Comments | liberalrage: In Birmingham They Love The Liberals

luna_k in liberalrage

In Birmingham They Love The Liberals

Aug 20, 2005 16:46

I just saw the full results for that "Most Liberal/Conservative Cities" study that came out last week, from the Bay Area Center for Voting Research. The full list is available in a .doc format, but here's the top 25 for each category. ( Liberal )

california, republicans, democrats, race, red states

Comments 12

roisinmachine August 20 2005, 20:55:26 UTC

Yeah. A lot of this doesn't surprise me at all. I love how Boston is towards the bottom there. I loved being in London with a bunch of girls from all over the country and have them telling me how unbelievably liberal it was where I live. I was like, dude, I don't live the the freaking people's republic of cambridge. I see people with those stupid 'footprint of the american chicken' bumper stickers. It's working class, blue collar, police officers and fire fighters america's heros conservative bullshit. They may be democrats, but they sure as hell aren't liberal.

luna_k August 20 2005, 21:01:31 UTC

I loved being in London with a bunch of girls from all over the country and have them telling me how unbelievably liberal it was where I live.

It's incredibly frustrating when everyone you meet has a specific preconcieved notion of what your region is like. My friend bailunrui lives in a very conservative part of Maryland - but because of places like Baltimore, everyone assumes she's living in happy fun liberal land. I live in Northern Virginia which is fairly democratic & liberal - but everyone I meet assumes I'm in the middle of Deliverance because of the old Virginia stereotypes.

As for your London friends - didn't they see Good Will Hunting?!? It's not intellectual liberals in Boston, it's union guys and blue collar democrats.

roisinmachine August 20 2005, 21:05:08 UTC

As for your London friends - didn't they see Good Will Hunting?!? It's not intellectual liberals in Boston, it's union guys and blue collar democrats.

I'm saying! But when people think Massachusetts, they think Harvard and Gay Marriage. Which is kind of funny because I have a summer job at Harvard and I like chicks. Hello and I am a stereotype.

But then again, my grandparents live in Southie, my grandfather was a firefighter, my dad is an EMT, and grew up in, essentially, a slum in the South End. So, you can't really stereotype at all.

luna_k August 20 2005, 21:10:57 UTC

But when people think Massachusetts, they think Harvard and Gay Marriage.

*sigh* Very true. And John Kerry didn't help the Massachusettes Liberal stereotype any, with his skiing and urbane style, etc.

Which is kind of funny because I have a summer job at Harvard and I like chicks. Hello and I am a stereotype.

Ha! That's awesome. Sometimes stereotypes can be fun. ;)

But then again, my grandparents live in Southie, my grandfather was a firefighter, my dad is an EMT, and grew up in, essentially, a slum in the South End. So, you can't really stereotype at all.

There you go! Even stereotypes will defy their own stereotypes occasionally.

txvoodoo August 20 2005, 22:33:14 UTC

People think of Sanfran as so liberal, that they forget there are now a lot of econmonic conservatives who moved there in the boom of the dotcoms. And SF has always had a lot of blue blood types...

Now, Berkeley? Or Oakland? may be diff.

As for me....get me out of Texas? Please?

luna_k August 21 2005, 05:15:25 UTC

And SF has always had a lot of blue blood types...

*nods*

I tend to think of SF as the most liberal not just because of the gay marriage thing & all that, but because of the way it all got started with wild gold miners, etc. It's got a long history freaks, really!

As for me....get me out of Texas? Please?

Oh, sweetie, I would if I could! Texas cities take up like 80% of this list!!!

ladyoneill August 20 2005, 23:56:52 UTC

Too bad it was only cities over 100,000, I would have been interested to see where my town fell.

luna_k August 21 2005, 05:12:12 UTC

I was shocked that Kansas didn't rank higher, actually, but it was probably because of the population thing. I'm pretty sure Kansas & Utah are the most conservative states in the country.

valarltd August 21 2005, 00:56:33 UTC

I'm in Memphis, which has a huge black population.

Everyone is conservative and PAINFULLY, but the blacks vote democrat because the dems are for education and voting rights and civil rights.

ciardhapagan August 21 2005, 05:09:24 UTC

Actually mainly urban southern cities have liberal majority populations. (Amazingly even in Texas!) That's why there has been signifigant numbers of African Americans returning to the urban south. There's less racism in the urban south than in the cities up north. (Chicago and Detriot "vie" for most racially segregated cities nowadays. Most of the top racially intregated cities are in the south) Was surprised in that article that my hometown wasn't ranked higher actually. We've generally been ahead of the wave on Civil Rights issues. (passed a law ending segregation on public transportation in 1898, fair housing law in 1963, combined school systems in 1974, etc...)