Actually, no. And I'll tell you why. I live in Oregon in a very liberal, mostly democratic city. I also happened to be a Christian. A Christian who attends church every Sunday, leads Bible Studies, reads the Bible daily and prays constantly. Not just a Christmas/Easter Christian, but a full blown, every aspect of my life Christian. I also happened to vote for Kerry. I prayerfully & intellectually came to this decision. I felt strongly that the democratic platform held to many Christian beliefs, help those who can't help themselves to just name one. Not that I agree with all of the issues, but I definitely felt I was making a moral decision based on my Christian faith when I voted for Kerry. I was treated horribly in my inner circle for this decision. I won't even go into how what was said to me and about me. I was trapped in between two worlds. The majority of my family and friends, minus ONE, voted for Bush. When I see your map I can't help but feel another slap in the face. Christians can't see that I would vote for Kerry, and this map tells me that (some) Democrats can't see that some of their own are, in fact, Christians. I hear constantly about how "closed-minded" Christians are, but I think this is a great example that the "closed-mindedness" extends outside of the Christian realm.

Jodi,

I agree that the democratic platform was more in line with many of the more humanist Christian beliefs. I'm just curious why more Christians did not come to that conclusion as well. Did your friends and family say why they were voting on the Republican ticket? For me there seems to be a disconnect...

In regards to the map. There are many Christians freely practicing their faith in Canada where there is a clear separation of church and state; as are Jews, Muslims, etc. The map to me seems to be a commentary on the Bush administration’s attempt to move away from one of the foundations upon which the U.S. was founded.

Amen, Jodi. I'm another Evangelical Christian who would have voted for Kerry, given the chance (I am not an American citizen). I understand that this election fired up many people who were merely bored by previous elections, myself included. I'm glad it did; it enabled us to remember that one of our greatest perks is the right to break ranks and express our dissent. But can we really conclude that fifty-one percent of the American population voted for Bush because they were A. bullied by their preachers into voting against gay marriage or B. "Jesus freaks" or C. Part of the "ignorant," mostly Midwestern and Southern states? Forty percent of New York and forty-four percent of California voted for Bush. He barely squeaked by in Iowa. The reality is far more complex, and deserves more thought and consideration than the the stereotyping we've thrown at it ever since these darn color-coded maps started appearing.

I am hurt to see that the side I aligned myself has written me off because of my religion. I've had to deal with more snap judgments as an Evangelical than as an Asian woman, despite the fact that America was founded partly on the principle of religious tolerance. It seems that fundamentalists and the extreme right wing have "lost" their monopoly on bigotry.

Californian, Christian, voted for Kerry, would give almost anything not to have to live through four more years of corruption, death, erosion of civil rights and mediocre intellect.

Jesus ain't the problem. People who bastardize his main message (love one another) to suit their own twisted ends are. The map is insulting to me personally, but I can see how others might be amused.

I'm not American, so I'm not going to state any opinions on the election, but just submit this link of various graphics related to the election - without further comment! :)

http://www.underconsideration.com/speakup/archives/002130.html

I appreciate your sense of humour. But then again, I'm Canadian and the outcome of the U.S. election just about blew a hole in my gut. I read a great interview last night with Barack Obama and faith, hope, and my funny bone were rapidly restored. The pendulum will swing back and empathy will rule the majority again. But it takes small steps. For me, the key issue right now is gay rights via marriage and civil unions. I feel like we're on that same cusp of years ago where women finally got the vote. It has to be messy to move forward. We're in the shake-up years right now. Eventually we will treat all our people equally.

Initially after the election I was thinking, in the spirit of 'free trade', that for every Democrat American wishing to immigrate to Canada, we could trade a Conservative. ;-)

If you can't keep a good sense of humor, then what else do you have left. Thanks for bringing a bit of laughter to my day!

The only Christian worth listening to in this country bears the last name of Kiefer.

Dear Mr. Pitcher,

I suggest you crack a Bible and read Christ's words for yourself before you use his name to score a cheap laugh. I also suggest you start reading some quality periodicals to learn more about the political makeup of this country, because really most of America is not red or blue, but purple. (I prefer the Atlantic Monthly, but really a range of sources would be best.) In fact, I would suggest you read more in general. I think you'll find that the knowledge found in books and quality periodicals will broaden your mind, and keep you from having to fall back on such backward stereotypes to define your world.

Sure it's funny- if people aren't laughing at your expense.

I've seen this on too many blogs to be amused. I personally don't care for it, even as a joke. People tend to take oversimplifications and run away with them. I'm Jewish; even the so-called good stereotypes are harmful.

We need people like Gillian and Jodi and m on our side to enrich our point of view. I'm kind of appalled that instead of talking to them and trying to understand, we choose to alienate them instead, just for some cheap laughs.

Appreciate the humor, though on a serious note, this annoys me more than it amuses me.
I felt heartsick, and there was real grief, and sadness, when Kerry lost the race. I guess that is why this "map" feels like salt in the wound - I mean I tried - I voted Blue (Kerry) in Northwest Arkansas which is mostly Red. Just the same, it seems the country really is more "purple," seeing that the popular vote in almost every state was basically split evenly. It is the "electoral vote" that make the country LOOK so divided.
Have fun up there in Canada - I have never been there, but I grew up in Sweden, and I have experienced The Snow.

http://72.3.131.10/gallery/1/

One of the problems with this map and the link Melissa just posted is the implied condescension behind them towards those who supported Bush. Obviously, when the country is so divided, there were many reasons why the electorate swung the direction it did, but I believe that one of the major reasons was this condescension that exists among some people on the Left who have prominent voices in our country. Many of the people who fit the categories of Evangelical, Midwesterner or Southerner perceive this attitude on the Left and feel alienated by it. When faced with a difficult choice between two candidates, it is sometimes easier for a voter to fall back on prior cultural affiliations than to objectively rank the importance of various issues, especially when so many of the issues are rather subjective (i.e. who do you trust, who makes you "feel" safer). If one party's voice is being carried by people on television who speak condescendingly of a certain demographic and an individual voter on the fence happens to fit that demographic, then I'm sorry but that very well might be enough to cause that voter to lean towards the Right. I believe that some people on the Left are doing their side a disservice right now by propagating these negative stereotypes. Condescendingly apologizing to the world on behalf of your "ignorant" countrymen will not win votes in 2008.

Of course, I'm not saying this because I think future campaign strategy is the most important aspect of all of this. If you feel as condescending as you are acting, then the problem isn't that you're expressing that, but that you feel that way in the first place. If you really can't empathize with the opposition (and I’m saying this to the Right and to the Left), then I believe you must be blind in one eye. It's the Rush Limbaugh's and the Michael Moore's of the world who reduce people to stereotypes and caricatures, and to adopt that position is not only lazy, but will ultimately impoverish your own world.

Being a Minnesota Democrat, I don't think there's a state I'd miss if we rezoned the country.

Setting aside the christianity issue... Have you seen this site? www.sorryeverybody.com ? It's pretty interesting.