In 2004, Bush crushed Kerry in Utah – the most reliably red state – by 71% to 26%. Utah will probably always be Republican until the Rapture, but it’s worth noting that McCain leads Obama there by 19%.
A 19% lead in Utah is pretty bad for a Republican presidential candidate – especially one from the west.
Bush won Utah in 2000 by 40%
Dole won Utah in 1996 by 21%
I was recently in Utah for vacation. It’s definitely changed since I was there about 15 years ago: I noticed somewhat less religious BS, and somewhat more cosmopolitan.
States like Utah and Wyoming are starting to move from RED to PURPLE. It will be slow, perhaps maddening, but as people continue to migrate back east from the west coast these states will change.
Salt Lake City, where I stayed for a few days on my last vacation, has pockets of liberal activity. They just need inspiration and more organization.
Could Obama win Utah this cycle? I doubt it…but within 20 years, I will hazard a prediction: Utah will be blue…and not so Mormon.
Polls like this just confirm my theory that fundamentalist religions will be on the run (and segregated far out of mainstream society) within my lifetime (another 40 years or so). People hate being told what to do with their lives by people such as Ted Haggard and Pat Dobson, and eventually there will be blowback and it will not be good for evangelism.
You’re already seeing fundamentalists and evangelicals slowly moving away from their bread and butter issues of abortion and gay marriage and turning to broader issues like global warming. This is their way of re-branding their image, perhaps make their outdated motif more modern and more palatable. The only problem is christianity and any other organized religion you can think of or conjure up is flawed by the reliance on the supernatural.
Maybe if we can just pray hard enough and long enough, our problems will magically go away….
After the rapture, JC will be in Missouri…
“After the rapture, JC will be in Missouri…”
No one doubts the fact the John McCain and his knuckle-dragging evangelical holier than thou right wing christian fanatics hope and pray for the Rapture to begin.
The problem is the whole lot of other religious proclamations throughout the ages that in hindsight seem childish and ignorant of fact. The Rapture is one the more popular of these. To date, we’ve been waiting 2000 years for the rapture to occur, and still no rapture despite numerous ’signs’.
It’s safe to say that this Rapture thingy will never occur. For those believers out there still wondering what to do with themselves in the meantime, groups like Heaven’s Gate awaits your arrival.
Do the rest of us a favor, and get it over with already. The reality based community can and will continue to exist without you.
That is all.
GOD BLESS AMERICA*
*Except Utah
(Fuck Utah)
… OR … there’s still a couple of dispirited Romney voters out there.
“… OR … there’s still a couple of dispirited Romney voters out there”
A couple? For a swing like that, there would have to be a lot more than a couple.
On a related note, Obama is ahead in Indiana according SurveyUSA, and up nearly 10% in Michigan.
Granted, polls don’t equal the final results, but it is hard to look at the evidence and think McCain has a 50/50 chance this November.
Salt Lake City has been a bastion of liberal voters for a long time (it has elected only Democratic mayors for 30 years.) The difference with Obama is that he is not afraid of talking about religion, and is pushing a message that resonates with suburban voters outside of Salt Lake City. And no, it’s not just disgruntled Romney voters. The foundations of the GOP, even in Utah, are beginning to rumble. If Obama even breaks 30% in November, it will be a big deal.
After the rapture, JC will be in Missouri…
Two shows daily, kids under 17 get in free!
Try the veal.
To date, we’ve been waiting 5 Billion years for Global Warming to occur, and still New York City still isn’t under water despite numerous ’signs’ and ‘warnings’.
It’s safe to say that this Global Warming thingy will never occur.
How long have we been waiting for Farris to get a clue?
It sure FEELS like five billion years.