They're swearing in Antonio Villaraigosa today. As he was starting his speech by acknowledging the names in the audience, like former mayor Hahn, he spoke Vice President Al Gore's name and the audience erupted in cheer.

Then he spoke Governer Schwarzenegger's name and the crowd booed, to which Villaraigosa responded -- "Angelinos.... Angelinos.... There will be civility here today...."

Wow.

Did you mean to post that in Movies, bon?

So, pursuant to Sean's story about the swearing-in...why are the coasts more liberal than the heartland? Do liberals move to coastal areas? Is it the influx of immigrants? The constant awareness due to ports that there's more than just us in the world? Chemical pollution in the ocean? Heterogenous cities (I kinda covered that already)?

Are coasts in other countries more liberal than inland areas?

Yes, yes I did mean to post that in Movies.

This is what happens when you have two threads open at once.

I think it's a combination of all of that, Raq. Immigrants, ports, heterogeny, and I think there is a tendancy for liberal minded youths in the heartland to want to run screaming from a world view that's so very different fromt heir own.

I don't know if it's really so much coasts vs inland as urban vs rural, and the big cities are primarily on the coasts because they were all ports at one time.

And ports learn quickly that if you're stand-offish to folks who are different, then you're not going to make any money.

I think it's a combination of things, but mostly ports-->bigger cities. And bigger cities are going to mean more immigrants (and hence, more diversity) and more young people.

The US may be more liberally biased towards the edges because our largest ports are ocean-based rather than river-based.

bon is a thread whore.