Consider these examples of electoral maps from 1980,

1984,

1988,

and 1992.

But something curious happened in 1996, the colors representing America’s two major political parties changed. Republicans became red and Democrats blue.

Political parties have images to represent themselves, the donkey for the Democrats and the elephant for the Republicans. Colors too are associated with political parties. Red is the color of the political Left. For example, the Labour Party in Great Britain is represented by a red rose. The Right is captured by blue, as in the Christian Social Union in Germany or the Conservatives in Great Britain.

Why did the Democrats suddenly start identifying themselves as blue? Look at the electoral maps from 1996,

2000,

and 2004.

This seemed to have just happened. Do you remember any explanation provided? I don’t.

A similar change happened at about the same time to an important American icon. The Capitol Christmas Tree became suddenly about the same time the Capitol Holiday Tree until Speaker Hastert made the change back to the Capitol Christmas Tree in 2005.

Could it be the Democrats are sensitive to the color red, with its long association with socialism? Many Democrats in the Clinton White House were socialists. They were veterans of the 1960s where they would proudly associate with socialist red. But having come of age, they would be sensitive to any association with socialism.

So, once in power, the Clintons and their allies would decree: no red for Democrats.

They fear would be images of Bill Clinton, or Hillary, or Barack, or Howard Dean against a red background. An association with the color red might get people thinking and questioning the origins and direction of the Democrats’ policies.

Of course, not that the Democrats fundamental policies changed: the march to socialism would be gradual, not the direct assault on the state they envisioned in their youth in the 1960s and 1970s. Old socialist wine in new Democratic bottles.

A related question is easier to answer, why did media suddenly make the change? Most of the Old Media are in the Democrat’s pocket, and so if requested, they would make such a change, without fanfare or explanation.

The Democrats and their media allies made Republicans red. And, as is so often the case, the Republicans did not notice and went along with it.

It is time for Republicans to fight back. Let’s publicize these electoral maps. Let’s reclaim the blue. Let’s make Democrats red again.

A .pdf version is available here.