Wednesday, November 21, 2012

The march toward the progressive side in this country has not left Alaska behind.

A few days after the election a number of tweets came my way stating that the biggest swing toward Obama in this election cycle, as compared to last, was in my own deeply red state of Alaska.

And in fact that turned out to be true in that only 38% of the vote went to Obama in 2008, while McCain/Palin walked away with 59%, and this year Obama captured 41% to Romney's 55%.

While that may seem somewhat predictable, since last time Alaska had its own Governor, Sarah Palin, on the ticket, it was also revealed that in fact in THIS election the Democrats received the highest percentage of the vote since 1964, which was the only year Alaska's three electoral points went to the Democratic candidate. (Way to go President Johnson!)

I found THIS to be extremely satisfying, and gives me great hope for the future.

Just to illustrate how big of a change this is, take a look at a couple of maps put together over at the Daily Kos:

Here is the 2008 map. See how much red there is across the state?

Now compare that with this years map of the various voting districts.

Now you may ask how in the world Romney got our electoral votes with so much of the state covered in blue, but that is because no body in their right mind lives out there where it is blue.

In fact THAT is where the indigenous people of Alaska live.

You know the REAL Alaskans. The ones who were virtually abandoned by their Governor when they needed her help, and who are learning the hard way that the Republican party is very friendly when there is oil under their property, but when it comes to respecting their rights, or helping them in times of trouble, they cannot even get a return phone call.

Clearly Alaska has a long way to go before we can celebrate our return to the progress ideals of our past, but I have to say that the trend is certainly looking good.


(Alaska voting history, and this years election map, for reference.)


18 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:50 AM

    '''Now you may ask how in the world Romney got our electoral votes with so much of the state covered in blue, but that is because no body in their right mind lives out there where it is blue.

    In fact THAT is where the indigenous people of Alaska live.
    '''

    So are you saying the indigenous people are not in their right minds?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Personally I have questioned the mental state of the native Alaskans for years, considering that after they crossed the land bridge they stayed up here rather than continuing down the continent with their more adventurous kinfolk until they reached California or Arizona.

      However I understand that between 15,000 to 25,000 years ago, when the fist people arrived, the weather was somewhat more temperate. So perhaps they simply did not realize that they were taken up residence in an icebox.

      As for today with all of the modern conveniences, and the complete lack of those conveniences in the bush, I think it can be safely stated that it takes either a strong sense of tradition. a lack of options, or a particularly odd mindset to keep people living in the interior of Alaska.

      Just saying.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous8:40 AM

      Odd mindset? Oh, you must be talking about choosing to live in Wassila, or Los Anchorage. Sheesh! Ex Cat

      Delete
  2. Anonymous3:05 AM

    Gryphen, I was just having a little fun with you in my first comment. I get what you meant.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous6:22 AM

      I thought exactly the same thing anon-did G inadvertently insult native Alaskans. Then again, my rural friends have the same difficulty understanding living in a city.

      "How can you fall asleep just feet away from someone not your family?"

      "In the city, we call that someone 'a neighbor.'"

      Delete
  3. Anonymous3:44 AM

    Pre Sarah, if you asked me about Alaskans, I would have guessed they were strongly democratic people. Or independent, (not AIP ....smart enough to know what that means lol...no erroneous box xhecking like Toad).
    Let's hope all the fundies get raptured or disillusioned (my moneys on the latter)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous5:01 AM

    Wow!

    I have to admit that I was on the verge of moving to AK, but then was introduced to an idiot of such magnitude, that I thought how can I live in a state that actually voted this turd into office?

    I know from this site that there are many sane people of character up there, and the map has me rethinking my future.

    Thank you for sharing this. (and for your blog which I love)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've never really been on the verge of moving to Alaska, but I've done some traveling there.

      Wasilla is an aberration, populated by people who moved there from the Midwest in the 1970's.

      How did "an idiot of such magnitude" get elected Governor? (Actually, I would classify Grifty McQuitter as a moron, not an idiot.) I would say, lots of religious fanatic money pumped into a small market.

