O'reilly and KRUGMAN asked us to google it, So I did

[riverflush]

Someone earlier wondered about the 50/50 split in popular vote - how could that be if "most of the states that don't touch an ocean are more conservative?"

It's simple. Major metro areas trend Democrat (Boston, NYC, Chicago, LA, San Fran, Seattle, Miami/Broward Co., Twin Cities, etc). Where population is dense, people rely on social services more (public transit, housing density laws, rent control, public housing, etc.) - and these voters tend to regard government as a vital part of "organizing" life. The more rural areas and the mid-sized cities (Cincy, Indianapolis, Vegas, Charlotte, etc.) tend to be more spread-out and attract a different type of person. The popular vote is very close, but that is due more to the sheer population density of the Democratic strongholds vs. Republican areas (which are a much larger part of the country). The Dems get a lot out of a little (relatively speaking).

If you look at Election 2000, the contrast is striking:

U.S. Counties won by Gore: 677
U.S. Counties won by Bush: 2436

Square miles of U.S. won by Gore: 588,000
Square miles of U.S. won by Bush: 2,427,000

This map is stunning:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/vote2000/cbc/map.htm

The fact is, much of "middle America" is very different from the coast cities in political philosophy...but that shouldn't be surprising - it's an entirely different way of life.

What these stats and maps should make very obvious is that if the Democratic Party ever loses grip on the black vote, they will find themselves in a very dire position. The two-party system (and a possible rise of a third party - Libertarian?) hangs in the balance - and I believe that the black vote will shape the next 100 years of politics in this country. A 20% shift would change the whole political landscape permanently.