Welcome

Welcome to the Blue Missouri blog!

This blog will represent my Missouri-bred take on national politics, which may or may not differ from what you read from East Coast-based commentators.

The title is perhaps wishful thinking. Missouri is far from a "blue" state; in fact, it seems to be getting redder every day. But the state seems to be somewhat politically fickle, and, over time, it seems to teeter back and forth. Maybe it's not quite as regular as a metronome, but it has definitely been a "swing state" in presidential elections. It lost its "bellweather" status in 2008, but only barely; although Obama won nationally, McCain squeaked out a tiny victory in Missouri, by just a few thousand votes. Before 2008, however, Missouri had correctly picked the winner of the previous 13 elections, and all but one of the previous 25.

I'll be watching with great interest over the coming months and years to see how this plays out. If I had to guess today, on Independence Day 2011, I would say that Missouri will go red in 2012. I hope not, but that's the way it looks from here.

The purpose of this blog, though, is not to cheer-lead for the Democrats;. I plan to call 'em as I see 'em. Without a doubt, I will have some bias; I have never voted for a Republican for president--unless you count John Anderson--and I don't expect I will next year, either. But that doesn't mean I'll turn a blind eye to the faults of the Democrats. Blue Missouri isn't here to push an agenda; its purpose is to provide a new set of eyes for issues that all too often are only viewed from a coastal perspective.

And even though "Missouri" is in the title, I don't expect to be writing much about Missouri state politics. Even though I've lived in this state for basically all my life, I've never paid a whole lot of attention to what goes on in Jefferson City. The states are the minor leagues of politics, and although I'm a fan, I'm not THAT big of a fan.

I do have a day job (unrelated to politics), so this won't be a source for breaking news. I'll write here when I can, however, and I hope you'll check in regularly as well. Thanks for reading.