'South Park' conservatives? Meet 'King of the Hill' Democrats
June 27, 2005
Although conservative writer Brian Anderson capitalized on the raucous basic-cable sitcom as a perfect example of what real Republican voters are like, the man behind "Beavis & Butthead" may capture the values of actual Americans better than the "Dumb and Dumber" crew. Mike Judge's "King of the Hill," an animated sitcom now in its ninth season, comes a far cry closer to real life than the kids in South Park, Colorado.
Matt Bai writes in today's New York Times:
["King of the Hill" main character] Hank Hill may be a Texan, but he and his friends could live in any of the fast-developing rural and exurban areas around Columbus or Phoenix or Atlanta that are bound to become the political weathervanes of the new century. The families in Arlen buy American-made pickups, eat at chain restaurants, maniacally water their lawns and do their shopping at the huge Mega Lo Mart.Bai says that Democrat Mike Easley, governor of North Carolina, actually has his pollsters divide respondents between those who watch "King of the Hill" and those who don't. Could be he's on to something.