Originally Posted by
Qotsaautopilot
I think it's comical people actually would use politics as a criteria for where they want to live. I have friends, family, and neighbors that are democrats and republicans, and I'm the only one that's actually sane because I'm an independent that can think for myself. Yet, we all get along. You'll often find that when you surround yourself with folks that may not be exactly like you you tend to be a better listener, more open to new ideas, and not a cranky extremist. That goes for most things not just your politics.
Qotsa,
I would say in general, but there are areas of this country that are so heavily weighted in one party that the other effectively has no say and a real "group think" starts to set in.
In Hawaii, there is literally like 5 Republican politicians in the whole state, from county/state and federal level so if you believe in any sort balanced budget, or not bought into the dogma of the ruling party you pretty much keep to yourself.
I'm sure there are parts of the country where the opposite is true, I just haven't ran across them personally.
Like the other poster said though, it's a misnomer that all of Oregon and Washington is deep blue, it's just that the population centers are which controls the federal elections, when you get down to the state politics, it's much more dispersed than would outwardly appear.