Exurbs I

Republican arch-villain Karl Rove was on TV last night, and he named Warren County, in Ohio, as the key bellwether political district in the country. It's just up the road from Cincinnati, and it's the place to which you relocate when you are tired of the city, and you want to live in a safe, spacious locale with new construction. Demographic gurus call these the "ex-urbs". Warren County is not my cup of tea, being a city mouse, but it's a fine place to live.

Perhaps teams of scientists can be assembled from east-coast universities, the DNC, the New York Times, and broadcast news outlets. They could live amongst these people and learn their customs, language, and lore. I have a mental picture of Paul Krugman eating a Blizzard at the Dairy Queen off Rt. 48, while a pudgy kid in a soccer uniform stares at him for a few minutes before telling him he's got toppings in his beard.