The coasts and the heartland: Why do they vote so differently?

[Person Man]

Another question to consider is why rural small counties along the coasts often vote for Democrats like Pacific County, WA or Humbouldt County, CA instead of inland counties like those in Missouri, Texas, and Nebraska.

Large-scale ranching and crop growing are easier to serve with stereotyped GOP policies than are smaller-scale activities such as the growing of grapes for wine. Commercial fishing? That's largely associated with non-WASP ethnics that GOP politicians have largely ignored.

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Tourist-trade workers are generally toward the economic bottom, and as such they have little cause to support trickle-down economics unless their clientele is from upper-income, Republican-leaning groups. If one's 'tourist activity' is largely the selling of souvenirs or gasoline, cleaning motels or working the front desk, or waiting in restaurants, then one is more likely to support policies that might increase minimum wages and stimulate the broad economy instead of supporting trickle-down economics. 

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Heh, heh! Those are more likely interested in local races for sheriffs, judges, and DAs.

...and they are also interested in stopping the FBI from attacking them.

[HAnnA MArin County]

Why are rural areas so conservative? Why are coasts so liberal?

That's easy. The hicks in the rural areas vote with their Bibles because they feel that stopping the killing of babies and upholding the "sanctity" of marriage (whatever that means) is more important than creating jobs and ensuring everyone access to health care and education. On a sidenote, I think if you want to preserve the sanctity of marriage, you should outlaw divorce. That's just me. The coasts are liberal because there are more cities full of more universities and more educated folks who vote with their brains as opposed to mind-controlling subjective pieces of archaic and divisive literature. Government + religion = disaster.

It's true, though. Rural areas throughout the Heartland tend to be predominantly White and full of evangelical Christians who vote Republican simply because of the moral wedge issues that Republicans are infamous for scaring up (I know - I unfortunately live here). You ask anyone around here why they are Republican and you'll hear one of two responses: "I'm pro-life" or "Democrats want to take my guns away." It's pathetic. Small towns breed small minds. Diversity is much more prevalent and accepted in the big cities than it is on the farms and in the woods of the red counties.

[nclib]

Another question to consider is why rural small counties along the coasts often vote for Democrats like Pacific County, WA or Humbouldt County, CA instead of inland counties like those in Missouri, Texas, and Nebraska.

Because areas that have tourist-heavy service based economies have become far more Democratic in the last 30 years, and almost anyplace along the ocean is going to have a lot of tourism.

More true on the West Coast than the East Coast--but this also shouldn't be surprising, since the ecology of the East Coast is quite similar to areas far inland, but the ecology of the West Coast is in many areas highly unique (and more picturesque), attracting environmental workers and ecological tourists.

Compare to the Shore counties of New Jersey (although the comparison falls flat to some degree because of other differences).

Also in NC, the coast is more conservative than most of the state at large, though overall most areas with many liberal rural whites are near bodies of water. (also note the Upper Midwest),  However, the Gulf Coast is another exception.

[Husker]

Why are rural areas so conservative? Why are coasts so liberal?

That's easy. The hicks in the rural areas vote with their Bibles because they feel that stopping the killing of babies and upholding the "sanctity" of marriage (whatever that means) is more important than creating jobs and ensuring everyone access to health care and education. On a sidenote, I think if you want to preserve the sanctity of marriage, you should outlaw divorce. That's just me. The coasts are liberal because there are more cities full of more universities and more educated folks who vote with their brains as opposed to mind-controlling subjective pieces of archaic and divisive literature. Government + religion = disaster.

It's true, though. Rural areas throughout the Heartland tend to be predominantly White and full of evangelical Christians who vote Republican simply because of the moral wedge issues that Republicans are infamous for scaring up (I know - I unfortunately live here). You ask anyone around here why they are Republican and you'll hear one of two responses: "I'm pro-life" or "Democrats want to take my guns away." It's pathetic. Small towns breed small minds. Diversity is much more prevalent and accepted in the big cities than it is on the farms and in the woods of the red counties.

Not everyone from small towns is narrow minded. I happen to know a fair number of farm kids who are somewhat liberal in their opinions. Granted, I see your point but keep in mind that most people from small towns have never been exposed to a wide range of thought or diversity. So can you completely blame them? The people I find most bigoted are people in urban areas who are exposed to this and still think that way.

I disagree with you about all republicans are that way because of guns and gay marriage.  I happen to know many fair and open minded republicans who could care less about banning gay marriage or abortion and who don't think that regulation = socialism. Hell, some of them even voted for Obama. Mind you many of these people I just described will tell you they are conservative until they are blue in the face, but that's got more to do with a mentality of "don't waste my money and don't take risks that will get you in the poorhouse". Then again, having spent some time in the South/Bible Belt, I see what you mean...

