Is anyone surprised to read that Republican communities are poorer and less-educated than Democratic ones? The Republican party is almost stridently anti-intellectual. On the other hand, U.S. university faculties are overwhelmingly leftist. Since college students tend to be influenced by their professors, it's no shock that even "moderate" freshmen leave university as dyed-in-wool democrats (if not hippy dippy socialists). From the Slate article:What's interesting is that both sides are migrating to areas where others share their beliefs. So it seems like Richard Florida got it half right; there is also a flight of the Conventional Class. If this trend continues there should no longer be any need to gerrymander. Right.People with fewer money-making skills are moving into counties that are voting increasingly Republican. Those with higher incomes (and more education) are moving into counties that are voting more Democratic. The more lopsided the local political victory, the greater the differences in income and education.
This phenomenon held true in cities and rural communities alike. In those urban centers that voted overwhelmingly for John McCain, 23.6 percent of the adult population had at least a bachelor's degree. In urban counties that voted in a landslide for Obama, 33.3 percent had at least a college degree. In rural counties that voted in a landslide for McCain, 15.2 percent of adults had a college degree or better. In rural Obama landslide counties, it was 19.2 percent.
