I was trying to get a perspective for how liberal Cleveland?

I would say that Cleveland and the inner ring suburbs surrounding it are liberal in the substantial majority.  as you begin to go further and further out it becomes more and more and more conservative (by in large).  Hence, the majority of Cuyahoga County would probably be considered liberal.

Eh, I'd say Cleveland has a lot of democrats, but doesn't really seem that liberal.

outsiders perspective here.  Cleveland has always seemed more blue dog democrat type and less progressive liberal type. 

Eh, I'd say Cleveland has a lot of democrats, but doesn't really seem that liberal.

 

Thanks, that's a great way to put it.

Outside perspective again, I'd say that pockets of the city are liberal/left-leaning and some pockets of the suburbs (Lakewood, Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights) but the majority of Cleveland Metro seems quite moderate.  Do I find it as some "liberal island within a red sea?" Hardly.  But I find that the unionized workers alliance with the Democratic Party has shaped the area to be more understanding towards "of the day" groups.

^Well, I would say more liberal then other cities in the state. For example, Cleveland and Cleveland Heights both have domestic partner registries (and I believe Toledo does as well) and I don't think Columbus or Cincinnati have them. So, in certain aspects, Cleveland is more liberal.

I wouldn't put too much faith in domestic partnerships as a sign of "more liberalism."  One could cite Cincinnati racial integration as more "liberal" than a more segregated city such as Cleveland as well.  This whole notion of liberalism is entirely subjective to whatever viewpoint you wish.

^Well, I would say more liberal then other cities in the state. For example, Cleveland and Cleveland Heights both have domestic partner registries (and I believe Toledo does as well) and I don't think Columbus or Cincinnati have them. So, in certain aspects, Cleveland is more liberal.

Which is bitterly ironic since Cincinnati's mayor and vice-mayor are gay and lesbian/bi.

CDM, I see your point and I agree with you, liberalism is subjective in most cases. Also Nat, I didn't know that Cincinnati's mayor and vice-mayor were gay and lesbian/bi.

Liberal is pretty broad, but it is predominantly Democrat.  Cleveland hasn't had a Republican mayor is what?  30 years?  Most all elected officials in Cuyahoga County are Democrats, the political machine that was Russo/DiMora was allowed to run un-checked for decades - despite heavy signs of corruption - because there is such stauch Democratic support in the county that unless you were backed by that political group you weren't getting elected.  Dennis Kucinich wins in a landslide every time despite a checkered political history...Democrats run this town...liberal is how you define it...

It's definitely an unanswerable question without agreeing on the meaning of "liberal" and what you're comparing the place too.  Also, cities aren't conservative or liberal, their citizens are.  So you're always going to be describing a predominant political culture more than some universally defining characteristic of a place's people.

 

All that said, NEO's congressional delegation is pretty "liberal" in the national political sense as are/have been two of its last three senators.  And NOT in a blue dog way.  "Blue dog" may describe some of the voters, but not many of the people they've been electing.

 

For what its worth, much of the area's progressive politics are not simply an expression of labor/union democrats.  It has a comparably large and "liberal" (in national political sense) Jewish population and markedly progressive protestant core, including the HQ of one of the most progressive main line Protestant denominations in the country (United Church of Christ).  Its Episcopal diocese is loyal to the mother Church (in contrast to Pittsburgh's) and its head is a gay woman.  The city is also home to one of the most vocal, visible and progressive Catholic reform groups (Future Church).  The area's by no meas a progressive or tolerant paradise, and I'm sure its liberalism is just as riddled with hypocrisy as any other place, but its institutional and electoral expressions are by and large left of center in most observed categories.  These same strands exist in every major city, but there does not seem to be an organized counter voice in the Cleveland area, in contrast to many other places.

^^^^^^^^

 

I'm going to have to agree with StrapHanger's assessment of Cleveland's "liberalism" and NEO in general.  I certainly get the sense that the area (personally, I'm more familiar with Youngstown than Cleveland) is fairly blue dog with relatively liberal representation.  And there are definitely healthy pockets of progressive viewpoints and ideas (as there are endlessly healthy pockets of conservatism).

 

Also, just to clarify, though the Episcopal Church has two openly gay bishops (in the dioceses of New Hampshire and Los Angeles), Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori's husband may disagree with her classification as a lesbian.

To futher clarify, the dean of Trinity Cathedral, The Very Rev. Tracey Lind, is a gay woman.  The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth is the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio (which is headquartered at Trinity Commons in Cleveland), and he is married with four children according to the website www.dohio.org

Who's more liberal than Kucinich? Wasn't he abducted by aliens at one time?

