|
''Red states'' and ''blue states'' refer to those states of the United States whose residents predominantly vote for the Republican Party (red) or Democratic Party (blue) presidential candidates. This terminology came into use in the United States presidential election of 2000 on an episode of the ''Today'' show on October 30, 2000. According to ''AlterNet'' and ''The Washington Post'', the terms were coined by journalist Tim Russert, during his televised coverage of the 2000 presidential election.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=MSNBC.com About Meet the Press )〕 That was not the first election during which the news media used colored maps to depict voter preferences in the various states, but it was the first time a standard color scheme took hold; the colors were often reversed or different colors used before the 2000 election. Since 2000, use of the term has been expanded to differentiate between states being perceived as liberal and those perceived as conservative. This reverses a long-standing convention of political colors where red symbols (such as the Red Flag or Red Star) are associated with revolutionary movements, and conservative movements often choose blue as a contrasting color.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections – FAQ )〕 == Origins of the color scheme == Before the 2000 presidential election, the traditional color-coding scheme was "Blue for Republican, Red for Democrat,"〔(Polidata ) (accessed 2008-11-25).〕 in line with European associations (red is used for left-leaning parties). The colors red and blue also are part of the colors of the U.S. flag. Traditional political mapmakers, at least throughout the 20th century, have used blue to represent the modern-day Republicans, and the Federalists who preceded them. Perhaps this was a holdover from the days of the Civil War when the predominantly Republican North was "Blue".〔 However, at that time a maker of widely sold maps accompanied them with blue pencils to mark Confederate force movements and red pencils to mark Union force movements.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/13/?_r=0/ )〕 Even earlier, in the 1888 presidential election, Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison used maps that coded blue for the Republicans, the color Cleveland perceived to represent the Union and "Lincoln's Party", and red for the Democrats.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Political Game: The Red and Blue State Phenomenon )〕 The parties themselves had no official colors, with candidates variously using either or both of the national color palette of red and blue (white being unsuitable for printed materials). There was one historical use, associated with boss rule, of blue for Democrats and red for Republicans: in the late 19th century and early 20th century, Texas county election boards used color-coding to help Spanish speakers and illiterates identify the parties;〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Handbook of Texas Online – REDS AND BLUES )〕 however, this system was not applied consistently in Texas and was not replicated in any other state. In 1908, ''The New York Times'' printed a special color map, using blue for Democrats and yellow for Republicans, to detail Theodore Roosevelt's 1904 electoral victory.〔(July 26, 1908, 100 Years Ago Today by Frank Herron )〕 That same year, a color supplement included with a July issue of the ''Washington Post'' used red for Republican-leaning states, blue for Democratic-leaning states, yellow for "doubtful" states, and green for territories, which had no presidential vote. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Red states and blue states」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|