Seems like this is the season for surveys, for studies and for lists. Recently one came across our desk that assessed the political leanings of every American city with a population of over 100,000 to determine which was the most liberal and which was the most conservative. The liberal list was headed by Detroit. Provo, Utah, ranked number one among conservatives.Looking for Alabama towns, we were surprised to find Birmingham at number 19 on the liberal list. Finding anything in this state in that category is like finding a Deist in Delta — could happen, but not very likely.
Then the real significance of the survey came clear.
Most of the most liberal cities listed had large African-American populations, many of whom are poor and unemployed. And until you get to Birmingham, all of them were in the North, Northeast or California. Conservative cities were all over the map, but like the liberal metro areas, they were characterized by race and class — only they were overwhelmingly white and solidly in the middle.
The few liberal cities that did not fit the racial profile were Cambridge, Mass. and Berkeley, Calif., university towns known for intellectual liberalism. Berkeley is the home of the Bay Area Center for Voting Research, which carried out the study.
Two things can be gained from this. First, despite all the talk about race no longer being a factor in American politics, it is — and a very big factor at that. When it comes to government, blacks and whites want very different things. These wants determine which political party they support. Liberal cities are overwhelmingly Democratic. Conservative cities vote Republican. (The primary basis for the study was on support for either John Kerry or George W. Bush in 2004.)
At the same time, class also matters. Being poor and jobless shapes one’s political outlook and that in turn helps one decide how to cast a ballot. Being comfortable in job and home does the same thing. And since African-Americans fall so often in the former category and white Americans are more often found in the latter, it should come as no surprise that each supports the party that claims to care most for its needs and circumstances.
We see in this survey the fruits of two political strategies, each based as much on ambitions as ideals. And in the quest for office and entitlements, our parties have divided the nation and set us against each other.
What is most distressing is that the two parties, and their most zealous members, don’t really seem to care.
