It’s easy to fall for the oversimplistic “Red v. Blue” myth living in Indiana. Take away Bloomington, part of Indianapolis, and Lake County (The Region), and Indiana is as red as red gets. But living in Pennsylvania highlights the reductionist nature of the “Red v. Blue” dichotomy.
Pennsylvania is, technically, a blue state. If you live anywhere in Pennsylvania but Philadelphia (er, I have been corrected numerous times: locals call it Filthadelphia) or to a lesser extent, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, like Indiana, is as red as red gets. There are many examples; here’s the latest, from Altoona, just thirty miles down the road (hat tip to Club for Growth Blog):
ALTOONA- Inspired by a Los Angeles Angels fan who filed a lawsuit against the club because he did not receive a red nylon tote bag as part of the major league club’s Mother’s Day promotion last May, the Altoona Curve have announced that they will be holding Salute to Frivolous Lawsuit Night as part of their Sunday, July 2nd game at Blair County Ballpark.
The Curve’s salute to all ridiculous lawsuits ever filed will include the following:
- A Pink Tote Bag Giveaway to the first 137 men in attendance ages 18 and over
- The first 137 women 18 and over will receive lukewarm coffee so they will not burn themselves
- The first 137 kids will be given a beach ball with a warning not to ingest it
- Angels merchandise and novelty items given away throughout the game
- Honoring some of history’s “Most Frivolous Lawsuits” during the game
A grand prize drawing in which one fan will receive a “clue†and their own frivolous lawsuit.
Additional details will be announced later
“We realize that these giveaways as part of our Salute to Frivolous Lawsuit Night are fairly stupid and serve no real purpose,†said Curve General Manager Todd Parnell. “But if our fans don’t like them, then they can sue us!â€
Other recent examples are here, here, and here — and never mind that liberal bumperstickers here are blessedly rare. Pennsylvania is as good an example as any state that it isn’t a “Red v. Blue” dichotomy.
It’s a Red - Blue continuum, with little islands of blue (urban areas) in a sea of red (suburban, exurban, and rural areas). I won’t post the county map, because everybody’s seen it. However, the result is that states aren’t red or blue; states are some shade on that Red - Blue continuum, mostly in the magenta range.
If Pennsylvania weren’t so sparsely populated (except for the cities), it would be as dependably Republican as Indiana.
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