Comments on: 2000 Election County by County http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2000_election_county_by_county/ Online Journal of Politics and Foreign Affairs Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:12:14 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: ogged http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2000_election_county_by_county/comment-page-1/#comment-3711 ogged Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000 /?p=2678#comment-3711 This is very cool. Where did you find this? This is very cool. Where did you find this?

]]> By: James Joyner http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2000_election_county_by_county/comment-page-1/#comment-3712 James Joyner Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000 /?p=2678#comment-3712 Ogged, Good question! I don' remember; it's something I came across right after the election and used to use in my American Govt. Class. It's on <a href="http://spectrum.troyst.edu/~jjoyner/ang/elections/2000county.gif">my old school website</a> in slightly bigger form. Ogged,

Good question! I don' remember; it's something I came across right after the election and used to use in my American Govt. Class. It's on my old school website in slightly bigger form.

]]> By: James Joyner http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2000_election_county_by_county/comment-page-1/#comment-3713 James Joyner Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000 /?p=2678#comment-3713 But I just found several of them by Googling ["county by county" 2000. Here's <a href="http://www.henrycountyonline.com/map_county_by_county.htm">one</a>. But I just found several of them by Googling ["county by county" 2000. Here's one.

]]> By: ogged http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2000_election_county_by_county/comment-page-1/#comment-3714 ogged Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000 /?p=2678#comment-3714 Thanks. I love the "square miles of counties won" at that last link. Thanks. I love the "square miles of counties won" at that last link.

]]> By: John http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2000_election_county_by_county/comment-page-1/#comment-3715 John Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000 /?p=2678#comment-3715 Yea, rocks and trees are a big voter block. Yea, rocks and trees are a big voter block.

]]> By: Rodney Dill http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2000_election_county_by_county/comment-page-1/#comment-3716 Rodney Dill Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000 /?p=2678#comment-3716 This does help to demonstrate why the electoral college is important for States Rights. If not for the electoral college there is even more incentive for politicians to cater to the demands/desires of the high population centers and ignore the rest. With the Electoral college you try to win only a majority at each area, then focus attention to other areas. This at least in theory allows for each area (state) to get more positive attention from the gov't. This does help to demonstrate why the electoral college is important for States Rights. If not for the electoral college there is even more incentive for politicians to cater to the demands/desires of the high population centers and ignore the rest. With the Electoral college you try to win only a majority at each area, then focus attention to other areas. This at least in theory allows for each area (state) to get more positive attention from the gov't.

]]> By: James Joyner http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2000_election_county_by_county/comment-page-1/#comment-3717 James Joyner Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000 /?p=2678#comment-3717 Heh. It's interesting. Honestly, I thought that if we ever had an Electoral College/majority vote disparity in a modern election, we'd overturn the system. But the outrage was very short lived. Our system was predicated on state sovereignty, in which context the EC makes perfect sense. But sovereignty has been a fiction for decades now, making it seem rather archaic. Heh. It's interesting. Honestly, I thought that if we ever had an Electoral College/majority vote disparity in a modern election, we'd overturn the system. But the outrage was very short lived.

Our system was predicated on state sovereignty, in which context the EC makes perfect sense. But sovereignty has been a fiction for decades now, making it seem rather archaic.

]]> By: Brad DeLong http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2000_election_county_by_county/comment-page-1/#comment-3718 Brad DeLong Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000 /?p=2678#comment-3718 Ahem! This is a red-blue county map, not a purple one. The urban-rural divide is real, just as the California-Texas divide is real, but they are all shades of purple. I don't have the vote percentages by county or the mapmaking software to make the county-by-county map in purple. Does anyone? Ahem!

This is a red-blue county map, not a purple one. The urban-rural divide is real, just as the California-Texas divide is real, but they are all shades of purple.

I don't have the vote percentages by county or the mapmaking software to make the county-by-county map in purple. Does anyone?

]]> By: Hal Varian http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2000_election_county_by_county/comment-page-1/#comment-3719 Hal Varian Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000 /?p=2678#comment-3719 Take a look at http://fff.cs.berkeley.edu/ where you can zero in on your neighborhood. (Although it is based on campaign contributions, not actual votes.) Take a look at
http://fff.cs.berkeley.edu/
where you can zero in on your neighborhood. (Although it is based on campaign contributions,
not actual votes.)

