The Roads to Blue Power

So I just picked up the special election edition of the New York Times titled "After The Vote," and it was interesting to see the shift that took place in American politics county by county. While McCain may have won in Georgia, South Carolina, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota, there is a pattern that I noticed in the way this country has voted.

Winning VA, NC, and FL were important for the Democrats, but holding McCain's victory in GA and SC showed a significant trend. The Democrats are making inroads in the coastal South, and I'm thinking maybe that "East Coast elitist" line didn't really sit well with them anymore. I-95 may be our first gateway to a South Lyndon B Johnson claimed to have lost for an entire generation after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Even Though Obama lost North Dakota and Montana, McCain's lead was less than 10 percentage points in both states. George W. Bush had blowouts in both states in 2004, and this is a testament to one more gateway to the Mountain West via the I-90 corridor for the Democrats. A bridge is being made between the typically blue states of Washington and Minnesota. Libertarianism tends to run rampant in that region, and should the Democrats start leaning in that direction, the Canadian border could be painted blue for some time.

We also held McCain to a less than 10% win in South Dakota. Between there and Colorado is where the Democrats also hve an opportunity. Support for ethanol and moderating on the cultural issues could eventually put Nebraska in play, giving them some breathing room in the upper Great Plains.

Then there's also the I-20 corridors. In states that all went for John McCain, there were many counties that trended towards the Democrats, and even some they won. This could be indicative that we're making inroads in the Deep South.

There is a sliver of hope for the Republicans though...the I-40 corridor. From I-81 in the Great Smoky Mountains to the oil fields of Texas, there's a swarm of voters who voted against the wind and are running scared. Sure you had your blue-trending (some still red) bastions of Nashville, Memphis, Little rock, and Oklahoma City, but along the way, the Mid-South and oil country went against the wind. If the Democrats want to really bridge some divides and get this 50-state strategy off to a healthy start for 2012, their next convention should be held in Memphis, TN. I've got a feeling there's a lot of pissed off PUMA/Clintonites along that I-40 corridor that would appreciate the attention.

The roads to blue power are plenty, and of course there are some parts of the country we don't really need to succeed in a national election, but rebuilding the Democratic party along that I-40 corridor could spell Democratic domination for years to come as well as an end to the Karl Rove 50-plus-one strategy and the rise of the 50-state strategy. The Dems should get serious about this 50-state strategy, because the GOP already has something to build on...the Highlands.

This song's for that I-40 corridor. Dems, you have another opportunity.