Paul Krugman is right; there is a double standard in our political discourse. It is viewed as perfectly legitimate for rural residents to describe American cities as being crime-ridden, godless hellholes, but the same is not true for urban residents describing red America as socially and economically backward. Where did this distinction come from, and what does it mean?
Four observations are pertinent here. First, the urban/rural cultural and political split is not unique to American history, as anyone who has studied the English Civil War and the Paris Commune could tell you. Second, it has been a factor in American politics since Jefferson. Third, it is more virulent in America than in other countries, since they are more ethnically homogeneous than we are. Finally, the urban/rural political split has more practical ramifications in America than in other countries because the Senate gives disproportionate representation to rural residents.