In 200-250 words, please respond to the following:
The Merits and Downfalls of Classifying States as 'Red' or 'Blue'
Is classifying states as "red" or "blue" useful for explaining patterns in the American political system? What are some potential problems? What are some benefits? If the "red state/blue state" classification is not useful, what is a better way of explaining variation across states in terms of political attitudes and political participation?