We’re Number Three??
So the Bay Area Center for Voting Research released a report this week on what they are calling the the “Most Liberal” and “Most Conservative” cities in the country. (It’s a Word document, so I’m not going to link directly to it, but you’re welcome to go check it out.)
The first thing I did when I found the report was to see where Berkeley ranked. It turns out we’re number three. (On the Most Liberal chart. In case that wasn’t unbearably obvious.)
I guess third place is still pretty impressive and all. But I looked to see who beat us out and was shocked. The top spot was claimed by Detroit, which, well, whatever. I think that’s a stretch, but it’s plausible enough that it didn’t really bug me. What did bother me, however, was that one slot above Berkeley sat the apparently ultra-liberal Gary, Indiana.
Gary, Indiana?!? Seriously?
Well, I just can’t let that stand unchallenged.
I realize this isn’t really how social scientists figure these things out, but I don’t care. I hereby challenge the fine citizens of Gary, Indiana, to a Liberal-Off™. I’ll spell out the contest in a moment, and I defy anyone from Gary to out-Liberal the wacky town of Berzerkeley.
I’ll start off easy....
Liberal Congressional Representation Round
How liberal is your congressional representative?
Berkeley’s congresswoman was the lone vote against U.S. military action in Afghanistan.
She was subsequently reelected. Twice. With over 80% of the vote.
Got something to compete with that? Well, for all I know, perhaps you do. Fine. Try this on for size....
Liberal Municipal Resolution Round
What kind of wacky liberal resolutions have been passed by your City Council?
Berkeley is not only a Nuclear Free Zone, but a few years ago, the City Council passed a resolution declaring the space 60 kilometers and above the city to be a Space-Based-Weapons Free Zone.
That’s probably the ballgame right there, but just in case, this is the bonus final round where the scores can really change....
Final Round — Physical Challenge!
You won’t find this kind of methodology at the American Journal of Political Science, but here’s the deal. 1) Walk outside. 2) Find a nearby telephone pole or lamppost with posters on it. 3) Admit that your lamppost is not nearly as liberal as the lamppost I passed this morning on my way to get coffee.
Said lamppost held:
- A poster advertising Jobs for Peace: Stop the war in Iraq, End the threat of nuclear weapons, Stop weapons sales to human rights abusers — Earn $280-$450 a week!
- An advertisement for Orgone Generators
- A photo of an bloody Iraqi child with bushguilty.com scrawled underneath
- A sticker warning of the dangers of CHEMTRAILS!
- A poster advertising a march to End the war in Iraq. (As long as they are at it, they apparently also plan to stop the Occupation of Palestine and Haiti.)
Oh, by the way, the car in front of that lamppost was a Prius sporting a “BUCK FUSH” bumper sticker.
Your move, Gary.
6 Ripples from “We’re Number Three??”
Kevin says:
August 13, 2005 at 7:08 pm
My sources tell me that Gary, Indiana, is only 11.92 percent white. That’s got to count for something!
zalm says:
August 13, 2005 at 8:08 pm
You’ve got yourself some awfully specific sources there, my friend.
Yeah, one of the major conclusions of the study was that race was a huge determining factor in voting patterns. Which we kinda knew already, but whatever. I was unaware of Gary’s racial makeup until I saw the results. So I guess I learned something.
In general, though, I’m not that impressed by the study. It looks at the 2004 presidential race alone. And since third-party candidates are so inconsequential in a presidential race, this study is essentially a study of the most Democratic and most Republican cities in the country. Which, to be sure, is a very different thing than most liberal and most conservative.
That’s why the idea that Gary is more liberal than Berkeley strikes me as so funny. I’ve only been to Gary once, so maybe I’m just being ignorant. That said, if you set up a study that was more than just Red vs. Blue, but measured degrees of belief in and commitment to various elements of liberalism vs. conservatism, I’d bet you dollars to donuts that Berkeley would leave Gary in the dust.
Brandon says:
August 14, 2005 at 9:08 pm
Ah, but Gary and Detroit like it, are probably MUCH poorer than Berkeley. And, while I wouldn’t argue with you about Berkeley being a bona fide liberal haven (much like my hometown is for conservatives), Gary and Detroit have something that gives their belief and committment to many liberal issues teeth that Berkeley just can’t have...a greater degree of folks below the poverty line.
Of course, I’ve no hard facts to back up my suspiscion
zalm says:
August 14, 2005 at 10:08 pm
Another fair point. And the correlation between race and poverty rate is one of our country’s greatest reasons for shame.
If you’re interested in the hard facts, though, I think you’ll be a little surprised. It’s not as dramatic a difference as you might think:
Interestingly enough, Provo, UT, which was the most conservative city, has a higher percentage than any of those � 26.8%!
And keep in mind that some of the poorest states in the country are solidly “red” states.
That said, Berkeley’s median household income ($44,485) is significantly higher than Gary’s ($27,195) and Detroit ($29,526). But then again, cost of living out here is also significantly higher.
You’ll also be surprised to find out that Grand Rapids is actually 122 on the list of most conservative cities.
I don’t know that I have any interesting trends or conclusions to pull from all this, but I thought it was worth pointing out.
Brandon says:
August 15, 2005 at 10:08 am
oops...my ‘cough’ tags didn’t appear around ‘white flight to the suburbs’.
perhaps:
“*cough* white flight to the suburbs */cough* “
is a bit more clear
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Brandon says:
August 15, 2005 at 10:09 am
122!!!!
They must’ve gotten wind that I’m in the city limits.
In all seriousness, though, whilst West Michigan IS a conservative bastion, being within the city limits of Grand Rapids places me in a more mixed political environment.
I’ll let you just speculate what happened white flight to the suburbs.