Table Of Contents
Patchwork Nation
http://www.csmonitor.com/patchworknation/
Nearly 305 million people live in the United States, according to the
US Census Bureau. Yet in recent elections it's all been about fitting
into two categories: red states that vote Republican and blue states
that vote Democratic. But this red/blue breakdown of political opinion
doesn't explain what underpins the voters' decisions.
That's what this effort, funded by the Knight Foundation, a nonprofit
philanthropic organization based in Miami, explores in real time
during the 2008 presidential campaign.
We've identified 11 places across the US that represent distinct types
of voter communities. They are Monied 'Burbs, Minority Central,
Evangelical Epicenters, Tractor Country, Campus and Careers,
Immigration Nation, Industrial Metropolis, Boom Towns, Service Worker
Centers, Emptying Nests, and Military Bastions. For example, Sioux
Center, Iowa, typifies Tractor Country.
As the 2008 campaign progresses, the Monitor will write about what
issues matter in each of these communities, how the issues affect
residents' votes, and how the candidates tailor their messages to a
particular audience.
[This text taken from the website]
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