I posted this article on Vermont's voting pattern's a while back. It's interesting, and I'd like to see people here think. I'm not saying it's completely correct, but it suggests that Vermont has always had a libertarian streak on issues of personal liberty.
I don't think that Vermont has always been left-wing, and they're still conservative in some ways, but the state has a long record of supporting civil rights. They even elected a black man to the state legislature during the 1830s.
Going along with this thread's earlier, slightly pointless argument, I think VT was a very conservative state that has always supported civil rights. I think it's unfair to act like thinking everyone deserves the same rights is incompatible with conservatism.
No, civil rights is not about left vs. right. Vermont was more conservative than it is now. I do find it interesting, though, that Vermont championed racial justice early in its history, and in modern times, it's a leading state in LGBT rights and has one of the highest percentages of women in its legislature. I think LGBT rights should not be a left/right issue, but another civil rights issue (but that's another topic that's been debated here frequently).
Of course a conservative can support fairness for everyone, sorry if it sounded like I suggested otherwise. Maybe Vermont was conservative in the past and liberal now, but it's always been one of the better states for civil rights.
