(10-24-2017 03:29 PM)tanqtonic Wrote:  

(10-23-2017 04:27 PM)ausowl Wrote:  

(10-23-2017 01:24 PM)georgewebb Wrote:  

(10-23-2017 01:03 PM)JustAnotherAustinOwl Wrote:  I wouldn't argue with George's point about Austin being conformist, as are many cities with a dominant culture. I found Houston that way when I first moved back there after Austin. But maybe I just fit better in Austin than Houston so I was "pre-conforming" more to the former.

The level of conformism in the two cities is not even close to comparable. Austin is one of the most conformist places in the country. It obviously has many positive qualities, but that is not one of them.

(10-23-2017 01:03 PM)JustAnotherAustinOwl Wrote:  (Also, I was referring to people I know pretty well and with whom I have had quad like discussions - it's not conformism, they simply have a different outlook on these issues.)

I understand that. But I suspect that one reason your sample turned up nothing but declared Democrats is, in addition to the natural tendency of people to select friends who are similar to themselves, the extreme social pressure in Austin to publicly identify as a Democrat.

Fan of Austin, but miss the melting pot of Houston.

In my experience, Austin conformity tends to follow the city's economically segregated housing patterns. Once you get into west or northwest Austin, you have more diversity of political opinion.

If you visit Northwest Little League on any given spring night (between 2222 and Anderson Lane, just east of MoPac, so central Austin these days) you'll even find a few Abbott bumper stickers for all the world to see.

If by *more* diversity you go from 98 per cent blue to 60 per cent blue you would be correct.

The only places that vote red in Austin are the far western edges of SW Parkway towards Dripping Springs (consistently) and portions of Westlake (inconsistently) (Westlake isnt part of Austin, mind you.)

One ares that flips from time time is portions of Tarrytown around Camp Mabry.

Here is a great map of the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Presidential elections by precinct (highly granular, far more than congressional districts). I can find nothing but solid "big win" blue precincts in almost every area of the city. Even the ones that go blue by no more than a percentage point is hard to find.

https://decisiondeskhq.com/data-dives/cr...cinct-map/

Sorry, Austin is a monolith of blue in every way, shape, and form overall. In terms of voting, Austin is as lockstep as Berkeley.

Hey, I have a Republican city council member. I think she won by less than fifty votes.