If every DUer moved to Wyoming

[Mattforclark]

Then it would be a swing state (maybe even a blue state).

2000

George W. Bush 147,947 67.76%
Albert Gore Jr. 60,481 27.70%
Ralph Nader 4,625 2.12%
Patrick Buchanan 2,724 1.25%

1996

Robert Dole 105,388 49.81%
William Clinton 77,934 36.84%
H. Ross Perot 25,928 12.25%

1992

George Bush J. 79,347 39.70%
William Clinton 68,160 34.10%
H. Ross Perot 51,263 25.65%

1988

George Bush 106,867 60.53%
Michael Dukakis 67,113 38.01%
Ron Paul 2,026 1.15%

There are 41857 registered DU usernames. Let's call it 40,000 to include any freeper accounts or double registrations (or maybe a bit less?).

Add 40,000 votes to Gore 2000 = Bush wins 60% to 40%

Add 40,000 votes to Clinton 1996 = Clinton wins 48% to 42% to 10%

Add 40,000 votes to Clinton 1992 = Clinton wins to 45% to 33% to 22%

Add 40,000 votes to Dukakis 1988 = Dukakis wins 49.5% to 49.5% to 1% (by a few hundred votes)

Even with no Perot factored in, Perot voters would have had to break VERY VERY VERY HEAVILY towards the Republican for Clinton to have lost, and according to exit polls that wouldn't have happened.

But many DUers also have spouses, who are probably more likely to be Democrats than Republicans. That is more votes. Plus there would be an army of 40,000 comparatively very active Democrats and left-leaners to run GOTV, etc. Losses from other states in pure number of voters would probably be in most cases negligable (though the loss of activists might hurt a bit more). Wyoming also has two senators and one representative. Those elections would be similarly competitive, if not democratic leaning.

With 40,000 DUers in Wyoming WY would have gone D in 88, 92, and 96. I think it could easily have gone D in 00 as well, when spousal votes as well as the raw power of such an infusion of people are factored in as well. With Wyoming's 3 electoral votes, Gore could have won the electoral college (even without Florida).

Such is the power of DU.

[daveskilt]

1. There is one major drawback to this plan

We would all have to live in Wyoming

[Nlighten1]

3. LOL!

[Mattforclark]

5. You mean

You don't want to live here? ;)

[Touchdown]

10. Or here?

[flamingyouth]

11. My mom grew up in Cowley, near Lovell, in the Big Horns

And no, I'd rather not move there! :evilgrin:

[Q3JR4]

12. You mean

our own version of a so called "Free state"?

:P

[terisel]

2. Even less would accomplish Influential Critical Mass

I think the arrival of even 20% of those numbers would create a critical mass that would influence many other people who currently vote republican to switch.

(Of course once the newcomers are there, isolated from real news with only rush Limbaugh on the dial-who knows what would happen)?

[Touchdown]

4. VERY cold wind there.

Swing state or not...it's a harsh place to live....besides, Halliburton adopted part of I-80 there.:puke:

EDITING: ...the filthiest 20 miles I've ever driven, BTW.

Why not come to Colorado. Better weather, more mountains, a LOT less wind, and 7 more electoral votes than Wy. ...not to mention the worst BBQ in the world!:crazy:

[treepig]

6. all for three EC votes?

wouldn't it make more sense for a few percent of DU'er's to move states like florida and new hampshire?

[SpiralHawk]

7. And ...every DUer could be part of ...

this Massive Medicine Wheel centered on the Grand Tetons (The Four Grandmothers Standing Tall) on May 8, 2004.

http://www.chiron-communications.com/communique%209-2.html

[diamond14]

16. beautiful !....Massive Medicine Wheel to heal America (photos)

Massive Medicine Wheel Ceremony

Set for May 8, 2004

- Peacekeepers Called to the Circle -




A Medicine Wheel is an ancient spiritual tool with a history of widespread use all over Turtle Island (North America). Stones are set to mark the Four Directions of North, South, East and West, and also of other major points. In this manner, if done with knowledge and respect, a sacred space is defined. Within that space, the people can direct thoughts, feelings and actions toward a unified idea. The Medicine Wheel also helps people to be grounded physically, to properly orient to the Four Directions, and thus to have a clear sense of where they are. That foundation of stability gives a reliable base for high spiritual work.


"The Earth is drastically out of balance now," Bennie LeBeau says. "This Medicine Wheel ceremony will strive to re-set the basic tone -- or vibrational pattern -- of the West, and by extension help to re-attune the whole of the earth."


Center of the Wheel: The Four Grandmothers Standing Tall (Grand Tetons near Jackson, WY).


