Estimated population of the South & the U.S. on 11/2/04

South 106,000,000
U.S.A. 291,000,000

The South has apprx 36% of the population of the United States.

New England has an estimated population of apprx 14,000,000 or 4.8% of the U.S. total.

The Dems can write it off at our own peril.

Is Florida "the South?"

I think so!

however it's still a southern state. It's uniquely inhabited by multitudes of non-natives and kids of non natives more than any other southern state. But At least half of the state is indistinguishable from Georgia and Alabama

All of the Confederacy

It wasn't a state. It hadn't been admitted to the union.

On edit:
Confederate States-
Alabama,
Florida,
Georgia,
Louisiana,
Mississippi,
South Carolina,
Texas,
Virginia,
North Carolina,
Arkansas,
Tennessee

Dixie and related areas, the states and regions of the confederacy.

New England; ME, VT, NH, CN, RI, MA.

A Democratic candidate can win without the South. You're talking about population when what matters are electoral votes.

Having said that, should the Dem nominee just ignore the South altogether? Hell no. Play like you can win all 50 states.

But it cuts it very, very close that way. Bush has already gained 12-15 electoral votes just based on the reapportionment in the states.

Northern Florida is full of rednecks and rebel flags. South Florida, where the most people live, is full of northern transplants and is nothing like any southern state.

They have Republicans in the Leg and statehouse?

As opposed to comparing the south and the rest of the US.

The South is BIG, getting bigger everyday and getting bigger at a faster rate than the "blue" states due to in-migration and birth rates.

Not taking it's desires into account is folly.

America's long-term outlook isn't going to improve until the redneck hicks in the south east are either educated or marginalized. Pretty much every socioeconmic and political problem in America can be directly traced to a surplus of southern zealots and fascists interfering with the political process. Since these people are too ignorant to be educated, the only real solution to the south east is to encourage it to leave the United States and merge with one of the south american bannana republics that the southerners are so keen on recreating in America. Good riddence and please forget to write...

The southern core values--racism, puritanism, crony capitalism, class stratification, xenophobia, illiberalism, willful ignorance, hatred of education, religious fundamentalism, bipolar thinking, fascism and outright hatred--are not compatible with the needs of the 21st century. Like it or not, America cannot advance into the new century without cutting loose the south east boatanchor that is striving to return the country to the 19th century. Indeed, freeing itself from the south east is likely the only way that the truely useful portions of America can save themselves from destruction at the hands of southern paracites who cling to outmoded social structures.

Pandering to these people is like the Saudi royal family pandering to Wahabbi extremism (al Qaida's main support base) to preserve their own power. Nothing good can come of it.

You wanna see them go too?

Without southern-based reThug aristocracy launching PR invasions every few years, the rest of the country wouldn't a military anywhere near as large as it is at present. Iraq II wouldn't have happened without the Texas-based fraud artists, for instance.

Got it all figured out tonight don cha?