Daniel Henniger has written a fascinating column that integrates demographic trends with political analysis. Specifically, he has correlated census data – which shows how the US population is redistributing itself – with voter behavior from the 2000 presidential election.
Before I discuss Henniger’s findings, let me ensure you are familiar with his terminology. Do you remember the colorful maps showing how each state (and county) voted in the last presidential election? The “blue” states were those who voted for Gore and the “red” states were those who voted for Bush. As you would expect, the blue areas are known for being liberal (e.g., California, New York) and the red areas are known for being conservative (e.g., Texas, Utah). The map was so prevalent when it was created, it still appears in popular culture:
Well, Henniger used this map in conjunction with US Census data and drew some interesting conclusions. In general, entrepreneurial Americans – the ones that pay most of the taxes – are fleeing the blue states in droves. On one-hand, this points out the stupidity of states trying to tax their way out of trouble. So long as people have freedom of mobility, they will vote with their feet. On the other hand, this probably means the blue states are getting bluer and the red states are getting redder. Despite the color coding, you can find conservatives and liberals in all 50 states. However, as the conservatives tend to flee the liberal states in large numbers, the proportions of liberals and conservatives in each state may change substantially.
I doubt you will hear this discussed a lot in liberal papers. After all, it reveals a strong and growing discontent with the current liberal mindset.
Democratic dictum holds that all this [high taxation and large government programs] is necessary to support "needs." But what is the point if only the uppermost-middle-class can afford their idea of Eden?
Exactly.
There is certainly some truth to this. I grew up in South Florida and saw the "SnowBird" influence first-hand.
However, I still believe the majority of those who flee are those who understand the root cause is the "blue" political ideas. But this will remain a matter of opinion until someone does a good study on the matter.
Any political majors out there looking for a thesis? I would love to see a scientific study on this; I would even be willing to help draft an objective (unbiased) questionnaire.
Not quite. This is just MHO, but a lot of the liberals are also high-income people (usually not entrepreneurs, though some are). What happens is that the taxes / fees / costs-of-living get so onerous the liberal high-earners who can leave to find better opportunities elsewhere, do - taking their liberalism with them. The entrepreneurs, who are often chained to their location for various reasons, stay and have to foot the bill. Eventually the choice becomes relocate or go out of business, but not until well after the compassionate liberals have fled like rats from the sinking ship.
But you'll note, the high-earning liberals must flee to other urban areas in order to retain their incomes, thus the blue infection is restricted to cities and their suburbs.
Examples: Phoenix, Denver, Boulder, Austin. These were not always liberal enclaves.