Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Just A Thought: NJ and VA Governor Wins

I've noticed that a lot of conservatives are saying that the Republican wins in Tuesday's election for governor of Virginia and New Jersey are somehow a "rebuke" of President Obama and the Democrats in Congress. Don't believe a word of it.

The fact is, for reasons totally unknown, Americans vote very differently for their local and state officeholders as compared to their national officeholders.

Look at the three most liberal states in the nation: California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts. Governors there? All Republican (or... were Republican). On the flip side, look at Kentucky, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming: Four highly conservative states... but the people there elect Democrat governors. Look at New York City, one of the densest concentration of liberal voters on the planet: They've elected Republican mayors for 20 years straight, and did so again Tuesday night.

So, when somebody tells you that electing Republicans at the state level somehow demonstrates a vote against Democrats at the federal level, remind them of Mitt Romney and Arnold Swarzenegger and Michael Bloomberg, and how even the most liberal places in America will elect Republicans to local office but Democrats to national office.

No comments: