Active Now

Malizz
Discussion » Questions » History » Would you be surprised to learn that red state/blue state references to US politics has flip-flopped many times?

Would you be surprised to learn that red state/blue state references to US politics has flip-flopped many times?

Depending on which person, persons or organization created the particular “map” in question, red has sometimes meant Democrat and blue has sometimes meant Republican, and vice-versa. It’s been since approximately the 1860s that such designations were first used, and for more than 100 years, they have changed back and forth almost as often as the weather has changed.


[P.S. It’s perfectly ok to be confused as to which color means which political party.]

~

Posted - August 16, 2020

Responses


  • 13277
    No.
      August 16, 2020 9:27 AM MDT
    3

  • 10052
    Not surprising. I assumed they landed on red for Republican because they both start with "r". 
      August 16, 2020 9:34 AM MDT
    2

  • 10662
    I think it all depends on which color paint is on sale at the time. 
      August 16, 2020 11:37 AM MDT
    2

  • 53524
    Lol!
    ~
      August 16, 2020 11:40 AM MDT
    2

  • 44649
    Flop-flipped.
      August 16, 2020 1:52 PM MDT
    2

  • 34432
    The "red and blue" did not stick until 2000. Because of the results being disputed for so long. We just got used to hearing red for won states by Bush and blue for states won by Gore. 
    As you said, before that of was up to whomever made the map. The colors were not always red and blue either. This post was edited by my2cents at August 16, 2020 3:50 PM MDT
      August 16, 2020 3:48 PM MDT
    1