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Lecture 9, episode 10; was about Politics on the Plains. In this lecture we talked about the political breakdown and make-up of the Great Plains states. Dr. Isern showed us that even though our states are heavily Republican we send Democratic Senators to the Capital. Also in this lecture we learned about the works of Vernon Parrington and Richard Hofstadter and how they wrote about politics on the prairie. Mr. Hofstadter had some interesting comments in his work that Dr. Isern pointed out to the class that in fact Liberals are Reactionary and how the plains are really a beacon of liberalism. This is very contrary to what most in the country view and how I viewed the Great Plains before this lecture. Most in the country think our area of the country is very conservative and fiscal.

One last interesting note we learned in class was the definition of the "Staples Theory". This theory is by Vernon Fowke and it portrays the image that the plains play and economic role for the whole entire union, more than any other area in the country. This I suppose is true because of how heavy agricultural based this area of the country is. After sitting through this lecture I also wonder if why we send so many democrats to Washington D.C. is also because they are such senior leaders in there respective posts at the capital. They really know how to bring home the pork to North Dakota.