Why Are Republican States Color-Coded Red?

John McCain and Sarah Palin continually accuse Barack Obama of being a "socialist." Is this the classic magician´s trick of misdirection? Red is the international color of Communism. Recall that both the Soviet flag and the current Chinese flag are predominantly red. And, of course, the world´s most famous book about the Chinese Communist Revolution is entitled, Red Flag Over China.

The news media, which is intimately familiar with the political platforms of both parties, has in recent decades used the color red to denote the Republican Party. So, for example, Mississippi is a solidly Republican state, and on the maps showing the likely presidential outcome, Mississippi is commonly colored red and called, "a red state." Other states that fall into this category include Utah, Alabama, and Texas among others.

In light of President George Bush´s and Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson´s nationalization of our country´s largest insurance company, AIG, and many of its largest banks, and their support of the use of torture, it is easy to see why someone might equate current Republican policies with Communism and, hence, the color red.