Rick comes in late with this one:

What is the most deeply purple state in the USA?

Deeply purple?  That’s a tough one.  I’d say every state is a shade of purple if we’re going to go colors as no one state is entirely Democratic or Republican.  Sure some states are a deeper shade of red or blue compared to others, but none are 100%.  But that’s the easy answer.

Which state is the most deeply purple, though?  I guess you’d have to look at the swing states: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida and, yes, Virginia.  Arguments could also be made to include West Virginia, Missouri, Colorado, etc, but we’ll go with the big four.

An argument can be made for each given its demographics and voting records.  Florida with its retirees, military, immigrant, panhandle populations all mixing to create an odd batch of electoral crazyness is pretty purple.

Ohio and Pennsylvania are similar in that you have a rural or suburb base that would typically be considered Republican except that the union presence is pretty big (coal, steel, industry) and the urban areas offset any deep red rural areas.

Virginia would have folks point to the Northern Virginia split from the rest of Virginia, showing a very blue area outside of a gradiant blue to red rest of the state.  But that doesn’t hold up when you look at Virginia’s historical tradition supporting both parties here and there.  For years it was Democrat Chuck Robb and Republican John Warner representing Virginia in the Senate.  Virginia would vote Republican for President but then vote for a Democrat for governor or keep Democrats in the statehouse for decades.  While the statehouse may have been gerrymandered districts keeping one party in power, Virginia still went along with it for the most part.

But to say Virginia is the purplest of the purple is to ignore the type of Democrats Virginia has embraced in the past.  Virginia likes their Democrats with a bit of a conservative streak to them.  Pro-business, pro-second amendment, pro-life, any number of typically Republican issues are things elected Democrats in Virginia have tended to lean toward in the past.  You may start to see that change in some areas (already Democrats are looking to cannibalize their “moderate” members in Northern Virginia for more liberal alternatives) but for the most part a Democrat has to trend to the middle in order to be elected in Virginia while Republicans can run to the right in many areas and still succeed.

So I guess it’s a toss-up between Ohio and Pennsylvania.  But my ability to really nit-pick between those are limited by my knowledge of their politics on a state level.

If anyone else can answer this better, please do.  I’d be interested to hear what others think.

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Crystal Clear Conservative has a couple sports questions.

Football:

Do you truly think the Redskins are bound to lose for the next three games or will there be a win streak that will help us to get into the wild card?

I think the Skins have a good chance to go at least 2-1 over the next three weeks as long as they don’t take anyone for granted.  At Seattle should be a win, but it depends on which Skins team shows up.  NYG at home will be a tough one and as much as I’d love for Washington to pull that one out I just don’t see it, the Giants are THE team this year.  After that is a beltway bowl against Baltimore which should be a good game with Baltimore’s D against Washington’s running game.

Even if the Skins at 6-4 go 1-2 over the next three weeks to 7-6 they should be able to handle their last three games: AT Cincinnati, HOME Philly, AT San Francisco.  Again, though, that’s if they don’t take anyone for granted.

Baseball:

BTW, I do have another question. Do you think the Yankees prospects are good for making it to the World Series next year?

I think the Yanks have an OK shot at making the playoffs, which they have any year.  I’m still not sure about Joe Girardi but I think picking up Swisher from the White Sox and the potential addition of Sabathia bodes well for having the talent they need.  But the next generation of Steinbreners need to avoid playing fantasy baseball and actually build a team, not a roster.

By the way, MLB.com still lists Joe Torre as the coach of the Yankees.  But he’s also listed for the Dodgers.  Time for an update, guys.

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• 12:40 Ask me something today – ping.fm/1M429 #
• 15:23 Kenney For Delegate? – tinyurl.com/5quvgv #

Greg asks:

Is there any truth to the rumor you’re considering a run against Del. McClellan?

Greg, where on earth did you get that idea?

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Mikey wonders:

What was the most awesome thing you’ve seen today?

While there’s plenty of day to go, so far it’d have to be this:

Riley asked a couple, too.

