CHECK YOUR MAPS

SHOCKING is the only thing I can say ... I just found a YouTube video looking at the voting leanings of the states and there are quite a few surprises ... 

It turns out the Pacific & Atlantic coasts are not Democratic Powerhuses any longer ... not that they won't end up giving their electoral votes to President Biden, but they are starting to slip through his fingers.

Oregon, Colorado, Illinios, New York state, New Jersey have been strong Blue states for so long, like maybe the 1990s (?) that you didn't think they'd've been any other way ... but they are no longer there

And I think I can figure out why

Oregon & Colorado it is likely because of the Economy ... or jobs, when it comes down to it ... you didn't think I was going to say "common sense" did yu?
No - its the economy, stupid
While prices might be going down where the politicians "go" grocery shopping - can anyone really imagine Chuck Schumer pushing a grocery cart? - along the middle of the country and the west coast its horrid.

Not just the gas prices ... which are still way up around $6-8/gallon (that's $1.58-2.11/liter for those who think Canada is better - yup, they buy gas by the quart!) ... food is even worse.

There's a YouTuber called "Linda's Pantry" ... she moved up to OR or WA (pretty sure it was OR though) just before 2020 and she does grocery haul videos.
And the prices are pretty shocking.
Of course, I, like my father before me, have my mind stuck in the past when it comes to prices .... to me burger should still be $2.50/pound regular price for 90/10 - not the $4 they are asking for it now, when it goes on sale ... and that's at the warehouse club!

Anyways - I keep sliding off subject - these two states, although they will likely go Blue, they will only go by 5-11% of the vote ... if the vote were taken today, this means that next week it could be different but its the prices that are doing it for them.

New York, New Jersey, and Illinios have a whole different matter on their hands ... and the people are sick of it ... the problem? You know it ...
ILlegals
Remember, I had an uncle who immigrated from Mexico - he was my favorite by far - but he came legally and I think it's disingenuous to his memory for the government to now allow people to drain the systems set up to help those in need.

If these places did not have such a huge influx of ILlegals into their big cities - to the point in which they have to shut down schools to use them as shelters, or ask the "affluent" to take ILlegals into their homes (no mention at all for compensaion btw) without any sort of lease agreements, without any clarification of how long the people could stay, or if they would have any help clearing out people who might become squatters or a problem -- remember, no one has been properly screened.

While you could blame the Governors of the border states for shipping them in, you have to remember that the federal government started shipping first ... they simply changed where they were being shipped to.
The problem didn't get much attention until the border states started sending bus loads of "migrants" to cities such as New York, Boston, Chicago, DC ... actually people did really start to complain until Gov. Abbott sent a busload off to Martha's Vineyard (remind me to tell you about MV later) ... I think they only got like 2 busloads before the residents went "the border is a real problem".

Crime rates are also a really big issue in Chicago and New York as well ... and they've always been high crime cities, but over the last 3 years its gotten ridiculous -- mostly because the courts are doing "no bail" releases - not probation, this is for the hearing before the trial, where normally they pay either bail or bond - nowadays many criminals, repeat criminals mind you, have to even do that much.  
The cops arrest them, they go to court, they are back on the streets usually the next day going all through it again.

Remember the phrase "rap sheet as long as their arm" ... that's a dream these days.  Kids are starting young ... 6,7, 8 yrs old!  

Worse part is, those coming in (both from the south and the north) looking for a better life than what they had, are finding the exact same issues here too ... if not worse, because all those issues are coming down the funnel into the US.

So it makes sense that the places who are experiencing the worse problems are going to start slipping away - and fast.

The one that surprised me the most - and I have lived here all my life, so I know what I'm talking about - Minnesota ... it is falling to just this side of a Toss Up state, the polls show it going Blue but only between 1-5% of the vote.

Shocked the daylights out of me -- MN has not gone Red since Nixon's second term, so for 50 years ... 1972 was the last time MN went Red ... they breathe DFL in MN - if you are unaffiliated, like myself, you feel a great pressure to go Blue ... my mom was Republican, through and through, my dad was Conservative but I'm pretty sure he would vote Democrat sometimes, just didn't tell my mom.
And at the U of MN (used to say U of M, but it turns out there are a lot of states which refer to their state University as a "U of M") ... at the U of MN, the last thing you ever wanted to do was talk politics, even question things ... if you did, you would suddenly have a person getting in your face like a mad dog shouting at you, even if all you wanted was a simple conversation ... 
now it is even worse.  
There is no such thing as a Civil Debate amongst college students ... 

However, people in MN are tired of paying $15/lb for meat, and its not even very good meat ... we're tired of paying almost $3/gallon for gas when its mostly ethanol which is gummy up our vehicles ... we're tired of having to more, and then re-move, then re-move the homeless encampments ... why are there even homeless encampments in MN during the winter?? There are warmer climates, guys!
The people have been watching their bank accounts empty and seen moths fly out of their wallets long enough.

Yes, President Biden came to town to give $1Billion to fix a bridge that connects MN to WI (a twofer) such that each state will only have to supply $400 Million each -- DON'T TRUST IT, we've seen what happened to the LRT in Minneapolis, it has gone up over 200%, I expect this will do the same and both states will be left holding the bag.
Actually, I've been over this bridge in a modbile home (RV) and it isn't that bad -- people just need to slow down, pay attention, and STOP DRIVING LIKE IDIOTS!!!!
Its a lovely old bridge,it has a lovely blue patina to that is quite distinguish looking.

We used to have a beauty that hooked MN to WI on I-94 - it was gorgeous, it was a lovely bridge tthat went up and over the traffic very much like the Brooklyn bridge but wih a very uniguely Minnesotan feel to it - then they decided it needed to be replaced.
They did ... with a plain, non-descript bridge, boring as heck ... no fun for kids to go over at all.

Oops off on a tangent again .... back to the new bridge.

Well, appearantly Biden's election team must have seen the wavering polls and decided to throw some money at it ... because a Democrat has never seen a polling issue that public funds couldn't fix ... so we will have to see how the polls do next time.
(I just say, keep the LRT foremost in your mind)

Either way you look at it ... President Biden will have a hard row to hoe this time ... who are we kidding, his gardeners (i.e. election crew) will have a hard row to hoe.

The entire nation is slipping fast.

He better hope he at least does better than President Jimmy Carter did ... who, btw, could still run for a second term if he so chose to.