What happened to the upper Midwest and Mountain states?

[question everything]

In the 60s and 70s, Montana sent Mike Mansfield. South Dakota - George McGovern, and Idaho - Frank Church.

How did this states which, apparently, were Democratic enough to vote for Democratic Senators, end up being redder than... a Communist flag?

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

1. Political mobilization of Christian fundamentalists/evangelicals.

That's not a complete answer, but definitely a big factor.

[madhawk]

7. tax exempt status

take away their tax exempt status NOW. hit the christan's where it hurts, take away their money.
hawk

[Warpy]

2. They got bullshitted by the fake populism of Reagan

reinforced by every preacher up there, and there are plenty of preachers.

It hasn't yet dawned on them that the poor aren't the enemy and that GOP policies are making them poor, too.

[jflood1016]

3. Here is a book you should read.

What's the matter with Kansas?

http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Matter-Kansas-Conservatives-America/dp/0805073396

[question everything]

4. Thanks. I've heard about this book and am impressed with Thomas Frank's

columns in the WSJ. For some reason I thought it was only about Kansas...

[dakota_democrat]

5. That book is an excellent read

Short answer is mobilization of fundamentalists Christians, but it's only part of the iceberg.

[gwinnettdem]

6. Lee Atwater

Two words: Lee Atwater. Under his leadership, the Republicans became masterful at dividing the American public with wedge issues. They were able to convince people that their social biases were more important than their economic well being.

Ask a Republican why they vote Republican. Nine times out of ten, they will respond with a wedge issue. It's a disease, and it spreads via talk radio and Faux News.

[ailsagirl]

9. The scum of the earth

[Ardent15]

10. This

totally this.

[question everything]

11. And, once these wedge issues dropped from their prominence

as jobs and the economy gained - as we've seen this year - Democrats have made a come back. I hope that we will persevere.

[Packers Rule]

8. But the Midwest....

I guess it all balances out since the Midwestern region was blue like Wisconsin. Go Packers!