^Again, it depends on your definition of liberal.  Up until his presidential races, Kucinich was pro-life.

 

I think Cleveland Hts has been traditionally a liberal city, but I think that has eroded a bit with sprawl.

 

In NEO in general, I would guess the largest group of voters are people you could classify has Regan Democrats.  Probably why the state goes through its red, purple, blue swings.

Yikes, sorry, guys about mixing up my local Episcopal hierarchy- yes, I indeed meant Tracey Lind, the Very Rev. of Trinity.

Three reasons I associate Cleveland with liberalism: Kucinich, Voinovich, Sherrod Brown

 

Let's get some data in this thread. Anyone know where some voting data is? It'd be interesting to compare and contrast city/county and CLE vs COL and CIN.

strongly democrat, mildly to moderately liberal.

I got a socially liberal vibe from the healthy and up-and-coming urban neighborhoods there, but like any other city once you go to the rough parts of town there's a huge uptick in miserable, hateful people: these are not live and let live types. They likely vote Democrat, though, if they do at all.

Cleveland is not conservative.  I think that is the better way to put it.  It is heavily democratic for many reasons, liberal leaning residents being a major (but hardly the only) player.  The eastern suburbs of Cuyahoga County are more liberal than the western suburbs, especially when the more affluent neighborhoods are compared.  But something happens out east when you cross the Chagrin River and it becomes staunchly conservative.  There are also some true meccas of liberalism, like Cleveland Heights which had the first domestic partnership registry in Ohio (years before Cleveland) that was also the first such registry anywhere in the nation adopted by voters.  All of the urban neighborhoods are very liberal, and not just for the purposes of convenience or personal gain.

^The best part of the domestic partner registry in Cleveland Heights:  in 2004, two years after voters approved the registry, they ousted the one city council member who had vociferously opposed it (Hicks) and voted in an openly gay councilman, effectively in his place.

 

I think Cleveland Hts has been traditionally a liberal city, but I think that has eroded a bit with sprawl.

 

In NEO in general, I would guess the largest group of voters are people you could classify has Regan Democrats. Probably why the state goes through its red, purple, blue swings.

 

Actually, I'd guess sprawl has made Shaker and Cleveland Hts more politically liberal as the more conservative upper income folk who might have chosen those communities 30 years ago now head to Pepper Pike and further east instead.

 

I'd also strongly disagree that the plurality of voters in NEO (Cuyahoga and Summit County, anyway) is "Reagan Democrat." Seeing as they voted overwhelmingly against Regan...

Here is a definition of "Regan Democrat" from Wikipedia, but its in line with mine.

Remember in 1980 the Teamsters endorsed Reagan over Carter, and in Cuyahoga county Carter just got 50% of the vote (Reagan got 42%) For the seven county region, Reagan won both elections.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reagan_Democrat

 

Reagan Democrat is an American political term used by political analysts to denote traditionally Democratic voters, especially white working-class Northerners, who defected from their party to support Republican President Ronald Reagan in both the 1980 and 1984 elections. It is also used to refer to the smaller but still substantial number of Democrats who voted for George H. W. Bush in the 1988 election. The term can also be used to describe moderate Democrats who are more conservative than liberal on certain issues like national security and immigration.

 

The work of Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg is a classic study of Reagan Democrats. Greenberg analyzed white ethnic voters (largely unionized auto workers) in Macomb County, Michigan, just north of Detroit. The county voted 63 percent for John F. Kennedy in 1960, but 66 percent for Reagan in 1980. He concluded that "Reagan Democrats" no longer saw Democrats as champions of their working class aspirations, but instead saw them as working primarily for the benefit of others: the very poor, feminists, the unemployed, African Americans, Latinos, and other groups. In addition, Reagan Democrats enjoyed gains during the period of economic prosperity that coincided with the Reagan administration following the "malaise" of the Carter administration. They also supported Reagan's strong stance on national security and opposed the 1980s Democratic Party on such issues as pornography, crime, and taxes.[1]

 

 

^No quibble with the definition, or even that there are many of them in NEO.  I just don't agree about the share of the electorate they make up.  Because they're willing to cross party lines they get a lot of attention, I suppose, but Id guess they are much smaller in number in NEO than dependable black dems, for example.  Or dependable republicans even.  Can anyone find data on how Lakewood or Euclid voted in the 1980 or 1984 election?  Would be interesting.

Argh, double post.

 

Punch, thanks for the correction.  The 8 point Carter margin in Cuyahoga County in 1980 is definitely not as large as I had assumed.

