Simplistic

It is often astonishing to watch the low quality of the political commentaries in the media. And it is very predictable.

Bush got elected with less than one quarter of one percent of the votes in Ohio and a slim majority of the popular vote. So now, Democrats are "out of step with America", and maps showing the south as "Jesusland" circulate via email. If the votes were only marginally different and Kerry won, the headlines would say "Americans rejected Bush's war on terrorism", "Republicans out of step with Americans", or something similar. It would be comical if it wasn't for all those who apparently takes it seriously...

The maps below show a more nuanced view of the recent election. A view that does not support the simplistic and one-dimensional approach taken by many reporters and political commentators.



The election results by county. This alone gives a far more nuanced view than the maps showing election results by state.



The election results by county and corrected by population numbers.

Where is the data supporting the frequent statements of "Democrats out of touch with America"? Where did the supposedly solid "bible belt" go? And where is the "clear mandate from the American people" that Bush is fond of referring to?

A similar simplistic approach is often taken toward the "moral values" found to be rated high among voters this time.

For a significant portion of the population, "moral values" are important and influences their choice of candidate. But for some, it means not lying about reasons for going to war, it means not killing hundred thousand innocent people for dubious purposes, it means promoting true international democracy instead of unilateralism, it means balancing the interest of ecology and workers with the narrow interests of corporations, it means speaking up for and taking care of the weakest in society, it means health care and education for all...

There is not one set of "moral values". And there is even more diversity in terms of the strategies people see as aligned with their values. Again, it seems obvious. And again, it is surprisingly often overlooked in the media...