Red State -- Blue State

If you ask me, there has been something of a conspiracy involved here: up until 1996, it was pretty much the international norm -- left leaning was "red" and right leaning was "blue." So what happened? Almost all US news outlets prior to 1996 used Democrat red and Republican blue as the color associations. This was and is the international "norm." The clear association of "red" was with socialism and its attendant philosophy, which is consistent with the Democrats.

In 1996, however, CBS (bastion of conservative thought ... choke ...) started flipping this around. Red was to be Republican. Consider ... almost universal usage with correct political association and CBS decides, "no, we want to move the Democratic party away from that taint ... that socialist smell." Then, by almost universal accord, all the news media switch to the new paradigm in 2000. And Boosh (eternal moron) uses a red background to his signage around the country, while Algore goes blue. In Algore's case, he is trying to deflect the socialist case and sign on to blue -- which psychologists will tell you has a more positive association in the minds of the average American. But Boosh, ill-informed moron that he is falls into the trap. Nobody told them that they had to use red, but they probably thought that it was more "catchy" to the eye. Idiots. Blue has statesman-like connotations, dignity, calm, etc. Red says "look at me!"

But since the print media and television are mostly (there is Fox) Democrat leaning and reflexively liberal, it sticks. And it stinks.