happens.

[still_one]

2. I look at this map and find it hard to generate sympathy for those who ascribe to the conservative

policies that have plauged the country since raygun, and have lost their jobs and their standard of living because of those policies

[sinkingfeeling]

7. Compare this one to a map of the states by income level (2000 census)....

[XanaDUer]

3. K & R'd

At least I'm moving to a semi-green state soon, outta GA - kelly green.

[Kurovski]

4. Thirty years of organized bad-mouthing of liberals has Amurika voting against itself.

Great job.

We never really leave high school, always want to be approved of, want to be considered "part of the crowd" even if it kills us.

[RKP5637]

17. It is, isn't it... The US is stuck in high school, never having left. Excellent observation! n/t

[Kurovski]

29. Does that mean

you like me? Do you approve of me? :D

But seriously. it's human nature to be in a herd, but American advertising really regimented us. Religion does it too.

Right wing just took all that and had it work to their advantage. The "Bad Them" and "Cool us" of high school. A bit simplistic, but I see it very clearly in life around me.

[RKP5637]

36. LOL, sure, yep, I like you and approve of you! Yeah, I agree, the RW figured out how to

capture the "Cool us" of high school and religion and use slick PR, propaganda and advertising techniques to package and sell their brand. I still don't think some democrats get it, if they did, they wouldn't want to sometimes emulate the RW.

IMO the dems need to drive a stake in the ground and say this is us, but I often think the democrats try to be like the "Cool us" of high school.

Consequently IMO that's how we end up with congress and much of gov. fed, state and local governing like a bunch of children stuck in high school.

[Kurovski]

40. And they iz teh money in it.

Mon-eeee. It should be an interesting decade.

[callous taoboy]

26. That, or some of the Boomers did too much blow back in the day.

My brother, once a very liberal / progressive thinker, did a lot of blow for several years while playing in an R & B group. I think he did permanent damage: Not only have his politics shifted extremely right, he makes no sense while arguing politics. He literally cannot string his thoughts together coherently any more.

[Kurovski]

30. Maybe, it's that both ways he mirrored those around him to fit in?

[RKP5637]

5. I would move to a clearly non-conservative state/region. I'm fed up with this shit! Often I

think the US should just be in regions.

[Smarmie Doofus]

8. They'd get all the warm parts. Excluding Ca. n/t

[RKP5637]

10. Maybe conservatism has to do with heat. Their heads start to explode because they

live where it's too warm! LOL
:rofl:

[get the red out]

21. Plenty of heads exploding around me

here in Kentucky, currently 34 degrees (we get the worst of both worlds, cold winter and idiots).

[RKP5637]

28. I guess they come in all temperatures! Darn! n/t

[annabanana]

24. with global warming... No prob. . .n/t

[krabigirl]

11. Yep.

[emulatorloo]

6. Here's the link to the Gallup Site, with "interactive maps"

http://www.gallup.com/poll/146348/Mississippi-Rates-Conservative-Rates-States.aspx

It is based on aggregate polling in 2008. 2009, and 2010. Did not have a lot of time to look at it, but it seems a little fishy to me.

[samsingh]

9. many lower income earners are actually very conservative

they support policies that hurt themselves.

[RufusTFirefly]

14. Demagogues distract them with raw-meat social issues, that's why

[sinkingfeeling]

16. Yes, see map in #7 above. It's by income.

[GSLevel9]

12. What's it like to live in Mississippi?

I was told by a coworker who is black that as late as the mid 90's some blacks were directly addressed as "boy" in some parts of the deep South. Example, "fill the tank, boy... And don't forget the windshield."

[truebrit71]

31. DId the ignorant cracker that said that get a split lip?

As a white male I find that highly offensive...

[GSLevel9]

50. hell if I know??

We were just talking rhetorically if there were really any "Deliverance" regions of the nation... he was stationed at Keesler AFB in the mid 90's and he related that story to me. He had witnessed it happen.

Of course you find it offensive, as do I and the coworker who relayed the story. That's the whole idea...

[catabryna]

13. I never thought I'd be happy to hear I'm "below average"! lol! (eom)

[dpbrown]

15. Like a cancer, spreading through the middle of the nation

The idiot belt.

[ehrnst]

18. Virginia is average? They must be splitting the difference between

Richmond and the DC suburbs...

[gateley]

19. Gulp. There are relatively few of us. All of you guys in the Kelly Green states

come on up to Washington! It's become SO much more conservative over my lifetime, we need all the help we can get! We're still hanging on, but...:patriot:

[sinkingfeeling]

20. I will if you can get a 63 yr-old a job as a mainframe system programmer.

[gateley]

38. I'll find a 63 year old RW system programmer working somewhere and we can

substitute you! I'll let you know how my search is going! :hi:

[sinkingfeeling]

39. Thanks.

[JoePhilly]

41. If you are being serious ...

my advice would be for you to learn some Java, some basic web programming, and some DOJO.