As Bennie LeBeau explains it, "the intent of the ceremony is to place back into balance those lands, mountains and bodies of water that are now out-of-balance due to reckless development. We will use our drums, songs and dances to re-vitalize these sacred sites. Working together as the ancestors once did, we will re-attune these sacred sites. Our ceremony will become an important tool to teach all people the importance of our Mother Earth."

thank you to Native Americans....all over America....we can learn so much from them....

http://www.chiron-communications.com/communique%209-2.html

[SpiralHawk]

23. Medicine Wheel Filling Up

I hear tell they have permission to do the ceremony at the Four Grandmothers Standing Tall (Grand Tetons in Wyoming), and many of the sites on the perimeter of the Wheel have committed to the ceremony.

Meegwich, SH

[patricia92243]

8. Find me a job and I'll be there! :)

[question everything]

9. But some of us may hold the hope in our current states

thus moving to Wyoming may send our states into the hands of Bush..

[diamond14]

13. Wyoming Democrats are the PEACE Party (link to their web site)

They are BRAVE and Patriotic Americans fighting against the pro-war reTHUGlican party ("the Daddy Party") and the pro-war pResident....AND PROTESTING cheney's appearances....

they have LOTS of good ideas for small town protests....DUers could learn something from these PRO-PEACE activists, who care about America.....

Here's their web site....

Stand Up for Peace Wyoming.com
http://www.standupforpeacewyoming.org/

[MAlibdem]

14. How about we move to Florida or OH or MO instead

I think I would like one of those places more

[-..__...]

15. Sounds like the "Free State Project".

http://www.freestateproject.org/index.jsp

Even though the organizers claim that they have no affiliation with the Libertarian party, the goals and purpose are clearly Libertaran.

I guess the biggest obstacle is: where are they gonna find 20,000 Libertarians?

[Mattforclark]

17. The problem with bigger swing states

Is that there are larger demographic trends that are in play, which would drown out any hypothetical movement of DUers to those states. In Florida, for example, in the past 4 years they have probably gained 100,000 democratic voters just on normal migration patterns. IIRC, Wyoming currently has about 400,000 people and negative population growth. It is true that your average DUer very probably has more impact than a single vote, but states like Florida or Ohio or Missouri would be swing states anyway.

So while it might make some sense for DUers who already live in swing states to stay in swing states, it might make more sense for DUers from solid states to move to Wyoming, because they would have the most comparative impact there, Wyoming's small elecotral vote total notwithstanding. As pointed out, the above average impact that politically active people have, which is what DUers tend to be, means that a number as high as 40,000 people would probably not even be needed. And Wyoming is at the high end of voter turnout in the US, with 60% routine for Presidential elections, so it is not like there are hordes of waiting Republicans who don't vote just because they know the state will go R anyway.

All hypothetical, of course. :)

[NuttyFluffers]

18. and you can couch the proposal...

... as being beneficial to the region. bringing much needed economic prosperity.

(slowly but surely our money and comforts shall convert each and every last one of them. in their sleep, upon matresses of unrelenting comfort, they will come upon soothing sounds lulling their reactionary heart into the soft tunes of peace and togetherness. soon our kindness will smother out all struggles to retain bigotry. resistance is futile. mwa ha ha ha!)

[windlight]

19. I lived in Wyoming

and those protests are really only in Laramie (College town). And the numbers you show for Ralph Nader, remember He wasn't even on the ballot there... SoS threw out the petition... I voted for Nader there just because I knew it was going * anyhow. I have since moved to PA where my vote will matter and I'm going to get rid of *.

[RichardRay]

20. Proud resident of Wilson, WY

Just a few miles outside of the town of Jackson at the base of Teton Pass in Teton County. Teton County has most of the trees and most of the Democrats in the state. Wilson was gerrymandered out of a state congressional district that was very Democratic leaning. Now we're part of a district all the way down to Prineville instead of the one connected to Jackson, 10 miles away.

It is cold here, also snowy. When people ask what we do in the summer I tell them that if it comes on a weekend we have a picnic. A couple of years ago we had several inches of snow on July 4 - made for a very interesting fireworks display.

All that said - it's an interesting place to live. People get along, even when we don't agree. I suspect that's because we depend on each other in ways that folks in more populace areas don't. There aren't enough people 'alike' to form exclusive cliques, so people have to get along.

We do have state budget surplus, so that's nice, but we got it by taxing all the oil and gas wells, so there are environmental issues to keep an eye on. There's no state income tax. There are 23 single teacher schools in the state, including one with only one student. They all have broadband.

Jobs are tough, there's a net population loss as younger people leave the state for good since they don't want to be cowboys or oil field workers.

If you don't love the outdoors it's probably not a place to live. If you do it's one of the best.

Oh yeah, median house cost in Teton County is $600,000, so don't expect to move right into a nice log cabin on 5 acres.

[Oddman]

21. Wow $600,000 to live in year round snow!

No wonder it's Republican dominated!!

[RichardRay]

24. Summer is actually quite nice

just not very long :-).

Lots of folks who live here put up with the winters in order to enjoy the summer, so it MUST be pretty nice!

[meow mix]

22. "younger people leave the state for good"

i did!!
im from riverton/lander/hudson/powder-basin, used to roustabout in the gas fields..

but now i groom poodles in LA =)