Why Blue Needs Red (and Vice-Versa)

Pundits and casual observers have come up with all sorts of ‘theories’ to explain the red-blue divide in our politics. But the voting evidence tells a different story than the exit polls and media narratives. There are many cross-cutting divisions in our politics, but the red-blue divide is best explained by three coinciding factors: lifestyle, party and ideology. Since the 1960s the lifestyle differences between urban and rural have become aligned with liberal and conservative ideologies. This alignment has then been amplified by partisan electoral strategies and governing platforms that target these divisions. The result is that rural communities have become more conservative and Republican while urban communities have become more liberal and Democrat. Suburbs are now the tipping point, or battleground, if you prefer. Both election campaigns were well aware of this and Obama had considerably more resources to campaign in the suburbs nation-wide than did McCain. Money and the economic crisis is what delivered the election to Senator Obama.

So, will it be a battle that’s always going to be fought to a win-lose rather than win-win result? Last time country rubes, next time city slickers? The majority of the voters voiced their displeasure with this distraction and both candidates did their best to campaign on their bipartisan credentials.

But here’s the rub. The split between rural and urban values differs across many political issues and policies. These differences are eminently legitimate and beneficial to our national identity. However, our mainstream media and most of our commercial culture is heavily biased in one direction. These media industries are based in urban America and tend to reflect urban values. This is not necessarily malicious, but the reason we have few conservative reporters, TV news analysts or Hollywood script writers is because these professionals have predominantly come to reflect their urban liberal preferences.

“So,” liberals might ask, “what’s the problem?” The problem is that broad swaths of the country are founded on more traditional, conservative values. These Americans may enjoy entertainment fare from the city, but they have no desire to embrace the same values and lifestyles. Many of these traditional values are also shared by urban and suburban dwellers, but the small towns of America provide the roots from which American culture spreads its many diverse branches. Rural areas also offer a respite from the rat race, the impersonal and stress of urban living. They provide the necessary link to nature, our neighbors, and the land.

I would argue these traditional values provide an important touchstone for our national culture that promotes the diversity and colorful experimentation that goes on in the more fluid, progressive, urban environment. Americans are not really black-and-white conservative or liberal – they are tolerant and traditional. Our liberal ideology emphasizes the tolerant while our conservative ideology emphasizes the traditional. If either of these were to be snuffed out I'm sure we would be poorer in soul and spirit for it.