A series of polls have come out since the president's big health care address. Most show some uptick in his popularity, but by far the most intriguing element of public opinion today is regionalism. Put simply, there's the United States. And then there's the Confederacy.
Here are some typical numbers, with a hat tip to Matt Yglesias:
Northeast: 82-10 Favorable to Obama. Wow. Time to throw out the first pitch at a Red Sox game.
Midwest: 62-31 Favorable to Obama. Very nice. Haven't even been home to Chicago for a while.
West: 59-31 Favorable to Obama. Very good. Take another trip to the Grand Canyon.
South: 27-67 Unfavorable to Obama. Okaaaay. He hearts Virginia. And North Carolina.
Three quick thoughts about these numbers.
First, when you see headlines like: "Obama's popularity hurting," they should read, "Obama's popularity hurting among white southerners." Because, y'know, those regional #s are not Atlanta, either. They're rural, white southerners.
Second, whatever comfort Republicans glean by the overall national numbers ought o be washed away by the regional breakdowns. President Obama is losing ground only in those places he lost in 2008. He's solid--very solid--everywhere else. The electoral map looks bleak for Republicans in 2012. Take a look at this map, Governors Romney, Palin, and Pawlenty. It's your future! Just reverse the parties.
Finally, the president who doubted the red state/blue state divide in 2004 now finds himself governing the gray state/blue state divide. Might need to do some thinking about this, Mr. President.
Y'know, when I first moved to SC in 2001, I thought that it would be a great place to do the work of being liberal. I thought, "It is EASY to be liberal in a liberal state. In SC, I can really do some good!"
8 years later, those blue states are looking mighty good...
Posted by: Mindy | September 25, 2009 at 11:41 AM