Who's more liberal than Kucinich? Wasn't he abducted by aliens at one time?

lol!

Mondale actually increased it in 84, when most of the country went towards Reagan.

So, I guess my vote is that the region is swayed heavily by organized labor, rather than other liberal/progressive virtues.

Of the many people I talk to around town, plenty* feel that unions are generally ineffective, there are too many regulations and rules when it comes to opening a new business, and government employees are lazy and milking the clock for a paycheck. I also hear plenty of "why work overtime, the government is just going to take the extra money anyway."

 

I mean these few issues don't define people, but you then ask the people how they vote and they say democrat every time. Ask if they have ever considered voting republican and you'll hear "oh no, republicans are all about taxing the poor people." People generally get their political affiliation from their parents, right?

 

I would consider greater Cleveland on average Democrat, but pretty close to the center when it comes to philosophical and cultural beliefs.

 

*anecdotal of course.

NE Ohio in general seems to share more liberal philosophies than the majority of the state - cleveland included.

 

there's just something different around here than other places.  very east coast minded it seems...

http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/statesman/metro/081205libs.pdf

 

This study is with regard to pure voting record (so hardly limited to, yet suggestive of, social stances), but FWIW, Cleveland ranks #11 in the Country.  It also appears to be limited to the City proper.  The only city in Ohio in the Top 25 and ahead of places like Boston and Providence (which are commonly thought of as very liberal).  Dayton was 42, Akron was 48, Toledo was 53, Cincinnati was 56, Columbus was 78 (out of 237).

 

But, like I said, it is better to describe Cleveland as "not conservative".  It is not very socially conservative at all, fairly tolerant for a City with blue collar roots, and at least tries to be progressive.

 

Kucinich & Obama on Aliens from Space

 

 

The city does not strike me as textbook liberal.

 

Off the top of my head I'll take one example of a stereotypical liberal cause, recycling. (I know I'm over generalizing here just play along!)

 

I've worked downtown on and off for ten years. If I have glass, plastic, newspaper etc. to throw away I'll be damned if I can find a recycling bin anywhere at any building, or any sidewalk.

 

It is a stark contrast to stereotypical, liberal minded cities like Portland and San Francisco where recycling bins are everywhere.

 

So I guess Cleveland, to me, isn't "classic" liberal. At least in the context of being environmentally sensitive. I mean, look at Edgewater Park where you are surprised if people have the decency to throw garbage in the garbage can.

 

Now I know this isn't scientific....and I don't think conservatives are more prone to litter or not recycle, but this is just my subjective opinion that Cleveland is not liberal- at least in that sense where being eco-sensitive is identified as such.

 

^Boy I know a couple of conservative Republican re-cyclers who would not be happy reading the above.

The city does not strike me as textbook liberal.

 

Off the top of my head I'll take one example of a stereotypical liberal cause, recycling. (I know I'm over generalizing here just play along!)

 

I've worked downtown on and off for ten years. If I have glass, plastic, newspaper etc. to throw away I'll be damned if I can find a recycling bin anywhere at any building, or any sidewalk.

 

It is a stark contrast to stereotypical, liberal minded cities like Portland and San Francisco where recycling bins are everywhere.

 

So I guess Cleveland, to me, isn't "classic" liberal. At least in the context of being environmentally sensitive. I mean, look at Edgewater Park where you are surprised if people have the decency to throw garbage in the garbage can.

 

Now I know this isn't scientific....and I don't think conservatives are more prone to litter or not recycle, but this is just my subjective opinion that Cleveland is not liberal- at least in that sense where being eco-sensitive is identified as such.

 

I'm a right-leaning Independent that's been recycling for years.  Have I falsely labeled myself, considering my recycling tendencies?

Ha ha, do you look like this?

 

http://media.photobucket.com/image/beavis%20butthead%20hippy%20teacher/artilleryleg/DavidVanDriessen.jpg

 

We're dealing in stereotypes here...painting with the same broad brush that may (incorrectly) identify someone in a pickup truck and gun racks as being conservative.

 

 

Liberalism, in my book, is defined by constantly trying to evolve society so as to place a premium on individual liberties for all (not just when it personally affects you) and equal rights under the law, even if detrimental those who "have it good" under the status quo.  Environmental consciousness is not near the top of the list IMO.  That's like saying that whether you are pro or anti choice defines whether you are conservative.... even if the most staunch "conservatives" are all opposed to a woman's right to choose.

That sounds like libertarianism to me.

 

Now I'm curious, if you don't mind, how would you define conservatism then?