Companies tend to be having trouble finding good main frame programmers (who truly understand the value of the enterprise data, the logic that manages it, and how the business uses it) who can ALSO engage java, web development, and web ui technologies like dojo.

The GAP between mainframe and Web programing, remains an issue. The older mainframe guys were taught to be very detailed so that systems that needed to run 365/24/7 would do so. The web focused programmers don't program to that level of quality.

If you position yourself as a "mainframe programmer" you are dead in the water ... add some skills in the areas I mentioned, and you can rebrand yourself as an expert in "Enterprise Modernization". Learn the web languages and buzz words, and get deep enough in the technologies there (which are fairly simple in comparison to mainframe stuff) and you might be able to score a management position helping a company that has lots of old mainframe data improve how they provide a "web" experience.

You may be fully aware of this ... and if so ... I apologize in advance if this seemed condescending, I do not intend it to be so.

[sinkingfeeling]

43. No, I'm a systems programmer. I install and maintain system software on IBM Zseries computers. I

deal with ZOS, DB2, CICS, and storage systems. I do no application programming. We're the ones, in our 50's and 60's, that caused IBM to give multi-millions of dollars in software and equipment to dozens of universities around the globe in hopes that a few would make their students aware of mainframes.

I'm a retired IBM manager. So been there and done that. I taught for IBM and then at this university. I can tell you stories of how graduate IT students have been stunned into silence walking into Wal-Marts HO and not knowing what was sitting on the floor, running the world.

[JoePhilly]

47. Ok ... I know this space.

I can't / won't say where I work. But I have researched this space from up close.

Your last phrase "running the world" is spot on. In my research on this ... a main frame programmer described it this way ... "the web programmers are up on the pool deck having drinks with pretty girls, meanwhile, the mainframe programmers are down in the engine room keeping the ship running.'

My POINT is that if you ADD some of the web skills, even if only at a surface level ... your ability to step into the gap I describe increases. Unless you want OUT of IT.

[a la izquierda]

49. Please find me a job as a Latin American history prof...

in one of your fine universities, and I'll move. My husband loves the Pacific Northwest. I've never been, but apparently, people up there like vegetarians and cyclists.

[toddwv]

25. US states by population density.

[toddwv]

27. ND, SD, NE, KS, OK, TX, LA MO, AR, IA

We should call them the "Berlin Corridor", "Ignorance Belt" or "Wall of Regressives".

[Twinguard]

32. Do you mean OR or OK?

If memory serves me correctly, OR is pretty blue.

[toddwv]

33. Typo

corrected.

[Uncle Joe]

34. This poll is using Orwellian Language.

The little color graph doesn't say "most conservative," "average" and "most liberal," it just says "above average," "average" and "below average."

From a subconscious standpoint I believe that just the words "below average" have a negative connotation.

Thanks for the thread, sinkingfeeling.

[JoePhilly]

42. yup

[suffragette]

46. Agree this is misleading

The questions and context aren't included.
Clicked through to Gallop for more detail and found more detail, though not questions or context.

Note on Gallup's page 43.7% consider selves Democrat vs 40.4% Republican.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/125066/State-States.aspx

So, was party affiliation asked first, then if they consider themselves for example, "most conservative," "average" and "most liberal," or "above average," "average" and "below average" or some other question that was then interpreted in some manner. Because all of that makes a difference. If I, for example, answered Democrat, then average (thinking in the context of comparing myself against Democrats in Seattle), does that end up in the average percentage?

[Poboy]

48. At the least its negative framing.

[Crystal Clarity]

35. If we are 'below average' when it comes to conservatives here in Maine,

I sure as heck would hate to live in an 'above average' conservative state. :scared:

We have:

- 2 R US Senators
- A teabagging R Governor
- An R controlled State Senate
- An R controlled State House
- An R State Attorney General
- An R Secretary of State
- An R State Treasurer

Sucks to be us right now. x(

[Blue_In_AK]

37. Alaska is the same.

We've got solid Republican representation, too (except for Mark Begich), but attitudes here among the actual people aren't all that down-and-dirty conservative. In fact, people are quite progressive in same aspects. Maybe it's the same way in Maine.

Actually, I was happy to be "average" in this poll.

[Quantess]

44. I live in a conservatively "below average" state, and within that state,

I live in a region that is less conservative than the rest of the state. It's bad enough having to be around the few conservatives around here. I can't even imagine living in a place that is more conservative than average. I think it would be unbearable.

[Name removed]

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