Reply #24: Michael Barone is a right wing hack for "U.S. News & World Report" [View All]

[Swamp Rat]

His theories on demographics is highly suspect, to say the least. :eyes:

1. Population growth aside, urbanization is growing much faster in coastal regions worldwide (including the USA). Barone ignores long-term trends.

"Given that the nation's top 20 oceanic and Great Lakes coastal metropolitan regions are likely to increase their population by an additional 32 million people by the year 2025, the ‘urban footprints' of these 20 regions are likely to expand by 46 percent, or from about 20,000 square miles to about 29,000 square miles," according to Daniel McGrath, coastal business and environment specialist for Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and a fellow at the University of Illinois at Chicago's Great Cities Institute.

2. His comical little map has the wrong color for the middle area. If people are moving from so-called "blue," coastal regions, then that might turn the heartland purple. I doubt such a geographic move would cause someone to change ideologies. How the hell does Barone account for the personal political philosophies of the interstate migrants, and how does he measure them? Where's his DATA?!? Jeebus! There is so much wrong with his article.

http://www.nationalatlas.gov/articles/people/a_popchange.html

Yes, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas have grown, but WHO made it grow? Hmm...

http://www.nationalatlas.gov/natlas/Natlasstart.asp

3. Did I say Michael Barone is a right wing hack?

"Demography is destiny." :eyes: