Wanna Live Longer? Vote Democrat!

Filed in National by on December 5, 2008

Randy Nelson at DTR has posted a study that shows that people that live in Democratic states (as determined by the party of the Governor) are healthier.  8 or the 10 healthiest states are Dem, while 8 of 10 least healthy are Republican.  How’s that trickle down helping your health?

About the Author ()

Comments (25)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. Unstable Isotope says:

    The most Republican states tend to be the poorer states. I’m not sure why this is true, but it tends to be.

  2. jason330 says:

    Vote Democratic (?)

  3. and I want to live longer in this country b/c…..

  4. liberalgeek says:

    hmmmm. I wondered about “Vote Democrat” or “Vote Democratic” It seemed to me that voting Democrat was more standard and not at all like “the Democrat Party”

  5. Tom S. says:

    Counter point – wealthier people liver longer. States controlled by democrats have higher tax rates and fewer jobs for the poor. Poor folks are forced out of democratic states and as such, their over all health rates rise. For evidence, look across the Delaware river.

  6. Truth Teller says:

    People live longer in states that hasn’t had DuPont plants spewing out goo for the past umpteen years

  7. Unstable Isotope says:

    LG,

    How about “Vote for Democrats?”

  8. FSP says:

    Actually, six of the ten healthiest have Republican governors.

  9. Counter point – wealthier people liver longer. States controlled by democrats have higher tax rates and fewer jobs for the poor. Poor folks are forced out of democratic states and as such, their over all health rates rise. For evidence, look across the Delaware river.

    ohhh, so all those poor people MOVED to Mississippi…

  10. cassandra_m says:

    Wealthier people live longer because they can afford the health care. Duh! Plenty of poor people live in Blue states — the higher taxation of those states goes to safety nets for those of them who need it. Or, in other words, blue states are places where the long-term health of its citizens is a Family Value.

  11. Randy Nelson says:

    the Northeast has consistently voted for democrats on the federal and state level for the past 30 years. Conversely, the Southeast has consistently voted for republicans on the federal and state level and, as most of us know, has been the centerpiece of the republican party for the past 4 decades. Eight of the 10 unhealthiest states have voted for the republican party in Presidential election over the past 30 years. Two of those states in the unhealthy category, Florida and Nevada, just voted democratic in this last election, but have traditionally voted republican in past Presidential election. Eight of the unhealthiest states have republican governors and strong republican state wide ties. The study looked at lots of issues, health care access, access to health services for the poor and low income (more available in the states that regularly vote democratic), environmental protections (worth noting that the environmental records of the 10 unhealthiest states offer significantly less environmental protections than the rest of the U.S….a very pro business, anti-regulatory agenda…), exercise, and education levels. Diet, btw, was not one of them.

  12. Randy Nelson says:

    Plenty of poor people live in Blue states — the higher taxation of those states goes to safety nets for those of them who need it. Or, in other words, blue states are places where the long-term health of its citizens is a Family Value.

    Exactly. Republicans spend our money on bailing out their rich friends to the tune of $7.8 trillion.

  13. FSP says:

    “the Southeast has consistently voted for republicans on the federal and state level”

    This is not entirely true.

    “Eight of the unhealthiest states have republican governors and strong republican state wide ties.”

    This is also not entirely true.

    But, other than, you know, the facts, you might be on to something.

  14. FSP says:

    “Republicans spend our money on bailing out their rich friends to the tune of $7.8 trillion.”

    40 Democratic Senators voted for the bailout, including Obama and Biden. 15 of the 25 nays were Republicans.

    172 of the 263 yea votes in the House on the Bailout were Democrats. More Republicans voted no than voted yes.

    And by “their rich friends,” do you mean Bob Rubin?

  15. Randy Nelson says:

    Ahhh…Dave, you really should come on the show more often…..Congress voted for $850 billion of the bailout with a gun to their head. The Bush Adminstration and the federal Reserve have spent another $6.8 TRILLION on top of that $850 billion bypassing Congress and the public and passing the money to Wall Street knowing full well the American public and Congress would never stand for this kind of republican socialism that benefits the wealthy under the guise of free enterprise and free markets. The fact is, this is one of the greatest scams in U.S. history and it being perpetrated by a Republican Adminstration that have conveniently thrown out their “principle.”

    Eight of the unhealthiest states have republican governors and strong republican state wide ties.”

    Actually it’s 100 percent true.

