This Should Get a Big "Well DUH!!"

Tom Nugent's explanation should really be unnecessary.

But, evidently, there are a number of folks, particularly in the media, who don't get it.

So, here goes:

This chart arrays the states by their economic-freedom rankings, and then color-codes the states either red if won by President Bush or blue if won by John Kerry. The chart makes clear that states with the highest level of economic freedom voted for George Bush by a wide margin, while states offering a low level of economic freedom went heavily for Senator Kerry. Across all 50 states, there is strong evidence to support the theory that people who believe in economic freedom have voted with their feet and migrated to states where economic freedom is high. On the other hand, states that have cultivated low economic freedom as defined by the Pacific Research Institute voted for the candidate that best espoused their principles (i.e., less economic freedom).

Those of us who live in red states certainly have a lot to be thankful for. As for those who relish economic freedom but live in blue states, there is an option: They can vote with their feet and move to a red state.

In the meanwhile, the next time you’re told why the red states went red and the blue states blue, you’ll know the real answer.