]]> By: James Joyner http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2000_election_county_by_county/comment-page-1/#comment-3720 James Joyner Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000 /?p=2678#comment-3720 Brad, Sorry--didn't mean to imply that my map was purple. I think your point that it's not black and white (red and blue) is valuable; but it's also worth noting the geographic pattern of the outcomes. Both tell us something. We're not on the verge of another civil war, but neither are we a monolith. And sorry about the multiple trackbacks on this post as I was editing. I hate it when it does that! Brad,

Sorry--didn't mean to imply that my map was purple. I think your point that it's not black and white (red and blue) is valuable; but it's also worth noting the geographic pattern of the outcomes. Both tell us something. We're not on the verge of another civil war, but neither are we a monolith.

And sorry about the multiple trackbacks on this post as I was editing. I hate it when it does that!

]]> By: John http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2000_election_county_by_county/comment-page-1/#comment-3721 John Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000 /?p=2678#comment-3721 I just think it's funny that people seem to be overjoyed at the prospect of winning yet another technical victory with the minority of the votes. Something to be darn proud of. I just think it's funny that people seem to be overjoyed at the prospect of winning yet another technical victory with the minority of the votes. Something to be darn proud of.

]]> By: James Joyner http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2000_election_county_by_county/comment-page-1/#comment-3722 James Joyner Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000 /?p=2678#comment-3722 John, I don't think things will repeat themselves in 2004. Bush will either win fairly handily or he'll lose. Secondly, I don't think it was a technical victory. In close contests, weird things happen. It's not unusual for a football team to accumulate more yardage and still lose. Or a baseball team to outscore its opponent over the course of a World Series and still lose the series. John,

I don't think things will repeat themselves in 2004. Bush will either win fairly handily or he'll lose.

Secondly, I don't think it was a technical victory. In close contests, weird things happen. It's not unusual for a football team to accumulate more yardage and still lose. Or a baseball team to outscore its opponent over the course of a World Series and still lose the series.

]]> By: John http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2000_election_county_by_county/comment-page-1/#comment-3723 John Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000 /?p=2678#comment-3723 We'll see about the election and how close it is. Who knows. But usually when someone wins a very, very close game they are usually a bit more humbled than what seems to be happening. If it is a really close win, with a technical victory of the electoral college and a minority of the popular vote... Well, I don't really expect anyone to be humble, but I sure would be. And I do find it a bit odd that people seem to be spending so much time showing how many rocks and trees voted for Bush when in fact they really aren't registered voters. Granted, it's a nice representation of what the electoral college does, but it's not something to really be proud of. And I even agree with the function of the electoral college... I just think that when you're splitting hairs and focusing on moving .001% of the population that perhaps you have the wrong strategy - i.e. one of magnifying political divisiveness, rather than appealing to the majority. We'll see about the election and how close it is. Who knows. But usually when someone wins a very, very close game they are usually a bit more humbled than what seems to be happening. If it is a really close win, with a technical victory of the electoral college and a minority of the popular vote... Well, I don't really expect anyone to be humble, but I sure would be. And I do find it a bit odd that people seem to be spending so much time showing how many rocks and trees voted for Bush when in fact they really aren't registered voters. Granted, it's a nice representation of what the electoral college does, but it's not something to really be proud of. And I even agree with the function of the electoral college... I just think that when you're splitting hairs and focusing on moving .001% of the population that perhaps you have the wrong strategy - i.e. one of magnifying political divisiveness, rather than appealing to the majority.

]]> By: James Joyner http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2000_election_county_by_county/comment-page-1/#comment-3724 James Joyner Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000 /?p=2678#comment-3724 John, I've added a new post on this topic. On the one hand, I'd agree on the issue of humility. On the other, one must govern. And teams that win championships narrowly usually say nice things about their opponent--which Bush did--and then go off and buy the same size championship ring they would have in a blowout. Ultimately, the outcome trumps the process. In a presidential race--unlike, say, a parliamentary one--it's either 100% win or 100% lose. John,

I've added a new post on this topic. On the one hand, I'd agree on the issue of humility. On the other, one must govern. And teams that win championships narrowly usually say nice things about their opponent--which Bush did--and then go off and buy the same size championship ring they would have in a blowout. Ultimately, the outcome trumps the process. In a presidential race--unlike, say, a parliamentary one--it's either 100% win or 100% lose.

]]> By: ogged http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2000_election_county_by_county/comment-page-1/#comment-3725 ogged Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000 /?p=2678#comment-3725 Brad, this is pretty close to what you're looking for. http://www.nationalatlas.gov/elections/elect14.gif the site at http://www.nationalatlas.gov/electionsprint.html is very cool. Brad, this is pretty close to what you're looking for.

http://www.nationalatlas.gov/elections/elect14.gif

the site at http://www.nationalatlas.gov/electionsprint.html is very cool.

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