The Great Divide

I had a conversation with an acquaintance recently about the November election not necessarily being a contest of Democrat versus Republican.  Rather, it is a referendum on urban versus rural America.

Think about it.  Something on the order of fifteen percent of the population of the United States resides in rural counties spread across 72 percent of the nation's land area.  Rural America leans conservative.

Urban America is characterized by large population densities, greater ethnic diversity, larger numbers of college graduates – particularly those with advanced degrees – and a larger concentration of wealth and economic activity.  Urban America leans moderate to liberal.

Like it or not - urban America elects the President.

The GOP had a couple of candidates that did well in the urban areas in the early primaries - Kasich and Rubio. Now they are down to one.  It is not The Great and Terrible Oz.

If you’re looking for an interesting read there is this:  Red State, Blue City: How the Urban-Rural Divide Is Splitting America - http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/11/red-state-blue-city-how-the-urban-rural-divide-is-splitting-america/265686/