Dave Albo: Northern Virginia Democratic voters are on "food stamps"

...in general, where economic dynamism is concentrated, Democrats are gaining. [Bill Bishop, author of "The Big Sort"] found that Gore and Kerry did much better in the 21 metro areas that produced the most new patents than in less tech-oriented cities. Virginia Tech demographer Robert E. Lang found that Kerry did better in the 20 metro areas most linked to the global economy -- based on business networks, shipping and airport activity -- than in metro areas as a whole.

Affluent suburbs that were once solidly Republican have edged toward a split or turned Democratic, threatening to put big states out of the GOP's reach for good: Bergen County, N.J., and New York's Long Island; the "collar" counties outside Chicago; Montgomery and Bucks counties outside Philadelphia.

Now, the trend is hitting in swing states and ones Republicans long counted as safe, in places such as southern New Hampshire, North Carolina's Research Triangle, suburban St. Louis County and even Colorado's Douglas County, a booming Denver suburb that is still Republican but seeing more Democrats moving in from Southern California.

Add northern Virginia to that list, of course.  As the article says, "In Northern Virginia, it is the Republicans looking for answers" as the region turns "blue."

...The region has boomed, adding 300,000 people in the first half of the decade. With Kerry having claimed Fairfax County in 2004, Obama will push outward, trying to duplicate the success of Democratic Sen. James Webb and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine in Loudoun and Prince William counties, where growth is tinged with anxiety over the housing crash and gas prices.

In short, northern Virginia voters care far more about the economy, health care, energy prices, the environment, and quality of life in general than they do about divisive social issues like abortion and "gay marriage."  Also, as Bill Bishop says, "Democratic areas are sopping up people with BA degrees; Republican areas are sopping up white people without degrees."  This is a trend we're seeing all over the country, including the fastest growing parts of Virginia.

But wait, Del. Dave Albo (R-Abuser Fees) has a different answer:

State Del. David B. Albo argues it is not the highly educated who have turned Fairfax blue. "My bet is that it's those who are on food stamps and government services who tend to be more Democratic," he said.

That's right Fairfax, Falls Church, Arlington, Alexandria, Prince William, Loudoun, etc. - you may not realize it, but you've been voting Democratic more and more not because you're well educated or because you think the Democrats have a far better shot at delivering the results you want from your government (or because the Republicans have lurched to the right).  No, no, no.  According to Dave Albo, it's because you're on food stamps and other government services. You're probably a communist too, at least in Dave Albo's mind.

Speaking of Dave Albo's mind, what IS this guy thinking?  I mean, it doesn't take a PhD in political science to know that insulting the voters of your district probably isn't the way to reelection.  But if that's Dave Albo's strategy for winning all the "food stamp" recipients in his district, more power to him.  So, where's the Greg Werkheiser victory party going to be in the 42nd district on November 2, 2009?

Comments