How Much Further Right Can Appalachia Go?
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  How Much Further Right Can Appalachia Go?
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Author Topic: How Much Further Right Can Appalachia Go?  (Read 2809 times)
Bandit3 the Worker
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« Reply #25 on: July 18, 2013, 10:51:25 AM »

No, look at my thread on debating the environment and energy. Do you support the war on coal? Are you opposed to the war on drugs or the war on terror? Look at my environmental thread and you'll find I'm very much and environmentalist. Coal causes dangerous pollution for our atmosphere. I'm just encouraging you to explain what you don't like about coal.

Coal is too polluting, and it has a very limited supply.
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Bandit3 the Worker
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Junior Chimp
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« Reply #26 on: July 18, 2013, 10:53:23 AM »

I wouldn't be surprised if it looks like the triad of Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho within the next couple of decades.

It won't. Also, the only state that's all Appalachia is West Virginia. In Kentucky, the big cities will soon be outvoting Appalachia.
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barfbag
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« Reply #27 on: July 18, 2013, 10:19:01 PM »

I wouldn't be surprised if it looks like the triad of Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho within the next couple of decades.

It won't. Also, the only state that's all Appalachia is West Virginia. In Kentucky, the big cities will soon be outvoting Appalachia.

It's hard to say. Don't be surprised if the Appalachian states trend left next time without Obama on the ticket and then trend slowly to the right again. It will take time to tell. Trends don't go on forever, so it is likely the case it will level off before it gets to the level of Wyoming for example.
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stevekamp
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« Reply #28 on: July 19, 2013, 02:15:26 AM »

Next Republican targets are downballot:

US Senate West Virginia Class II (Rockefeller) 2014
Hold Kentucky II (McConnell) 2014

US Senate West Virginia Class III (Manchin) 2016
Hold Kentucky III (Paul) 2016

US Senate Missouri Class I (McCaskill) 2018

Kentucky House -- Democratic since 1921
Hold Kentucky Senate -- R since 2000

Kentucky state offices in 2015 -- Governor, SOS, AG are all Ds

Missouri Governor in 2016 -- Jay Nixon D 2008-12
Missouri downballots 2016

West Virginia House -- D since 1930
West Virginia Senate -- D since 1932

West Virginia Governor and downballot offices 2014
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barfbag
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« Reply #29 on: July 19, 2013, 02:21:20 AM »

Next Republican targets are downballot:

US Senate West Virginia Class II (Rockefeller) 2014
Hold Kentucky II (McConnell) 2014

US Senate West Virginia Class III (Manchin) 2016
Hold Kentucky III (Paul) 2016

US Senate Missouri Class I (McCaskill) 2018

Kentucky House -- Democratic since 1921
Hold Kentucky Senate -- R since 2000

Kentucky state offices in 2015 -- Governor, SOS, AG are all Ds

Missouri Governor in 2016 -- Jay Nixon D 2008-12
Missouri downballots 2016

West Virginia House -- D since 1930
West Virginia Senate -- D since 1932

West Virginia Governor and downballot offices 2014

A lot of those aren't likely to change. State and federal are often apples and oranges when it comes to party competition.
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Indy Texas
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« Reply #30 on: July 19, 2013, 03:07:24 AM »

I think there is still room to grow for the GOP in Appalachia. Take for example West Virginia. There is no reason for why such a state should be represented by two Democrats in the Senate.
There absolutely is: it's still one of the poorest states.

That is true, but what are the Democrats doing about it. West-Virginia was a one-party state for much of the 20th century, and it is still poor.

The problem is that the Democrats don’t have a coherent strategy to actually help the working class in these regions. Gun control, immigration reform and climate change legislation might be sound policies, but it isn’t going to help the working class voters in places like West-Virginia.

What is needed is some sort of industrial policy, which both the major parties lack.


The damning thing about states like West Virginia is that while poor countries can "catch up" to rich ones over time, poor regions of countries almost never catch up to rich regions within the same country. If a poor region is fortunate enough to have some sort of natural resource, its fortunes will generally rise and fall with demand for that resource. Appalachia has always been the poorest region of the United States and always will be. Just as southern Italy and Sicily have always been the poorest region of Italy and always will be.

Why would anyone make capital investments in West Virginia when there are so many more attractive places within the country to put it? Why would a bright West Virginian who wants to be a biomedical researcher or a venture capitalist stay in West Virginia? They wouldn't and they don't. So the state consistently hemorrhages human capital and never attracts financial capital.

You want an industrial policy for West Virginia? Move all the people out. Exploit the hell out of the places where there's coal and turn the rest into a national park. Maybe put up a few rustic cabins and hire some actors to dress the part of mountain folk for the tourists.
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barfbag
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« Reply #31 on: July 19, 2013, 11:47:56 AM »

I think there is still room to grow for the GOP in Appalachia. Take for example West Virginia. There is no reason for why such a state should be represented by two Democrats in the Senate.
There absolutely is: it's still one of the poorest states.

That is true, but what are the Democrats doing about it. West-Virginia was a one-party state for much of the 20th century, and it is still poor.

The problem is that the Democrats don’t have a coherent strategy to actually help the working class in these regions. Gun control, immigration reform and climate change legislation might be sound policies, but it isn’t going to help the working class voters in places like West-Virginia.

What is needed is some sort of industrial policy, which both the major parties lack.


The damning thing about states like West Virginia is that while poor countries can "catch up" to rich ones over time, poor regions of countries almost never catch up to rich regions within the same country. If a poor region is fortunate enough to have some sort of natural resource, its fortunes will generally rise and fall with demand for that resource. Appalachia has always been the poorest region of the United States and always will be. Just as southern Italy and Sicily have always been the poorest region of Italy and always will be.

Why would anyone make capital investments in West Virginia when there are so many more attractive places within the country to put it? Why would a bright West Virginian who wants to be a biomedical researcher or a venture capitalist stay in West Virginia? They wouldn't and they don't. So the state consistently hemorrhages human capital and never attracts financial capital.

You want an industrial policy for West Virginia? Move all the people out. Exploit the hell out of the places where there's coal and turn the rest into a national park. Maybe put up a few rustic cabins and hire some actors to dress the part of mountain folk for the tourists.

Well said and I mostly agree. Texas is a good place to invest. People can still be innovative with starting their own companies, but resources are critical for business.
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