Update: Jesusland vs Secular States

A new book The Elephant in the Room discusses the growing conflict the Republican Party is having in the US. It's power has been based on a coalition of Western states and Southern States. But the Western states are far more secular and libertarian. The Southern States are filled with Bible fanatics and theocrats. Bush has pandered to the brainless Bible thumpers putting at risk the support in the West. California which went so strongly to Reagan is now lost to the Republicans because of this religious fanaticism.

This conflict between the two regions is a conflict between Jesusland and the Secular States. As I tried to explain my division doesn't take political voting into account at all. And some states I identify as secular voted Republican. But for very different reasons than the Southern bigots did.

The Cato Institute in Washington, DC recently had the author of the book, Ryan Sager, give a presentation which was then commented upon by Michael Barone, a writer with US News & World Report. Barone mentioned some statistic which back up my breakdown of the states. He mentioned a survey where people were asked if the Bible is true or not true. It showed that 63 percent of people in Massachusettes and 59 percent in Vermont, both part of the states we said were secular, said the Bible was NOT true. At the other extreme he mentioned Arkansas, Alabama and Tennessee where only 18 percent, 19 percent, and 21 percent, respectively, said the Bible was not true. These three states were part of my Jesusland category. This again confirms the analysis used here. You can watch or listen to the discussion here.