      It's important to consider that the last candidate that McQuitter backed, Joe Miller, LOST TO A WRITE-IN CANDIDATE. A write-in candidate with a name that isn't easy to spell. That takes talent.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous5:05 AM

    You know I have a beef to pick with republican Alaska. Alaskans gets far more federal dollars than they pay out AND they get some oil royalties, yet they pay no state income tax and no sales tax.

    Meanwhile Californians get less back from the Federal government than we pay in, we have high property taxes, high state income tax and high sales tax. And California is the third biggest producer of oil (no royalties for us) and we produce 90% of the fruits and vegetables grown in the US.
    California has budget problems, so why are we carrying Alaska? Why can't Alaskans pay their fair share?
    Oh, and according to the new poverty guidelines states on the coasts have higher poverty rates due to the high cost of living.

    Republican Alaskans are getting a free ride, I guess they don't see themselves getting the big "gift" from Obama.

    I love you and this blog, but I had to get that off my chest.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous6:07 AM

    Interesting!

    Hey, I never heard of Yucanseerussia; Is that a newly seceded part of Russia?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Buckeye Bitch8:17 AM

    YAY, AK!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Native Alaska went for Obama, your community went for Romney. Any you're calling us crazy?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dammit, you got me there.

      By the way I did not actually call anybody crazy. I said odd, which by some standards virtually everybody living up here could reasonably be labeled.

      Delete
    2. Gryphen 9:05 AM

      Call me crazy, but I think I understood what you meant.

      You're just on a tear lately, G, trying your damnedest to offend everybody: your whole friggin' gender, now all of the AK native folk, and God only knows who else you've been kicking around that we haven't heard about yet. Yet.

      Now, I hate to start any rumors about you (so I will) morphing into a... (whispers) "republican" ...
      but one of my Alaska (ahem) sources told me that you've been driving around every afternoon, just so you can listen to the leader of the GOP on his daily radio show on the EIB Network. So I wanted to make a suggestion: With gas prices so high, why don't just stop and park, turn your damn engine off, and THEN listen to your new spiritual mentor, Rushbo? Or hell, go to Wal-Mart and get an AM transistor portable radio for $7.96. You can still go outside and sit in your truck if you like it more in the cold, but you'll get more work done than trying to blog while stopped at red lights or stop signs. It should save you a little gas money to allow you to buy more beer instead [might even help your spelling, although, uh, never mind]. Or do (ahem) *repugs* not even drink beer these days? Hell, I always have, and I was one of (ahem) *y'all* for the longest damn time.

      No, I'm just giving you shit--- I really don't have any Alaska "sources", just family up there, and they're probably the worst examples of the red-state red-ass repug "conservatives" that live in your fine state, or any other. Sorry. But I didn't tell them to live there. Anyway, glad to hear AK is progressing and moving Foreward. As you might have heard, my state (TN) seems to be comfortable with progress only to a point --- a point in time around 150 years ago. But hell, SOMEBODY has to watch all of the stupid TV reality shows to keep em on the air, so's we Southerners ARE participating in the economy after all, I guess.

      Just not participating in much of anything more than drinking for the next 5 days. Oh, and eating continuously, too, also.

      Happy Thanksgiving, G, to you and your loved ones and to ALL of your readers--- your fans and all of our favorite Palin trolls alike.

      Palin/West 2016

      Delete
  9. Anonymous11:39 AM

    Gryph... Can you tell me where on the Alaskan map is the Monkey Queens Cave actually located ? It's just to make sure our missiles are aimed correctly.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous1:25 AM

    In think in the second paragraph, you mean "...went to Obama in 2008..." not 2004.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Nice hanging out with you folks in Alaska. Just came across this blog and appreciate the back & forth you've got here. Interesting stuff. ~Nile, in Tangier

    ReplyDelete

Don't feed the trolls!
It just goes directly to their thighs.