First, PIRATES!:

What’s the deal with all these pirates running around hijacking ships?

What’s next? A comeback for scurvey?

Actually, this is just the resurgance of a dork facination with pirates going global.  Next we’ll see ninjas totally flipping out and killing people and maybe a couple zombies or robots for good measure.

Next, WAGNERS!:

Why is there a Google ad for Jody Wagner on this site?

The Wagner campaign has done a good job of buying Google Ads well enough to get on may Republican blogs in the state.  I guess there’s a way for me to narrow down what services/candidates will run in the ads on J’s Notes, but I haven’t really checked into that, to be quite honest.  That said, if you see ads on here, click on them.  That not only gets me a few cents but makes the advertiser have to pay me a few cents.  So by clicking on Wagner’s ad you not only potentially find out more information about the would be LG but maybe she’ll explain how awesome of a job she’ll do in light of bailing on the state after it went into dire financial straights under her watch as Secretary of Finance.

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Kat asked a couple.  Starters:

What would be a good, possible major for a smart child who enjoys riding and swimming (but not competitively), music, anime, science, robotics, reading, and travel? IOW, do you know of any universities which offer a degree in Eclectic Studies?

The University of Life.  It’s a little cheaper and while there might be a BS it’s unfortunately not the kind that’ll impress many employers.  Still, that’s a lot of activities for a kid to be doing and that’s awesome.  Now to make it a career…

Seconds:

Oh. And: What *IS* the Ultimate Question and its answer?

If my mother taught me anything it’s that the Ultimate Answer is “because I said so”.  So I guess “why not?” is the Ultimate Question.

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Jericho asks:

why do i miss you so much?

*sob sob weep*

It’s kinda hard not to miss me, me being so awesome and all.  I’m also horrible about keeping in touch with pals, so it’s all on me and I apologize.  You’re also on the wrong side of the country, man.  Go east, young man!

Kids, stay tuned and keep your eyes open for Jericho Vilar‘s super secret awesome project that is due to be printed in the near future.

Yes, Jericho, it will happen.

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Olivia asks:

Why is the posting time incorrect on your site?

I’m a mover and a shaker, always on the go, always looking to the future and putting myself ahead of the curve, the next big thing, bleeding edge.  J’s Notes is also headquartered about three hundred miles off the east coast, putting it one time zone ahead of EST.  For tax purposes and all.

(Bad setting in WordPress, fixed, oops.)

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Scott asks:

MySpace or FaceBook?

Depends on what you’re looking for, I guess.  Facebook lends itself to more professional uses, has a cleaner design, and is a bit open on the social aspects of it (partially spurred by the cleaner design).  Myspace is busier, but strikes me as easier to use and connect to strangers, find new friends, stalk people, post half nekkid pictures of yourself, and maybe find some music while you’re at it.

So I’d say Facebook myself.

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Hirons asks:

Why is the sky blue?

The liberal educational agenda would tell you it’s because the atmosphere is primarily oxygen.  But really it’s pixelated that way by the computer that’s really running everything.  If you go high enough into the sky you hit the screen and break it.

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DJ McGuire points us to a New Republic article by Joshua Kurlantzick that says the economic downturn might spell the end of China’s Communist government:

For years, the Beijing regime has stayed in power using a basic bargain with its citizens: Tolerate our authoritarian rule and we’ll make you rich. And for years, this seemed to work, leading many China-watchers (myself included) to conclude that Beijing was rising into great-power status. But as the financial crisis shows, that bargain rests on weak foundations. And if Beijing breaks its end of the deal, its people, already holding rising numbers of protests, may well break theirs.

I have always felt that China was going to capitalize itself into Democracy and was one good recession or depression away from changing governments.  Kurlantzick is right in that China’s regime has been built on the promise of riches to the public.  But if the government can no longer guarantee those riches or proves to be an impediment on them, then those in financial power may seek new leadership.

The question is, will they just switch leadership or switch systems entirely?  And if they switch systems, is Democracy the system of choice or perhaps something less appealing to the masses?