The fact that the economy still sucks, jobs are still non-existent, states are in ever-more serious fiscal crisis, the Administration hasn't aggressively pursued any of the things Obama said it would (much less any of the things liberal suburbanites imagined they might do), the things they've said they care about they've frittered away in compromises and pro-corporate give-aways and the Democratic candidate was not only completely uninspired but ran as bad and stupid a campaign as could be imagined isn't even raised.
When in doubt, or just looking for a reason for anything, irrationally lay the blame on greening, where oh where have we seen this before... isn't it usually an approach made by pro-urbanites critiquing liberal environmental suburbanites?
On Sun, Jan 24, 2010 at 1:12 PM, James Heartfield < Heartfield at blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
> Here's an explanation of Obama's difficulties:
>
> The War Against Suburbia, Joel Kotkin
>
> A year into the Obama administration, America's dominant geography,
> suburbia, is now in open revolt against an urban-centric regime that many
> perceive threatens their way of life, values, and economic future. Scott
> Brown's huge upset victory by 5 percent in Massachusetts, which supported
> Obama by 26 percentage points in 2008, largely was propelled by a wave of
> support from middle-income suburbs all around Boston. The contrast with 2008
> could not be plainer.
>
> Browns's triumph followed similar wins by Republican gubernatorial
> contenders last November in Virginia and New Jersey. In those races suburban
> voters in places like Middlesex County, New Jersey and Loudoun County,
> Virginia-which had supported President Obama just a year earlier-deserted
> the Democats in droves. Also in November, voters in Nassau County, New York
> upset Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, an attractive Democrat who had
> carefully cultivated suburban voters.
>
> The lesson here is that political movements ignore suburbanites at their
> peril. For the better part of a century, Americans have been voting with
> their feet, moving inexorably away from the central cities and towards the
> suburban periphery. Today a solid majority of Americans live in suburbs and
> exurbs, more than countryside residents and urbanites combined.
>
> continues at
> http://www.newgeography.com/content/001364-the-war-against-suburbia
>
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>
-- ********************************************************* Alan P. Rudy Dept. Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work Central Michigan University 124 Anspach Hall Mt Pleasant, MI 48858 517-881-6319