Now that FiveThirtyEight shows Obama winning Indiana, it's worth revisiting Lauren Bruce's piece from the primaries on the politics of the state:
Here's a tip for reporters and pundits covering the Indiana primary: If you can't get through an article about Indiana without mentioning a certain 20-year-old sports movie, you aren't qualified to write it.
Hoosiers have been in the national spotlight over the past few weeks, and I've noted that many disparaging stereotypes make it into the national media coverage of my fair state -- stereotypes that reinforce the myth of a beer-drinking, pickup-driving Republican stronghold that is hopelessly out of touch with coastal progressivism. As a life-long Indiana resident, I personally vouch for blue veins running through this state and throughout the Midwest, a fact frequently ignored in favor of maintaining the awestruck-hillbilly myth. If reporters and pundits took a look past the stereotypes, they'd see that Indiana is a lot more complex and important than they think it is.
--The Editors
