Austin lags Big D in liberal rankings

[sonias]

http://www.statesman.com/metrostate/content/metro/stories/08/12libs.html
To disbelief of everyone, study puts city at 93rd on list of liberal U.S. cities; Dallas is 32nd.

Nice going, People's Republic of Dallas.

The home of America's Team and the Texas School Book Depository is, by a long shot, Texas' liberal bastion, according to the Bay Area Center for Voting Research.

The nonprofit think tank based in Berkeley, Calif., (a town that knows liberals when it sees them) ranked 237 U.S. cities on the liberal-to-conservative spectrum, based on results from the 2004 presidential election.

Color me shocked, but pleased too. That just means we'll take back this state for sure. Way to kick our liberal ass Dallas!

Sonia

[crispini]

1. ain't we da bom?:P

actually, it makes sense.... Dallas *county* is nearly 50/50 which means the city proper must be fairly blue to compensate for the burbs. According to the study, Dallas (city of) went for dems/libs, 75%!

[bluestateguy]

2. There are limits to Austin's liberalism

There are a lot of high tech workers here who like to whine about their taxes being too high. Many of the UT students here are from the DFW and Houston suburbs, and we all know what those communities are like.

Austinites also have a soft spot for guns. Gun control is not a big sell here.

[acmejack]

3. I'm amazed!

I certainly would have lost that bet!

[NoPasaran]

4. Dallas more liberal than MADISON?

Sorry, I just don't buy this study.

[crispini]

8. Go read the methodology.

I did, it seems legit to me. Of course they are strictly basis it on results of the 2004 election.

Just as I have always thought. City of Dallas is a liberal oasis in a sea of red suburbs. Of course, then why is our city government so fucked up? Hmmm....

[tammywammy]

9. I agree

I thought Dallas proper is very liberal, but city hall is really really fucked up. Maybe that will change during the next election (though, not from Dallas, I'd love to help get rid of Miller).

And also, people don't vote in city elections nearly as much as national elections, so maybe that's part of the problem too.

I think people not from the area, include Plano, Richardson, etc when they think of Dallas, not just the city in and of itself.

[girl gone mad]

11. I really believe it's fucked up because of the..

city council style of governing. City council was so corrupt for so long that it just became embedded in the political culture.

I had high hopes for Laura Miller. I haven't been paying much attention since I moved way out here to Denton, but I know she's made mistakes and has her hands tied because of the severe limits to mayoral power.

[derby378]

5. Don't get too carried away...

Dallas Democrats got their asses kicked in the 2004 elections. We only got one sheriff and three judges out of the whole deal, which is piss-poor for an election year.

On the other hand, getting a Democratic sheriff after so many years of Repub law enforcement is pretty cool.

[sonias]

6. Read the study Derby we are talking about the city proper

Not the county.

Sonia

[crispini]

7. There were only six judges *running*, Derby.

And, as sonias is pointing out, they're talking about city, which, according to them, went 75% Kerry.

[derby378]

12. Duly noted (n/t)

[tammywammy]

10. And the sheriff was a huge win

A hispanic lesbian, elected in Dallas county, many would have never thought that would have happened (with all the red-burbs). But then again, the previous sheriff was so corrupt, that corrupt doesn't even begin to describe him.