Alabama vote shows some Old South sympathies

Last week, voters in Alabama were given the chance to strike segregationist language from the state Constitution via the "Amendment Two" ballot initiative. Barring the results of a recount, it looks like the amendment will fail.

If you're an optimist, you could say that at least half the voters in Alabama are living in the 21st century, and not the 19th. The purple map, developed by folks at Princeton using 2004 election results, provides a better perspective than the standard red vs. blue map the media love to use.

However, the election results have raised the tension between the states to some degree. Some, like this guy, are fed up with the failure of red states to join the modern age.

Others, like conservative columnist Mike Thompson, are openly calling for the expulsion of blue states from the union. I suspect his vision doesn't differ that much from this map which has been making the rounds via email.