There isn't much going on in the political world at this point unless you consider finding a few classified documents in Mike Pence's home big news. So, it's time to talk about the rural-urban divide in America.
I have a little personal experience in this debate, having lived in what is loosely defined as rural America for most of my life. From birth through 2001 I lived on Long Island for the most part. For the majority of that time the area i lived in was sparsely populated and mostly Republican. Growing up in Suffolk county, it was understood you needed to register in the GOP if you wanted a county job. In the 70's and 80's, white flight from NYC swelled the population, but most of these new suburbanites were also Republicans, so the balance didn't change.
Moving to Clinton County in northern NY in 2001, I was struck by its physical and political resemblance to the Long Island of my youth. Outside of the towns of Plattsburgh, Potsdam and Canton with their hospitals and colleges, the area has voted Republican since the era of the Civil War.
The big difference between upstate NY and Long Island is the aging of the population in upstate NY and the brain drain as most of the young people continue to move out of the area, leaving behind an older and sicker population which tends to be more conservative.
Upstate will continue to lose population and representation and LI will gain both in years to come, but at least in this case it won't change the balance of power between Democrats and Republicans. I wonder if similar scenarios are being played out across the country or if my experience is singular.
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