Census marketing fail

Despite deliberate undercounts of Democratic areas in the censuses of 1990 and 2000, Republicans of course cried that they were the real victims. According to them, they always are, no matter how much evidence to the contrary there is.

Even though right-wing manipulation of the census ran rampant in the last 2 censuses, operatives at the Census Bureau in 2010 were all ears for bogus right-wing complaints that the census undercounted Republican areas. So the Census Bureau launched a marketing campaign for conservatives only.

After a marketing survey showed that NASCAR's fan base was much more conservative than the general public, the 2010 census became a primary sponsor at several NASCAR races. Officials even had the census logo painted on a NASCAR car.

This also highlights a paradox that seems to define NASCAR. If NASCAR is as working-class as everybody thinks, why is it so right-wing? Among folks I know, the working class is the most vocally opposed to the Republicans' rule. (Hardly surprising, considering the GOP's ongoing war on workers.)

How effective was the Census Bureau's right-wing outreach? Not very, considering that Republican areas (with some exceptions) seem to be bleeding population now that the census results are being released. One wonders if the apportionment would be even less favorable to the GOP if the Census Bureau had put forth as much effort marketing the census to Democratic areas as it did to Republican areas.

(Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/28/AR2010022803364.html)