(2004-05-27) Shapiro Purple America

Ilya Shapiro isn't comfortable on either side of the Red Vs Blue line, and defines a Purple America which sounds possibly Libertarian. Although his concluding decision on where to live seems almost opposite to that. So where does that leave Purple Americans? Those physically located in Red America can reside in the imagined communities of the blogosphere and the alternative media, keeping busy and interested via constant travel and immersion in work. Those in Blue America can take a virtual leap into Galt's Gulch, divorcing themselves from all cocktail party discussions of political philosophy and public policy (as in Ayn Rand's world, this is easier to do if you care about nothing beyond your own immediate interests). I'll be trying a third route by moving to our nation's capital (Washington DC), which arguably contains the highest proportion of Purple Americans.