GOP Plants Flag on New Voting

[pstokely]

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-fast22nov22,0,6617098,print.story?coll=la-home-headlines

The center of the Republican presidential coalition is moving toward the distant edges of suburbia.

In this month's election, President Bush carried 97 of the nation's 100 fastest-growing counties, most of them "exurban" communities that are rapidly transforming farmland into subdivisions and shopping malls on the periphery of major metropolitan areas.

Together, these fast-growing communities provided Bush a punishing 1.72 million vote advantage over Democrat John F. Kerry, according to a Times analysis of election results. That was almost half the president's total margin of victory.

"These exurban counties are the new Republican areas, and they will become increasingly important to Republican candidates," said Terry Nelson, the political director for Bush's reelection campaign. "This is where a lot of our vote is."

These growing areas, filled largely with younger families fleeing urban centers in search of affordable homes, are providing the GOP a foothold in blue Democratic-leaning states and solidifying the party's control over red Republican-leaning states.

[ComerPerro]

1. Punishing? Not hardly

Bush barely won.

[wtmusic]

2. My eye caught the same word

after the campaign those little media twists are easier to spot

[high density]

3. Wow, they found some counties where people voted for Bush

What an amazing find!

[DELUSIONAL]

4. Probably planted by Rove -- trying to explain where

all the mystery bushie votes came from.

I live in exurbia (used to be rural) -- used to be a seldom used sociological term -- meaning a place somewhere between suburbia and rural America. Or the rural area where suburbia sprawl will spread within 5 or 10 yrs or even less time than that. The only place I've heard this term used was in college Soc. classes -- years and years ago. Seems like Rove just discovered this phrase -- and is delivering a load of male bovine droppings.

On the west coast (and east coast to a certain extent) exurban development begins with big farms -- subdivided -- tree farms and forests are cut down, little homesteads with the obligatory horse and/or cow. Used to be back to nature -- getting away from the urban life, getting back to basics. But suburban sidewalks and bedroom communities, car pools, pre schools move into the area. New freeways are the greatest influence in opening up rural ares to exurban and then suburban developments.

Then there is the odd ball John Bircher -- with the get US out of the UN signs. Also the religious fundies -- home school -- with their take over of the local school board. But lots of liberals -- ex-hippies -- who are trying out organic gardening, living off the land, growing their own food. These people tend to vote democratic or green -- the are the true liberals. Port Townsend is a west coast example of exurbia. During the 2004 Prez campaign about 99% of the bumper stickers were Kerry or anti bush in P.T.

This is largely the exurbia pattern of the West Coast. For exurbia to exist there has to be some sort of industry or large city (bedroom communities often thrive in exurbia). Very often exurban areas used to be summer cottages where city dwellers used to escape during the summer months. Young families moved into the cottages and added on or build homes on the acreages. This pattern is seen in upstate New York -- exurban/suburban communities often springing up along the Taconic Parkway. Again many of these areas are liberal (Rhinebeck, Woodstock -- come to mind).

The midwest -- not much exurbia -- settlement pattern is different. Depends on the industry of the region.

The south -- who knows what the hell happens down there!

I studies exurban development in college years ago -- wrote some papers on the future of exurban development and have watched it develop just about as predicted. Land use planning is almost always an after thought -- big money buys up cheap agricultural land. This is also happening in Hawaii -- former cane fields are now suburban developments.

People who live in exurbia are worried about affordable health care, job security, the price of gas, schools, roads, -- pretty much like the rest of the country.

As Randi Rhodes is fond of saying -- if people vote their for their own best interest -- they will vote democratic.

[UdoKier]

5. People commuting from exurbs - AMERICA'S STUPIDEST.

Sorry, but if you buy a house that requires you to drive 90 min. one-way to work just to buy a cheesy new tract house that you only sleep in, you are NUTS. Better to buy a fixer-upper or a condo in a city.

New suburbs usually start to decline within 10 years these days, anyway. Most suburbs have higher per-capita crime rates than cities these days. I guess it comforts the freeps to know that fewer of the crooks are black.

These communities are the most unsustainable of an already unsustainable lifestyle. It is time to start building our cities UP, not out. And when we do, we need to make sure the new, denser cities are more livable, with shops on the street level and a pedestrian-friendly environment.

[pstokely]

6. do you mean 90 min during Rush Hour?

nt