In U.S. politics, there is no Midwest

Tonight at Washington Monthly, I responded to an intriguing argument put forth yesterday by NYTimes.com's Nate Silver that Mitt Romney's Achilles heel (if he has one) is his potential weakness in "the Midwest." Only this, Silver argues, could derail Mr. Romney's ride to the Republican presidential nomination this year.

I think Silver is correct that Romney has a regional weakness, but as readers of American Nations know, I don't think there's really a regional culture called the Midwest. Instead, the middle third or so of the country is split between three regional cultures, and that has important implications for Mr. Romney and his Republican rivals.

But I've said too much already. If you're interested, check out my piece.