The Air America Radio effect continues - first, messages posted on SDRadio.net now actually support the new A.M. “progressive” format. Earlier letters to Chris, who runs the site, lamented the loss of KPOP, the Oldies and Standards station and lambasted liberals to boot.
Now, the New York Times takes the addition of the network known for the Al Franken Show and Majority Report (with Janeane Garofalo) as a sign that our normally conservative town may be leaning to the Left. In this article (free registration req’d.), the Times ponders what the current political climate is in our fair city and whether or not it’s just a shrewd business move by the folks at Clear Channel.
As a side note, I have noticed far more Kerry bumper stickers in and around my neighborhood than Dubya tags. As soon as we made our way to the North County and Del Mar, however, I did see an influx of SUVs and beat-up pickup trucks with the “W ‘04″ decals.
What about your neighborhood? Who are your neighbors backing? And more importantly, does that make you feel any different about them?
Look here for a current registration report from the San Diego County Registrar of Voters. Republicans are leading.
My neighborhood being PB, it looks like my neighbors are backing whatever cheap beer will result in them puking in the street…
I read recently (sorry no citation) that registered Repubs are leading in the county, but that registered Dems are leading in the city of San Diego. It’s true that there are more D-leaning bumper stickers and signs in the urban neighborhoods of San Diego, but in suburban San Diego city (e.g., San Carlos, Rancho Bernardo, military areas of southeast San Diego) I’d wager it’s the opposite.
The real question for pollsters, or those trying to glean info from this factoid, is what percentage of registered Dems will likely be voting for Bush, and what percentage of registered Repubs will likely be voting for Kerry? As Zell Miller can attest, simply being registered as a Democrat does not mean left-leaning (and vice versa, obviously).
Just checked that PDF linked by route66 (thanks!), and interestingly, of the small cities in our county, Del Mar (like La Mesa and Imperial Beach) is about equally divided between registered Republicans and Democrats. It would be interesting to do an informal drive-around survey of La Mesa and Imperial Beach to see if the same W-prevalence exists in equally divided areas. (That is to say, is it of more political significance to see a Kerry sticker in University Heights or Hillcrest, a W sign in El Cajon or Carlsbad; or(!) a W sign in Del Mar, a Kerry sticker in La Mesa.)
Great topic, Ivan.
I feel like it’s just a natural moving of the pendulum back from the right — things have been so divisive, I think more people who were not really being very active politically are being more “vocal” — at least in a bumper sticker sense — but I know plenty of people who think Bush is a lock-in.
I’m excited to see more people who seem to actually care about voting - regardless of their political stripe!
(Just read the NYT article)
Pretty cool read. Quotes from Mr Hedgecock himself! I actually chuckled at the quote about him filling in for Rush when Rush is “in rehab.”
According to pollsters, La Mesa doesn’t vote with East County. We are considered “the eastern ‘burbs” and generally vote the same as the City of San Diego. On a walk around my neighborhood tonight, the bumper sticker count was Kerry 3, Bush 1.
That site doesn’t seem to have any archives.
Which site Aurora? SDRadio.net?
I work for the DNC and have found that in even really conservative neighborhoods like Scripps Ranch and Tierrasanta, there are pockets of Democrats that are hardcore Kerry supporters. I’ve met quite a few Republicans that tell me they’ll be voting for Kerry this time around as well. I think it’s hard to tell by looking at numbers alone. And with regards to people caring about voting, there’s been an enormous response to any political activism in San Diego. I know that at the march and rally in protest of the war this past Sunday at Balboa Park there was a huge turn out. It was amazing to see just how many people are voicing their opinions. This Administration has really helped to make people aware of their involvement in politics and in the way their city/state/country is run.
Yes, sdradio.net. I don’t visit every day and I wanted to read what you had mentioned here, but by the time I got there, it was off the main page. Either there’s no archives, or I just can’t find the link.
When I see bumper stickers and lawn signs for Kerry, I think those people are very brave or maybe a bit naïve or foolish. I would be afraid of having my house egged or my car tires slashed by angry conservatives. When I told my cubicle neighbor about my fear, he confirmed that he was nearly run off the road by a large SUV whose driver was screaming at him for supporting Kerry. The man was honking, yelling and driving into his lane in such a way that he had to dodge being hit.
Does anyone else feel the way I do? I am very careful at work and in social circles not to mention that I am a Democrat for fear that there will be some backlash or discrimination. In the days before Rush Limbaugh and Fox News, I felt free to express an opinion, but now I don’t talk about politics anywhere outside of my home unless I know how exactly how it will be received. I hate that I’ve adapted to fear.
Indeed, even my best friend, a Republican, was moved to tears the other day because she felt people were unfairly criticizing Bush and that if he weren’t reelected, we would all be in mortal and moral peril. People motivated by passion are capable of surprising behavior.
Blaire, I work in an industry that tends left and anti-Bush. It surprised me, although not that much, that anti-Bush voters at work would sympathize with each other quite loudly about the trends in this election season, and denigrate policies/party voters, etc., even without knowing how those around them may feel or vote. But they recognize the preponderance of leaners in our group/industry, so they don’t care (or use it as a passive-agressive tactic to draw conservatives out of the closet). Accordingly, it would be ill-advised for anyone to park in our lot with a Bush sticker on their bumper.
My point is that this type of intimidation you report happens on both sides. You are right, and it is *completely* true that “people motivated by passion are capable of surprising behavior.”