Dave Albo: Northern Virginia Democratic voters are on "food stamps"

By: Lowell
Published On: 6/29/2008 6:09:49 AM

This morning's Washington Post has this excellent analysis of demographic and other factors leading to increased Democratic success in well-educated, economically dynamic suburbs (like much of northern Virginia).

...in general, where economic dynamism is concentrated, Democrats are gaining. [Bill Bishop, author of "The Big Sort"] found that Gore and Kerry did much better in the 21 metro areas that produced the most new patents than in less tech-oriented cities. Virginia Tech demographer Robert E. Lang found that Kerry did better in the 20 metro areas most linked to the global economy -- based on business networks, shipping and airport activity -- than in metro areas as a whole.

Affluent suburbs that were once solidly Republican have edged toward a split or turned Democratic, threatening to put big states out of the GOP's reach for good: Bergen County, N.J., and New York's Long Island; the "collar" counties outside Chicago; Montgomery and Bucks counties outside Philadelphia.

Now, the trend is hitting in swing states and ones Republicans long counted as safe, in places such as southern New Hampshire, North Carolina's Research Triangle, suburban St. Louis County and even Colorado's Douglas County, a booming Denver suburb that is still Republican but seeing more Democrats moving in from Southern California.

Add northern Virginia to that list, of course.  As the article says, "In Northern Virginia, it is the Republicans looking for answers" as the region turns "blue."

...The region has boomed, adding 300,000 people in the first half of the decade. With Kerry having claimed Fairfax County in 2004, Obama will push outward, trying to duplicate the success of Democratic Sen. James Webb and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine in Loudoun and Prince William counties, where growth is tinged with anxiety over the housing crash and gas prices.

In short, northern Virginia voters care far more about the economy, health care, energy prices, the environment, and quality of life in general than they do about divisive social issues like abortion and "gay marriage."  Also, as Bill Bishop says, "Democratic areas are sopping up people with BA degrees; Republican areas are sopping up white people without degrees."  This is a trend we're seeing all over the country, including the fastest growing parts of Virginia.

But wait, Del. Dave Albo (R-Abuser Fees) has a different answer:

State Del. David B. Albo argues it is not the highly educated who have turned Fairfax blue. "My bet is that it's those who are on food stamps and government services who tend to be more Democratic," he said.

That's right Fairfax, Falls Church, Arlington, Alexandria, Prince William, Loudoun, etc. - you may not realize it, but you've been voting Democratic more and more not because you're well educated or because you think the Democrats have a far better shot at delivering the results you want from your government (or because the Republicans have lurched to the right).  No, no, no.  According to Dave Albo, it's because you're on food stamps and other government services. You're probably a communist too, at least in Dave Albo's mind.

Speaking of Dave Albo's mind, what IS this guy thinking?  I mean, it doesn't take a PhD in political science to know that insulting the voters of your district probably isn't the way to reelection.  But if that's Dave Albo's strategy for winning all the "food stamp" recipients in his district, more power to him.  So, where's the Greg Werkheiser victory party going to be in the 42nd district on November 2, 2009?


Comments



By the way... (Lowell - 6/29/2008 6:14:33 AM)
...according to this, about 10% of Americans receive food stamps.  In northern Virginia, that percentage almost certainly is far less; let's just say 5% for argument's sake.  And it's doubtful that percentage has increased in northern Virginia over the past decade as the area has turned Democratic "blue" (in fact, my guess is that it declined). Yet that's Dave Albo's explanation for why the region has gone strongly Democratic in recent years. Aside from being insulting, it's just plain ridiculous based on the numbers.


Lowell, great post (vatechhokies50 - 6/29/2008 10:22:03 AM)
I suppose you've seen Robert Lang's report (he's from Virginia Tech's Metropolitan Institute... I'm a Hokie Alumni) on the Four Virginia's and his analysis of Northern Virginia on the last governor's election (Kaine)... it is an interesting read:

http://www.mi.vt.edu/data/file...



Yes, I read that... (Lowell - 6/29/2008 10:53:19 AM)
...excellent analysis, as you say.


Time Warp.... (Albo Must Go - 6/29/2008 9:10:48 AM)
We at AMG like to think that Dave Albo's political thinking never quite evolved after high school when Ronald Reagan was president.....


Beer kills brain cells... (Doug in Mount Vernon - 6/30/2008 4:31:22 PM)
Remember those 'Just Say No' commercials, or the fried egg 'brain on drugs' commercials?

I don't know whether Dave Albo drank beer or for heaven's sake did drugs, but he sure as heck has the 'frat boy' persona!



Wow ... (A Siegel - 6/29/2008 9:28:02 AM)
Is there an easy path to figure how how many adults are on food stamps in Fairfax County? In McLean, for example?

I would expect  that Kaine and Webb received more votes in Fairfax than there are food stamp recipients. Want to talk about a great basis for a LTE to the Post excoriating Albo for yet another example of truthiness based in fantasy rather than reality.



According to (Lowell - 6/29/2008 9:38:24 AM)
the USDA, it appears that in 2005, there were 473,880 food stamp recipients in Virginia.  That would represent about 6% of Virginia's population (7.6 million in 2005).  Now, we'd have to presume that the rate is lower in relatively prosperous northern Virginia, so maybe 3% or 4% in a county like Fairfax?


Good Post article (A Siegel - 6/29/2008 9:51:08 AM)
re impacts of rising prices on a Fairfax resident on food stamps ...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/...

Found while looking for data specific to Fairfax.



Jeez... (Sean Holihan - 6/29/2008 9:51:58 AM)
As soon as I read that quote, I jumped to the blogs to see if anyone had posted on this.  

Glad to you guys are quicker than I am!



How does this guy stay in office? (Barbara - 6/29/2008 4:20:24 PM)
I couldn't believe it when I read this this morning.  Is he nuts, or what?  I hope everyone in his district read the article.


Yes, he is crazy (vatechhokies50 - 6/29/2008 10:51:24 PM)
Albo must go :-)


Same Article (legacyofmarshall - 6/29/2008 11:26:58 PM)
Had Vince Callahan basically saying "Albo and Cuccinelli have no idea what they're talking about, Democrats are just better these days."  Sortof a Senator Boren, "what-are-my-friends-smoking" sort of moment.


Glad The Post Published My Letter (Barbara - 7/6/2008 9:54:55 PM)
And on the 4th of July.  Washington Post, July 4, 2008

His comments are just too offensive.  I couldn't let it go.  And I don't even live in Fairfax County.