Poorest cities all have Democratic mayors

[snopes]

What do the top ten cities with the highest poverty rate all have in common?

DEMOCRAT LEADERSHIP!

Detroit, MI (1st on the poverty rate list) hasn’t elected
a Republican mayor since 1961;

Buffalo, NY (2nd) hasn’t elected one since 1954;

Cincinnati, OH (3rd)… since 1984;

Cleveland, OH (4th)… since 1989;

Miami, FL (5th) has never had a Republican Mayor;

St. Louis, MO (6th)…. since 1949;

El Paso, TX (7th) has never had a Republican Mayor;

Milwaukee, WI (8th)… since 1908;

Philadelphia, PA (9th)… since 1952;

Newark, NJ (10th)… since 1907.

Einstein once said, “The definition of insanity is doing
the same thing over and over again and always
expecting different results.”

It is the disadvantaged who habitually elect Democrats -
And they are still disadvantaged…
Hmmm…

[Jahungo]

One of the most extreme examples of correlation != causation that I have ever seen. Causation is pretty clearly the other way around, if relavent at all.

Also, how many major cities have Republican mayors in the first place? It seems like even regardless of other demographics to a certain extent, major cities are Democratic hotbeds.

[AnglRdr]

There are few cities that have mayors with real power, anyway. The power generally resides with the city council/whatever legislative body applicable to local jurisdiction. And, generally, municipal elections tend to be non-partisan.

But, yeah, correlation != causation, at any rate.

[lord_feldon]

It is the disadvantaged who habitually elect Democrats -
And they are still disadvantaged…
Hmmm…

How is the mayor supposed to change that? If they had elected Republican mayors, they'd probably still be just as disadvantaged (if not more).

Originally Posted by Jahungo

Also, how many major cities have Republican mayors in the first place?

Of the top twenty, five have Republican mayors. New York had one until recently, but he left the party.

[Esprise Me]

Originally Posted by lord_feldon

Of the top twenty, five have Republican mayors. New York had one until recently, but he left the party.

That's been my impression; in general, high-density urban areas tend to vote Democratic, while rural places tend to vote Republican. I'm sure one could just as easily turn this around by listing the number of dying small towns with Republican leadership. Political orientation seems to me to have less to do with wealth and more to do with one's perception of one's independence or interdependence.

[Ramblin' Dave]

Cincinnati, while it may well have had a Deomcratic mayor since 1984, is by far the most Republican-leaning city of its size in the country. Not that there's anything to add or detract from that ridiculous list, but it's worth noting all the same.

[Simply Madeline]

Originally Posted by Esprise Me

That's been my impression; in general, high-density urban areas tend to vote Democratic, while rural places tend to vote Republican. I'm sure one could just as easily turn this around by listing the number of dying small towns with Republican leadership. Political orientation seems to me to have less to do with wealth and more to do with one's perception of one's independence or interdependence.

Indeed, if you look at poverty by county, the poorest tend to be in southern states, which lean Republican.

Originally Posted by AnglRdr

There are few cities that have mayors with real power, anyway. The power generally resides with the city council/whatever legislative body applicable to local jurisdiction. And, generally, municipal elections tend to be non-partisan.

Intellectually, I know this is true; however, it seems absolutely foreign to me!

[Natalie]

My anecdotal evidence: Both Minneapolis and St. Paul have Democratic mayors and all or nearly all Democratic city councils (where the real power is) and are both doing quite well considering the economy.

As far as the urban/rural divide, I've found that cities are generally Democrats, suburbs pretty solidly Republican, and rural areas are a toss-up depending on a lot of factors.

[Amigone201]

The economic strength of a city can't simply be separated from that of its surrounding metro area just because you find it inconvenient. The one metro on this list I've lived in is Buffalo, and it certainly belongs there. But it's not just Buffalo that's poor; it's nearly every municipality in Erie and Niagara Counties. And since 1962, all but one of the six Erie County executives have been a Republican.

Originally Posted by snopes

Einstein once said, “The definition of insanity is doing
the same thing over and over again and always
expecting different results.”

As much respect as I have for Einstein, he was not a psychologist, and that's not the definition of insanity. This is.

[Simply Madeline]

Originally Posted by Amigone201

As much respect as I have for Einstein, he was not a psychologist, and that's not the definition of insanity.

I don't think Einstein ever said that, anyway; although it's frequently attributed to him.

[lord_feldon]

Originally Posted by snopes

Miami, FL (5th) has never had a Republican Mayor;

Xavier Suarez, mayor of Miami from 1985 to 1993 and for a short time in 1998, was a Republican. (Cite)

ETA: And the terminology used seems to be pretty sloppy. In most of the cities listed, the year is the year that the last non-Democratic mayor left office, not the year the last non-Democratic mayor was elected.

ETA2:

Originally Posted by snopes

Cincinnati, OH (3rd)… since 1984;

The last Republican mayor of Cincinnati (Ken Blackwell *spits*) left office in 1980. The remaining non-Democratic mayors were members of the Charter Party. (Blackwell was a member of both the Republican Party and the Charter Party). The remaining non-Democratic mayors were all members of the Charter Party, which formed a coalition with the Democrats during those years. Although the mayor of Cincinnati was a ceremonial position at the time and was not directly elected.

Originally Posted by snopes

Milwaukee, WI (8th)… since 1908;

Though there haven't been Republican mayors since then, the mayors have not all been Democrats, so that doesn't fit with the final statement about "habitually elect[ing] Democrats."

[MapleLeaf]

Fun game, if you have the time (and about equally as relevant):

What are the 5 wealthiest states? What is the political allegiance of the governor?

[lord_feldon]

Originally Posted by MapleLeaf

What are the 5 wealthiest states? What is the political allegiance of the governor?

Maryland (Democratic)
New Jersey (Democratic)
Connecticut (Republican)
Hawaii (Republican)
Massachusetts (Democratic)

[Recklessmess]

Originally Posted by lord_feldon

Maryland (Democratic)
New Jersey (Democratic)
Connecticut (Republican)
Hawaii (Republican)
Massachusetts (Democratic)

All solidly blue states, as well. Local politics often determine who is favored in the local elections (duh). I don't consider the republicans in NJ to be on par with the national republican party. Here, most republicans are fiscally conservative but still pretty socially liberal. My parents, who live in FL now, were stung by the high property taxes, but they don't seem to care one way or another about religion, gay marriage, or abortion, and they are pretty anti-gun and pro-environment. I've a feeling that four of the five states in this list are similar.

[snopes]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/...ies/index.html