Red has long been associated with the GDCs. Russia and China (The East is Red).

It was apparently an arbitrary decision by the US media starting with the 2000 election, for use on their color-coded election maps. Prior to that, various networks had used blue and red for different parties, but they agreed to conform to the same standard in the 2000 election and afterwards in order to prevent confusion. Reportedly, red was settled on for Republicans simply because they both start with the letter R.

But yeah, it's backwards. Red is strongly associated with left-wing parties worldwide, especially modern Marxists/Communists, although the left-wing association with red goes all the way back to the French Revolution 200+ years ago. And historically, the Republican Party had been associated with the color blue for the preceding 140ish years, a holdover from the blue Union/North/Republicans in the Civil War.

also, overseas the colors are frequently reversed, see the UK for example.

Going back however, Reagan was a big fan of red ties.

quote:

And historically, the Republican Party had been associated with the color blue for the preceding 140ish years,

circa 1967 I had moderate interest in college political issues; our debate group had invited the local GOP to present their position in upcoming election. The motif of paper hats & banners featured the Red portion of stripes etc in their posters & advertising rhetoric.

I had read when they were first starting to use these colors that the Democrats were assigned red, but they complained knowing the connotation of red with Communism and it was flipped to blue for them.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
It was apparently an arbitrary decision by the US media starting with the 2000 election, for use on their color-coded election maps. ...

Nothing arbitrary about it. Red is associated as the primary color for Socialist/Communist/Nazi Leftist governments. The Dems(including their media channels) didn't like that the color red hit so close to home. They also liked the fact that red could be associated with red necks, the Left's characterization of mainstream America.

Blue is positive: true blue.



.

Blue is camouflage. The colors were swapped about the time the Dems became thinly closeted commies. The media complied sympathetically. It's the same farce that the claim that the parties switched relative to race back after the civil rights era. They made themselves look like the homicidal tyrants they are so they took on the identity of the innocent and hung their guilt around the Right. They did that after WWII, after civil rights and after civil war II they'll do it again if any of them survive this time. The color swap was just a token of their method.

The red = Republican has annoyed me since I first noticed it, and it will probably annoy me to my grave. Even worse, though, is how the BS media gets to impose such things on our culture. On the other hand I tell myself that because Americans’ knowledge of history is so abysmal, most people born 10-15 years before the fall of the Evil Empire or later probably don’t associate red with Communism anyway: “Communism? What’s that?”

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
The red = Republican has annoyed me since I first noticed it, and it will probably annoy me to my grave. Even worse, though, is how the BS media gets to impose such things on our culture. On the other hand I tell myself that because Americans’ knowledge of history is so abysmal, most people born 10-15 years before the fall of the Evil Empire or later probably don’t associate red with Communism anyway: “Communism? What’s that?”

Which is one reason the Left makes it's case to the young and they do it with emotion. The young are not intellectually sophisticated enough to adequately dismantle Leftist policies to find the poison pill and emotion appeals to the immature.

quote:

Originally posted by darthfuster:

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
The red = Republican has annoyed me since I first noticed it, and it will probably annoy me to my grave. Even worse, though, is how the BS media gets to impose such things on our culture. On the other hand I tell myself that because Americans’ knowledge of history is so abysmal, most people born 10-15 years before the fall of the Evil Empire or later probably don’t associate red with Communism anyway: “Communism? What’s that?”

Which is one reason the Left makes it's case to the young and they do it with emotion. The young are not intellectually sophisticated enough to adequately dismantle Leftist policies to find the poison pill and emotion appeals to the immature.

Nor have they been adequatedly schooled in History to be able to make the necessary connections to the past.

flashguy

I associate blue with lack of oxygen, which seems fitting.

I thought it had to do with Blue Dog Democrat.

Right is Red. Left is bLue.

I suppose one could make several arguments either way...

“Red” as in Red blooded, patriotic American

“Blue” as in Blue blooded elitist aristocrat, who looks down on the serfs

Folks should be paying attention to the game instead of focusing on the color of the uniforms...

Let's be skins...

quote:

Originally posted by 911Boss:
I suppose one could make several arguments either way...

“Red” as in Red blooded, patriotic American

“Blue” as in Blue blooded elitist aristocrat, who looks down on the serfs

Folks should be paying attention to the game instead of focusing on the color of the uniforms...

Well stated.
The most accurate definition I have heard.

It's like dreamers, the affordable care act and an endless slew of other deceptions, sleight of hand by our betters who control the national dialog.

It's arbitrary and started in earnest in the wake of the 2000 Presidential election.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com...76297/#ixzz2BSTncTH4