Lind on American Nations, the presidential race, and the media

Michael Lind's piece at Salon this morning -- "Behind the red state-blue state divide" -- argues that American regional political geography is central to understanding electoral politics, but is inadequately reflected in the media, which instead overemphasizes other factors.

Needless to say, I agree, and was pleased to find American Nations cited as one of the valuable works on the topic. But I even more heartily endorse the following argument further down in the piece:

"Why not invite scholars like [Woodard] who actually understand America’s regional cultures onto TV news studio sets? As part of election night coverage, wouldn’t it be useful for journalists to interview political historians and political scientists to put election returns into their historical regional contest?"

Let me humbly add that television producers might also contact Mr. Lind, one of the few public intellectuals who has consistently emphasized the importance of regional cultures in understanding current political issues.

For those who remain unconvinced, have a look at this map of the GOP presidential results by county thus far at the Washington Post, and delve into my recent analysis of the race over at Washington Monthly.