America: Blue Skinned, Red Hearted

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I think most foreigners don’t have a realistic idea of what America is like. Being an expatriate(I’ve never really liked that word) gives me the unique perspective of being on the outside looking in. If you look at America from the outside, watching the media, movies, celebrities, etc., you get the impression that America is a very liberal, progressive country, but what you don’t readily see is that America at its heart is a very conservative place.

This is why so many people in other countries, and a lot of Americans too were surprised when Trump won the 2016 presidential election. A large segment of society, largely unseen, felt they were losing their country. They felt unrepresented in modern America and they wanted change. Why Trump got elected is pretty simple, Hilary Clinton represented the status quo, more of the same. Trump represented change. Never mind what kind of change, but change nonetheless.

On the other hand, if you look at it historically, it shouldn’t be that surprising. The pendulum of history swings back and forth. It seems only natural that a two-term democratic president would be followed by a republican.

Last November, I watched the mid-term elections very closely. I was more engaged because it was the first time I voted since moving to Japan nearly 20 years ago. I felt there was more at stake this time.

The democrats did well and got a pretty good “blue wave” winning a majority in The House of Representatives. This includes from my home district as well, Sharice Davids, one of two Native American women elected to congress for the first time in history. For that I’m glad.

But again, looking at only the election results from the outside, it appears America is a very liberal place. This is somewhat misleading. For me, one of the most revealing things to come out of the election was the congressional results map. If you want to see the true heart of America, look no further.

With districts won by republicans in red, and those won by democrats in blue, it was a sharp contrast. Most of the country is red with blue islands and outcrops here and there. Of course, the blue areas mostly represent big cities and urban areas with higher population density. Red districts take most rural areas. The results are clear, democrats win by population, but republicans by territory. This is nowhere more apparent than my home state of Kansas. District three is the smallest in the state, but has the largest population.

If you were to land at random anywhere in America, you’d most likely land in areas that embrace more traditional, conservative values. That’s the irony of America, it looks blue on the outside, but is red at heart.