Conservative and Liberal Cities: Where Does Nashville Stand ?

[Dale]

45 minutes ago, fieldmarshaldj said:

Charlotte was a Republican city until a decade ago. Many cities used to be (Nashville never was, it has been Democrat since Reconstruction, the last GOP Mayor was elected in 1886. It was, however, Whig before the Civil War). Of course, ideology didn't necessarily line up neatly with GOP=right/Dem=left. NYC elected a Republican Mayor in 1965 with John Lindsay, a left-wing Congressman who eventually left the party during his time in office, he would be the polar opposite in management style to Rudy Giuliani, elected 28 years later. Philadelphia elected a law & order Conservative Democrat in Frank Rizzo in the 1970s (even Detroit in 1969 elected Roman Gribbs, the former police chief, a center-right Democrat law & order type). A few examples.

However, many cities have become more and more polarized politically over the past 4-5 decades. The center-right supporting middle class with 2 parents & kids would move out to the suburbs. In its place would be more "hip" young single adults who favored trendy leftist politics and the lifestyles afforded them, along with the non-whites that tended to be Democrat (especially in the post-Civil Rights Era) and unionized workers (although private sector union workers are more competitive for the GOP while public sector ones are uniformally Dem), and many in the upper-class, once the mainstay of the GOP, have moved to the Democrats (indeed, so much so that the old claim of the GOP being "the party of the rich" is no longer true, as the most upscale locales in the nation handily vote Dem now). In cities with prominent colleges or state capitals, that also has attracted more left-leaners.

A glance at many counties throughout the country that contain a state capital can see how far to the left they've moved in their voting habits just since the 1980s (for example, in 1984 that just 10 voted Democrat (Denver, Atlanta, Des Moines, Boston, St. Paul, Santa Fe, Albany, Providence, Richmond & Madison). Only 15 of these 50 counties voted GOP for President last month (Maricopa/Phoenix in AZ; Kent/Dover in DE; Springfield/Sangamon in IL; Topeka/Shawnee in KS; Frankfort/Franklin in KY; Augusta/Kennebec in ME; Jefferson City/Cole in MO; Helena/Lewis & Clark in MT; Carson City in NV; Bismarck/Burleigh in ND; OK City/Oklahoma in OK; Salem/Marion in OR; Pierre/Hughes in SD; Charleston/Kanawha in WV & Cheyenne/Laramie in WY). With the exception of Phoenix and OK City, none had over a half-million residents. A whopping 25 county-swing to the left.

All of this, of course, has contributed to a vast gulf politically/socially between Americans. Most non-city residents look with disdain and revulsion at the ideology of the cities and the feeling is mutual for city residents looking at the vast swaths of the country who voted for Trump. Like-minded people tend to want to live next to people that share their values, and if they have means to move from areas where they don't, they do so.

I consider this a well thought-out synopsis. Additionally, I'd like to see a differentiation between Democrat and liberal as I believe that there is a facile assumption that they are always one and the same. As regards Charlotte and Nashville, I suspect that they are still more Democrat than liberal. As an example, though the Charlotte city council is 9-2 Democrat:Republican, it was circumspect about putting a bathroom bill into place. And a number of Democrat councilmembers were happy to work with the state GOP to forge a compromise.

[fieldmarshaldj]

1 hour ago, Dale said:

I consider this a well thought-out synopsis. Additionally, I'd like to see a differentiation between Democrat and liberal as I believe that there is a facile assumption that they are always one and the same. As regards Charlotte and Nashville, I suspect that they are still more Democrat than liberal. As an example, though the Charlotte city council is 9-2 Democrat:Republican, it was circumspect about putting a bathroom bill into place. And a number of Democrat councilmembers were happy to work with the state GOP to forge a compromise.

As a non-professional political historian, it's a large subject to cover with many variables. At least, it's far more than can be covered adequately in a few paragraphs or posts. Even usage of the ideologies is subjective from person to person. With respect to elected officials, at least, you have those that are more ideological and intractable (sometimes good, sometimes bad, depending on your own ideology) vs. ones more willing to cut deals and compromise (again, sometimes good, sometimes bad). Ultimately for most, you've got to deliver service to your constituents, be they a local councilmember or a U.S. Senator.

As an example, some folks I talk to were floored that John McCain (who is highly unpopular amongst the Conservative GOP base) could somehow manage to win renomination this past year. The answer came from talking to a local politician (the equivalent of a councilmember or county commissioner). She told me that despite her own visceral dislike for him, that McCain keeps in close contact with local elected officials, delivers on constituent service in a timely manner and (simply put) is able to "get things done" in the state. Now you can replace him with someone who will vote more in line with the Conservative base, but they may not be able to deliver in the same manner as McCain and have the kind of contacts built up after being in office for 34 years. She has a local Congressman, for example, that is a much better vote in DC (more Conservative), but has poor constituent services and doesn't stay in close contact with local officials.

Ostensibly, this could also explain why someone like Jim Cooper (our Dem Congressman in Nashville, TN-5), who is roundly disliked on both the right and left, is still able to stay fairly secure is because of the aforementioned constituent service and staying in contact with local officials (albeit not with the more ideological Dem base voters of the left).