Next blue states

I really think we should start focusing on adding states to the blue column, because we currently do not have enough blue states to pull off a victory in Presidential elections. Currently we have 248 electoral votes that we can consider safe. Here's my list:

Georgia

Sounds crazy, since it seems the state has swung Republican. But, with the large Atlanta metro area and a large African-American voting base that we can strenghthen, we can pull this state with rural voters.

Louisiana

Democrats have majority registration here, yet the people vote Republican. Louisiana has a high poverty rate and lots of rural issues, which are things we can use against the Republican agenda.

North Carolina

Again, some metropolitan areas and a strong African-American base, with rural voters we might be able to sway.

Virginia

Should not be written off. Kerry's 46% is pretty good for a New England liberal in this state.

Arkansas

Not as strong a showing for Bush as other southern states. The delta region has good Democratic numbers as well as Little Rock.

Missouri

Not a solid red state like most in the midwest. It should not be written off, because it has the potential to swing to our column.

Florida

Not a conventional southern states. Big Democratic registration in some places, but the people vote for Republicans. If we can get Democrats in those areas to vote Democratic, coupled with Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach voters we can bring this into our column.

Nevada

If we can strenghten our Clark County base that will help some, but if we reach out to rural voters that will give us the boost we need.

Colorado

Slight Democratic swing last year, with Democrats winning the legislature, a US House seat and a US Senate seat. With those trends we could make this a blue state.

Montana

Like Colorado, Democratic gains last year should bring this state into our strategy.

Arizona

Another one that sounds crazy, but with increased Hispanic voters and a Democratic governor we really should give this state some attention

Ohio

With the Republican scandals here, this should be prime target for the Democrats to rise again in Ohio.

Adding 2 or three of these states to the strategy will help our margins signifigantly.

While we have 2 republican senators at the moment, both houses of state gov't are controlled by Democrats, and we have a democratic governor. (Easley)

also:
-The chair of the Congressional Black Congress is from NC.
-David Price (D-NC-4) Voted against the Iraq war.

It was stolen.

I agree with your assessments for the most part. Many of those states I thought would go Democratic last time.

One other state worth mentioning is New Mexico. If I remember correctly, the Chimp took it by the slimmest of margins.

it was stolen. And with what we keep seeing over and over and over again (lies,lies,lies).....why in the hell are we even talking about *election* in 2008?! I just don't get it!

These thugs are not going to allow a real election........they've managed to pull off two stolen elections, and I suspect there have been even more on a state level to get the state thugs in that they want. So what gives? Why are there so many smart people here on DU still talking *as if* we are going to have real elections? :shrug:

Weak idea for a ticket, however ==>

1. Georgia is probably the third most doable state, flip wise

2. Louisiana: until a few days ago I would have pointed out that the hurricane and FEMA just ran 25% of the Democratic voters out of this already red state. However Katrina may prove to be a truly realigning event in this state, altho not for the rest of the country.

3. North Carolina might elect a couple of statewide Dems now and then, but it's never going to vote blue for president in my lifetime.

4. Virginia only slightly less solid red than NC. Sorry.

5. Arkansas is the most flippable of states. They're close enough to Katrina to flip, but I'll bet they won't go for Hillary.

5-8. Missouri, Colorado, Montana, Arizona (see North Carolina)

9. Florida - The day they put in paper ballots and ensure fair elections, I'll agree

10. If we're still at war in Iraq in 08 we should win Ohio and even get West Virginia back... even with them stealing votes. Depending on the top of the ticket, that is. A Bayh, a Clark, a Warner, probably a Feingold or an Obama could get us there. Mrs Clinton will not. Dr Dean will not. My guess is a Biden will not.

11. Nevada is damn close to being there. And the state is only going to grow in its need for infrastructure and unions--two factors that generally spell out into Democratic votes at the top of the ticket

and can tell you that one MAJOR difference between state-level Democrats (who typically win) and national Democrats (who typically lose) is that most state-level Dems aren't trying to rummage around in our gun safes. I know a lot of people in highly urban states don't care at all about gun ownership, but every single state on that list has a very high percentage of gun ownership; here in NC a majority of the population, and probably a majority of Dems, own guns.

BTW, support for hunting-gun ownership is irrelevant, since the vast majority of gun owners don't hunt. My wife would like to keep her 15-round handgun, and I'd like to keep my modern-looking small-caliber rifles, exactly the types of things the communitarians running the DLC have been fighting tooth and nail to ban since the early '90s. If you ever want to win rural states, drop the crusade to ban the guns we own. Maybe the right to choose to own a gun for defensive or recreational purposes isn't important to you, but it is important to tens of millions of us out here.

(For a bit more perspective on this gun owner's perspective on the topic, see the thread Democrats and the Gun Issue--Now What? and also Alienated Rural Democrat which helps illuminate how the party lost West Virginia, if you're interested.)