[CultureKing]

Coasts are usually areas of contact with other nations and as such new ideas are often introduced through coastal regions. Correspondingly they are often much more open to new ideas, have a larger number of immigrants and depend on foreign trade. Inland areas tend to be self-sufficient and it can be a big deal when someone new moves in or ideas are challenged. They will stick to the "traditional" american ideals and thus the GOP. Also there is the whole population density thing: Coasts = high pop. density while Inland = low pop. density (in general). If you consider the great lakes to be "coastal" because of the greater amount of foreign trade then the economics make even more sense.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Coastal towns, even big ones, can actually be very remote and very insular (at least in relation to the rest of the country that they be in). The real reason has been said already in the thread; big cities tend to be found near large amounts of water, the Democratic Party is the party of big cities.

[pbrower2a]

Another question to consider is why rural small counties along the coasts often vote for Democrats like Pacific County, WA or Humbouldt County, CA instead of inland counties like those in Missouri, Texas, and Nebraska.

Because areas that have tourist-heavy service based economies have become far more Democratic in the last 30 years, and almost anyplace along the ocean is going to have a lot of tourism.

More true on the West Coast than the East Coast--but this also shouldn't be surprising, since the ecology of the East Coast is quite similar to areas far inland, but the ecology of the West Coast is in many areas highly unique (and more picturesque), attracting environmental workers and ecological tourists.

Compare to the Shore counties of New Jersey (although the comparison falls flat to some degree because of other differences).

Also in NC, the coast is more conservative than most of the state at large, though overall most areas with many liberal rural whites are near bodies of water. (also note the Upper Midwest),  However, the Gulf Coast is another exception.

It's easy to forget that the Great Lakes are fresh-water seas, and that they are places of heavy trade. Duluth, Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, Toledo (Ohio -- not Spain), Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo, and Rochester are ports, and a group they are relatively liberal places. I might want to check about Green Bay,  Muskegon, and  Sault Ste. Marie. Canadians might take note of Toronto, Hamilton, and Thunder Bay.

Gulf Coast? Liberalism in the South generally is associated with blacks -- at least west of Charlotte NC.  Houston, Beaumont, and New Orleans are bastions of liberalism, and I would suggest that Mississippi's shore and greater Mobile are relatively liberal by regional standards. Pensacola, Florida (which is closer to New Orleans than to Jacksonville) voted for Obama. Again, part of the pattern of people having to deal with foreigners and the presence of non-WASP ethnics of European origin in port areas (those places have more attractive work than do rural areas) force people to be more open-minded. 

North Carolina has few ports. Is Wilmington a big one? Surely it's not as significant as some in Virginia, Maryland, and South Carolina.

[nclib]

Gulf Coast? Liberalism in the South generally is associated with blacks -- at least west of Charlotte NC.  Houston, Beaumont, and New Orleans are bastions of liberalism,

I indicated in a different thread that Beaumont and its bordering counties were among the small number of counties that swung Republican every election since 1988. Given that social issues have played an increasing role in presidential voting, it is likely that Beaumont's previous Democratic voting had to do with economic issues, and is far from socially liberal.

[wdewey]

The heartland/coasts thing is one of my pet peeves. What about Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois? Aren't they "heartland states"? By the same token, Utah, Arizona, Georgia, and Alabama don't meet my definition of Heartland, geographically speaking. The only real heartland red states are the sparsely populated Great Plains states. Before it became a political term, I always thought "heartland" referred to the Midwest, not the South.  I grew up in the most liberal part of liberal Eastern Iowa (namely Iowa City) and moved to conservative East Tennessee. Eastern Iowa is definitely in the heartland--there were a bunch of businesses with "Heartland" in the name. East Tennessee is debatable but I think it's too far east and south to count. I hoped that the 2008 election would put the "heartland" myth to rest but I guess not.

If you only look at white voters--white upper midwestern voters are just as Democratic as white Californians or New Yorkers. They have much more in common with white coastal voters than with white Southerners.

[muon2]

I find the county level map more instructive. 2004 is a good example as the race was closer that in 2008. The Democratic vote is primarily in New England, south Florida and the Pacific coast plus the industrial cities (mostly ports on the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic), and along the Mississippi and Rio Grande rivers. Add some mining areas, reservations and the Cotton Belt and that covers most of the US. The state map reflects where those centers dominate the population of the whole state. It gives the effect of coasts versus heartland.

[TeePee4Prez]

I just thought that it was simply easier to make a living in the heartland and therefore people see themselves as less needing as help as people one coasts, where the economy is a lot more competitive.

You know I've thought that and here's another thing I've thought of and this is a local thing-  Why are cops and some union people more conservative than some suburban voters?  I have a theory that cops and union members get too comfortable in their jobs and over time become more conservative whereas the suburban voter is more worried about their job because they're in a sector with a higher layoff potential.  I've even thought of the cost of living thing as well.  50K in North Dakota is a lot, 50K here is a mediocre apartment or payments on a previously lower mortgage, while in San Fran or NYC it's a cardboard box.