The American West was a bastion of the New Deal, and voted for FDR all four times. Why by the 60's did the American West (such as Montana, Wyoming, Idaho) become more conservative politically?
In the Depression we were all screwed. After? Well crisis over, return to normalcy. My 2 cents.
That great Conservative bastion of the people's republic of Oregon banned black people from moving to their State until 1927.
Ranchers who owned swaths of land the size of Ireland.
I would think that the idea of "we don't want a bunch of people back East telling us how to run out affairs, we can do just fine." Would cover it well . Plus the Federal Government didn't have a lot to do there except acquire vast sums of land. Which causes huge problems today.I wonder where the idea of small government became popular when traditionally big government in the West wasn't unpopular.
I would think that the idea of "we don't want a bunch of people back East telling us how to run out affairs, we can do just fine." Would cover it well . Plus the Federal Government didn't have a lot to do there except acquire vast sums of land. Which causes huge problems today.
Racism obviously. Look at how they voted in 2016 if you don't believe me.
To be fair Oregon was more like Idaho back then. It wasn't until the WW2 Pacific urbanization that Oregon became what it is today.
I realize that. Of course what I don't like is a blanket statement about "it's all about racism.
Also, tons of military there, so yeah cold war helped.
Even before it was a populist bastion under William Jennings Bryan. All I can think of is that the West was also pro-free trade and parts of it very religious (moralistic politics appeal). But I wonder where the idea of small government became popular when traditionally big government in the West wasn't unpopular.
Is the west conservative or conservative-libertarian? I think it's more the latter, at least with the mountain-west and plains states.
The Democrats in the region generally lean libertarianish centrist and the republicans are a mix of populists and libertarianish-conservatives.
Unless someone would defend the right to stand on a street corner smoking crystal-meth while distributing copies of the NAMBLA Manifesto in front of a burning American flag, I don't think they qualify as libertarian.
Is that the sort of thing western conservatives tend to defend?