Shades of Purple

This article in the New York Times explores whether we, as a nation, really are as polarized as reports would have us believe. The gist is that no, we are not.

I have lived in a "blue" state (Oregon) and a "red" state (Nebraska), and I now live in a "swing" state (Ohio). There was a general sense that the community in Omaha was more conservative and the community in the Portland Metro area was more liberal; however, some of the most conservative people I've known were in Oregon and some of the most liberal were in Nebraska. The problem with red and blue states is that a couple hundred votes one way or another paints the entire state Crayola red or blue because the Electoral College setup forces the entire state to go one way or another. Most people are neither red nor blue unless they take the easy way out and pick a political affiliation then conform to those opinions. As an illustration of opinions, the electoral map is shades of purple with no state borders.