  16. John says:

    IF IT HAD BEEN A DEMOCRATIC ADMINSTRATION PULLING THIS BAILOUT BURRIS AND THE REST OF THE RIGHT WING WOULD BE HAVING A FIELD DAY RANTING ABOUT SOCIALISM AND FISCAZL RESPONSIBILITY. INSTEAD, HE PICKS AND CHOOSES A FEW DEFENSIVE ARGUMENTS TRYING TO ABSOLVE THE GOP AND TRY AND PLACE IT ON THE DEMS. QUITE FUNNY. ME THINKS THE VOTERS HAVE ALREADY SPOKEN. THE REPUBLICAN BRAND IS TOAST.

  17. FSP says:

    “Congress voted for $850 billion of the bailout with a gun to their head.”

    Ahh. Nice to know they had no say in the matter. Where was Obama’s Treasury Secretary during all of this? Oh, right in the middle of it all, you say? He designed the AIG bailout and the Citibank handout? Oh.

    “Actually it’s 100 percent true.”

    Only in your world, bro.

    Of your bottom 10 states, five have total Democratic control of both houses of the legislature, and three (OK, TN, AR), not two as you claim, have Democratic Governors.

    Additionally, Louisiana (04-08), Georgia (00-03), Mississippi (00-04) and South Carolina(00-03) had Democratic governors in the 2000s. Of the final three, Nevada and Florida had Democratic governors for the entire 1990’s and Texas from 90-95.

    So, again, your claims of “strong republican statewide ties” are without merit.

  18. FSP says:

    “IF IT HAD BEEN A DEMOCRATIC ADMINSTRATION PULLING THIS BAILOUT BURRIS AND THE REST OF THE RIGHT WING WOULD BE HAVING A FIELD DAY RANTING ABOUT SOCIALISM AND FISCAZL RESPONSIBILITY.”

    I’ve done nothing but rant about it.

  19. Randy Nelson says:

    Dave, Paulson and Bush pushed the bailout. Paulson and Bush passed out the dough to the tune of 6.8 trillion. It falls on them. When you start addressing your party’s ills and socialistic tendencies, you might have a shot at regaining power.

    As for the healthy unhealthy debate….again, the healthiest states vote dem, the unhealthiest vote republcian. That’s just a fact.

    See you Monday!

  20. anon says:

    I used to listen to Randy on wgmd every afternoon because he was fair and I couldn’t tell what party he was affiliated with because it was a news show and not the same old partisan whining like every other talk show.

    I listen to WSDL now.

    In 1992 and 1996 Clinton took half of the unhealthiest states. In 1984 Reagan took 9 out of 10 of the healtiest and 10 out of 10 of the unhealtiest. It’s a ridiculous, stretched point.

    I can say that because I live in Delaware, #35, and I don’t give a fuck what color it is, I’d just like it to be a healthier state to live in.

  21. FSP says:

    “Paulson and Bush passed out the dough to the tune of 6.8 trillion.”

    Actually, the Federal Reserve passed out a lot more than Paulson and Bush.

    “As for the healthy unhealthy debate….again, the healthiest states vote dem, the unhealthiest vote republcian. That’s just a fact.”

    Again, only in your world, bro. Six of the 8 healthiest states have Republican governors right now, including #1, #2, #4 and #5. Facts are stubborn things.

  22. FSP says:

    “It’s a ridiculous, stretched point. ”

    Amen. Not only that, it’s not a point at all.

  23. anon says:

    Poor Dave. Has to be tough trying to defend being a republican and the bailout. The reserve is the bailout and that’s part of the Adminstration.

  24. FSP says:

    I have no intention of defending the bipartisan bailout. It’s bad policy and I opposed it from the start.

    “The reserve is the bailout”

    The Federal Reserve is not “the bailout.” Go enlighten yourself as to what Obama’s Treasury Secretary and his friends at the Federal Reserve do.

  25. Joanne Christian says:

    This is an incredible assinine correlation. Those “healthier” states have demonstrated lifestyle, and dietary choices, resulting in increased health benefit. To suggest anything else is a real reach. Off the top of my head 3 of those states..Hawaii, Minnesota, and Utah have been studied separately for their longevity incidence–and none of this involved political party or legislation. What a whacked integer to infuse–since party generally remains constant for no more than 2 years. These studies are a bit more longitudinal, and extensive than what you would infer in this post. C’mon, you Dems don’t need to claim success for everything. You have enough going for you. Don’t cheapen your position.