 

p.s. this is why it's easier (and funner) to use stereotypes. Hippy = liberal and army sergeant = conservative. I don't know a single person whose personal beliefs aren't a mishmosh of lcertain ideals claimed by liberals AND conservatives.

 

Liberalism, in my book, is defined by constantly trying to evolve society so as to place a premium on individual liberties for all (not just when it personally affects you) and equal rights under the law, even if detrimental those who "have it good" under the status quo. Environmental consciousness is not near the top of the list IMO. That's like saying that whether you are pro or anti choice defines whether you are conservative.... even if the most staunch "conservatives" are all opposed to a woman's right to choose.

Conservatism, IMO, places the premium on percieved traditions and maintenance of the status quo.  While many self proclaimed liberals villify it, the philosophy serves the vital purpose of injecting a necessary cooling effect whenever liberalism runs amuck or its intentions are misguided.

 

I believe it was Churchill who said that if you're not a liberal at 30 you have no heart and if you're not a conservative at 40 you have no brain.

Got ya.

 

Thanks!

 

Conservatism, IMO, places the premium on percieved traditions and maintenance of the status quo. While many self proclaimed liberals villify it, the philosophy serves the vital purpose of injecting a necessary cooling effect whenever liberalism runs amuck or its intentions are misguided.

 

I believe it was Churchill who said that if you're not a liberal at 30 you have no heart and if you're not a conservative at 40 you have no brain.

I think Cleveland is fairly liberal.  More so than any other large city in Ohio.  Certainly not as liberal as other cities like NY or San Fran or the like.  Home of Howard Metzenbaum & Dennis K, also elected first black mayor to a large city even though we still had a majority white population.

^Good point about electing the first black mayor.  One could also point out that Cleveland has an abnormally large Jewish population, which tends to be a very liberal segment of society (save for a few specific issues).  Even our jewish orthodox and catholic communities are fairly liberal, relatively speaking.

First black AL player as well!

 

As to the question at hand, Cleveland strikes me as being more 'handout' liberal as opposed to personal liberties/other liberal ideologies.

I like the way Hts121 said it. It's hard to say whether or not Cleveland is liberal, but it's pretty easy to say the area is not conservative. I guess that would make Cleveland moderate. I would probably say Cleveland is a strongly left-leaning moderate city with prevalent liberal pockets.

 

Sort of off-topic and pointless, but I made the mistake of going to Barnes and Noble this evening not knowing Glenn Beck was holding a book signing :x. Hearing all the talk of Sarah Palin's reality show, the 2012 election, anti-Obama sentiments, etc., was nauseating.

 

No wonder there were so many pick-up trucks (many with KY plates) in the parking lot when I pulled up.

I think that Cleveland is liberal overall with some very strong liberal pockets but I think this reputation might have more to do with a lack of a conservative voice than a strong liberal voice.  There are very few Republican politicians at least in Cuyahoga county.  While the county might not have a huge number of raging liberals, it has a large majority of liberal politicians.  Basically there are a lot of moderate Democrats.

is there any green party activity in Cleveland?

^ Yeah, they had a guy running for county executive (David Ellison.)

EDIT: Confiteordeo  beat me to it.

 

^^There's some.  They ran a candidate for county executive (http://www.greenpartywatch.org/2010/10/07/david-ellison-green-for-cuyahoga-county-exec-qa-in-lakewood-observer/) but he only got about 6000 votes.

As a Cincinnatian and a pretty progressive person...i'd say that Cleveland is a liberal utopia.

 

But, that's my bitter and jaded view from the south.

The city does not strike me as textbook liberal.

 

Off the top of my head I'll take one example of a stereotypical liberal cause, recycling. (I know I'm over generalizing here just play along!)

 

I've worked downtown on and off for ten years. If I have glass, plastic, newspaper etc. to throw away I'll be damned if I can find a recycling bin anywhere at any building, or any sidewalk.

 

Next year you'll see some very attractive recycling bins all over downtown. Project is already funded and the designs have been selected.

I think The terms liberal and conservative have been hijacked by the media and the political parties and they are very broad in meaning. To interpret what cleveland is you will need to limit the definition in scope to what you feel liberalism is. This may be your arbitrary view of libralism but is it a starting point.

 

For the purposes of the conversation it appears that the common description of "Liberal" is "Democrat" and "Conservative" meaning "Republican". In that sense, Cleveland is Liberal because they have a lot more people who vote democratic.

 

However, if you look at the voters who are voting many of those democratic voters espouse many conservative social views and principles, and I would say that there are many Republican voters who espouse many liberal social views (Libertarians tend to vote more Republican but it could be argued that they espouse a liberal philosophy).