Red to Blue in the West, Continued

One independent Colorado voter explains why he voted for Obama and other Democrats this year -- after voting Republican in 1996, 2000 and 2004.  Unaffiliated voters are the second largest voter registration group in Colorado -- surpassing Democrats and nearly even with Republicans.  

How the GOP Lost My Vote by Paul Hsieh, Denver Post 11/13/2008.

Thin in the West

Remember those wiry and strong characters in Westerns? Tough, determined and thin. Conquering the elements under blue skies.

Fast forward to the West of today:  westerners are still conquering the elements--but it's now often through outdoor adventure rather than making a living off the land (although there's a fair amount of that as well).  And westerners are still relatively thin.  There's something in those blue skies, the fresh air and rugged landscape.  Check out the gold and blue West on this weight data map from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The map shows the percentage of obese residents in each state.  The data shown in this map was collected through the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

Colorado is the one state in the country for which less than 20% of the population is obese. For the rest of the Rocky Mountain West states - with the exception of Arizona -- less than 25% of their populations are obese.  Let's be clear: this data doesn't say Westerners are skinny.  In fact, Americans -- including westerners -- seem to be getting fatter by the minute.  

But the data does show that Westerners are relatively less fat than other Americans.  And I guess they should be at least a little proud of that.  Can we learn something from this regional diversity?  Is it about how Westerners eat? The altitude? The lifestyle? The access to outdoor activity?  I can buy any of those ideas.  But for now, I'm going to stick with my theory that it has at least something to do with the blue skies, fresh air and rugged landscape.  

Westerners Help Make US History

Last night, the Rocky Mountain West helped make history, giving 19 of the available 44 electoral votes in the 8 state region (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY) to the first winning African American presidential candidate in US history. President-elect Obama won Nevada (5 electoral votes), New Mexico (5 electoral votes) and Colorado (9 electoral votes). While traditional western issues were not prominent in the campaign, the West itself was center stage, with the Democratic Convention in Denver, and vigorous campaigning by both Obama and Republican candidate McCain -- a westerner with an Alaskan running mate -- all the way up to election day.

With this historic pick, the West will be in for a fresh and non-traditional take on western issues. It will be exciting to watch.