Purple America
In response to the recent ballyhoo about “red vs blue” states, a Princeton prof created a color-gradated county-level map which makes the real trend clear: large urban cities vs. America. Kerry’s support came primarily from those who didn’t attend high school (50% ) and post-grads (55%). In areas with a high-concentration of both, such as Washington D.C., the vote was 90% Democratic. This trend was much stronger than religion or “moral values.” According to CNN, 58% Bush and 41% of Kerry voters reported “weekly church attendance”, 50% of Bush and 49% of Kerry voters reported “monthly church attendance”,” and 45% Bush, 54% of Kerry voters reported attending church “seldom/few times a year.” Definitely a relationship, but a mild one that is little changed from 2000.
I believe that the explanation for the overall trend is nothing new: the major sponsors and the major beneficiaries of the welfare state - the intellectual elite and welfare recipients voted overwhelmingly for the candidate who promised to direct the wealth back into their pockets, while the rest of America voted to keep it in theirs.
