I don’t like to bore people with my home geography; however, in some instances Southern Illinois can actually serve a purpose. As a quick review, though, which also might get a little boring, for most of the 20th century Illinois was rarely thought of as a Democratic state. Only 10 times in the 25 presidential elections held in the 20th century did the Democratic Party win Illinois. Five of those 10 were when nearly the entire country went Blue (’32, ’36, ’40, ’44, ’64). I would hardly consider that a traditionally Democratic stronghold. But in 1992 things began to change. After decades of Republican dominance, not a single Republican has won Illinois since. But even that is a little deceiving.
Here’s a map that shows almost perfectly where the population centers are in Illinois and just how Blue this state isn’t.
Not real Blue is it? And remember this is a 2004 map where the Democrats won the state (click on map to make bigger).
For the Obama Camp to use Southern Illinois as a microcosm of the rest of the country to demonstrate that he can relate to rural people isn’t that far of a stretch. I live closer to Jackson, Mississippi than I do Chicago; and well closer to Nashville, Tennessee than I am to our state capital of Springfield. There are parts of Southern Illinois that stretch hundreds of miles below the Mason-Dixon and Coal is still king here. We have the foothills of the Ozarks and the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. We have much more in common with Western Kentucky, language and culture, than we ever will the rest of Illinois. But using Southern Illinois as an example of how Obama can relate to Southern, white folk isn’t that fair or accurate seeing how Obama is our new favorite son and chances are people are going to pick their home state boy over an Arizona one any day. Like Tip O’Neil used to say, all politics is local.
I think this is a good attempt by Obama and one I’m not seeing nearly enough. But even in this year’s primary Obama had a rough time South of the Mason-Dixon in Illinois.
The purplish counties Hillary won. And those counties are also the most Southern part of the state well below the Mason-Dixon Line, where Coal is still King, the population is 98% white and where Obama still has some convincing to do even to very hardcore Democrats.
Anyway, sorry to bore. Ashamedly I came across the WaPo article just today even though it's over a month old so I thought I would at least mention it since Barb Brown mentioned in the very beginning of the article was one of my college professors, Dan Shoman I worked with in the senate, Cappy Scates I have known for years and State Senator Gary Forby also mentioned in the article I worked for for almost two solid years. Little touch of home right there in the Washington Post.
*Update:
A more recent and slightly more flattering article about Obama coming to Southern Illinois to find common folk appeared in the LA Times on August 2nd.
Settled by Kentucky and Tennessee farmers and North Carolina loggers in the early 1800s, southern Illinois is still steeped in border-state culture. Gun rights and antiabortion forces remain strong influences on voters, said O'Daniel, who held those views through 18 years in the state Senate.H/T to BM for the heads up.
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