Red state DUers explain why you think Dems r having trouble in your state

[fujiyama]

After the election we've witnessed several threads that have descended into flamewars based on someone speaking ill of someone's state or region. I've done it before and don't feel guilty, because I think that red state DUers have to realize that in many of those states over half are seemingly brain dead. I'm just as willing to admit that almost half of the people in this state are seemingly brain dead (Kerry only won this state by 2.5% or so). But unfortunately the situation isn't just that Kerry couldn't pick up some of these states.

We couldn't win senate and house seats either - NC, SC, GA, LA, FL, OK, SD, and AK were the states where we lost senate races. I may be missing some but either way we almost got swept and won only 1 competetive senate seat (CO).

So why are Dems failing to win at the federal level in your state? What's the problem? Are Dems winning other statewide races (for example Montana has a Dem governor) or is it just the federal level? Are the people of your state afraid to send Dems to represent them in DC?

So is it that we don't have an attractive economic message? Is even that likely or possible to change people's minds or are they too worried about gay marrage and abortion to even look at a Dem? Or do you feel it's only guns?

Personally I think religious fanaticism has swept through much of the nation and it's unlikely that Dems will find a way to get elected to the senate in large parts of the country because of this. Some incumbents may hold on because they are personally popular but those are few and far between. Dems can change their stance on several issues (guns, more economically populist, etc) and we still won't win.

I predict Dems will be in the minority of both houses of congress for the next 10 years or so. It's a grim outlook but we've got our asses handed to us in two straight elections now. As we saw with OH, the economy can be in complete ruins and they will still vote for the man that presided over it - as long as he basically says "fuck the f*gs" and "Dems are babykillers".

[eleonora]

1. Only one explanation: religious fanatism

I live in the Bible belt. They believe God put Bush into power, and the Republican party in general. That is it and that is all.

[GoBlue]

2. Tennessee

religiosity of the Christian variety.

[RagingInMiami]

3. The Jeb Bush factor

[ulysses]

4. a superabundance

of the clueless and the damned in the hinterlands outside I-285.

[mandyky]

5. KY is more purple than red

Dems do have a chance here - Clinton won at least one of his bids and Dan Mongiardo our Senate candidate only lost by 1 point. We just got a GOP Gov for the first time in about 40 years and our state legislature is still a majority of Dems.

Kerry got between 45 and 47 % here so maybe proportional electoral votes would help.. KY is very religious, but if we got boots on the ground in Appalacia and other rural areas, I think we could do better.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. AR has two Democratic senators

mainly because they vote very conservatively on many issues, and push 'family values'. I know that the GOP challenger to Blanche Lincoln didn't make much headway despite the fish symbol on his sign. His mantra was "gay marriage, gay marriage, gay marriage" and nothing else. Even the Dem-Gazette, the right wing rag that has state circulation, wouldn't endorse him.

My problem with Blanche is that she votes over 90% of the time with the GOP. So we have a DINO-and the conservatives in this state are hoping she'll have even more influence in the Senate Democratic caucus because she's one of the few Southern Democrats left.

Why has AR gone from a populist state to such a conservative one? I think the Walton family (WalMart) and Tyson have had a great influence here-they are major sources of jobs and have a lot of political clout. There's a lot of the 'plantation owner-sharecropper' mentality around here. If it is good for the big guys, it's good for me (even if it isn't). The conservatives have been really good with getting out PR painting liberals as "carpetbagging Yankees" out to "steal your way of life" even when environmentalists were trying to help out local loggers. There is a deep mistrust of people not associated with the power structure in the state and of people not associated with fundamentalist churches. There's also a hint of racism.

But there is also hope for the future. The GOP machine has its limits. The Rockefeller backed sheriff's candidate for our county lost overwhelmingly, and for two reasons: he had only recently moved here (his phone number wasn't even a local number) AND he promised to visit every household in the county every six months. People around here are as big on privacy rights as anything, and they don't want government messing around with what they are doing on the back 40 (dry county, lots of moonshining/bootlegging). If we have candidates who are local and appeal to the libertarian-privacy minds of people, they can make headway, I think.

[nytemare]

7. Ignorance, fear, fraud, and plain stupidity n/t

[seabeyond]

8. for texas, moral values, abortion, gays.........

abortion was the main reason from the people i talked to. they are going to take away guns. all the stuff dems were created as, the people in this area has bought. forcing children to learn things in school parents dont want. paying for the poor. bigger government.

a democrat cant win if they run in this area. on the ballot many of the otehr races had libaterian and no democrat running

[proud_Kucitizen]

9. Several reasons in Ohio

there are the I've always voted Republicans like my mother in Law, my father who changed to Republican because of gun control issues, and probably the most important reason is media brainwashing and liberal bashing.

[elehhhhna]

10. TX: Crooked gerrymandering, crooked representation, & drunk electorate...

to name a few...

[Doctor_J]

11. rush, hannity, laura, boortz, o'really, gallagher, medved, liddy,

north, and so on.

There will be no reparing the nation until the media reforms.

[Eagle_Eye]

12. REDNECKS n/t

[Mike L]

13. In SC, it's religious beliefs.

Most people I talked to about the election said they would never vote for someone who is pro-choice ("for abortion", as they put it). They also would never vote for someone who is for gay marriage. It's a religious thing. There is no talking them out of it or "educating" them.

To win here, a Dem would have to adopt the right-wing positions on social issues. That would get us half a Dem-- on economic issues.

[Razorback_Democrat]

14. After Making Phone Calls For Kerry in Western Arkansas

I'd have to say that the ideas that Democrats "want to take our guns" and that we "want to kill babies" are two prevalent ideas that seem pretty well ingrained. Also, the "liberal" theme plays out well in Western Arkansas too.

There's not much arguing room.

These people are single or double issue voters, that don't pay much attention to anything else.

Don't take my guns
Abortion is murder

As Democrats we need to either back off of guns, or go with gusto on them and write off the South and the West forever.

As for abortion, we need to let some of the ideas behind "choice" resonate more and be bringing up alternatives to abortion more often and not just loudly resonating that we support it. (You can support choice without supporting abortion, but simple minds have been brainwashed to either or)

Just my opinions

[dryan]

15. Have to weigh in on this.....

Florida is a very diverse state. Kerry won in Orange County (Orlando) and in South Florida. Frankly, I think the pummeling Florida took during the hurricane season has a lot more to do with it than people realize (or want to) realize. The Kerry campaign -- at least here in Central Florida -- were not great at outreach to organized labor which was a very critical mistake. I am a union member and was amazed that the Kerry campaign never invited the President of the Central Florida AFL-CIO to ANYTHING--she had to learn about everything second or third hand. I have been at politics a long time and anytime I would suggest visibility events that could be done with little or no money and was constantly pooh poohed. ACT Up did a great job around here though. I could get extremely negative but I don't think it was because of the candidates.