Aside from the machinations in place to grant power to low population areas, and the fact that those powers were conceived as a way to preserve institutions like slavery, the country being divided by states does a lot to isolate people in this country.
There's this weird state identity that means more than something more local. But it's bizarre - you tell somebody you're from California, and they have this warped image of San Francisco or Los Angeles when you're actually from some town near a blighted river or a fringe city populated by confederate larpers.
You see libs take this ignorance and run with it. They see somebody like Meatball Ron and forget that there are millions in Florida who have been disenfranchised, some since birth, and those people get written off like they had any say in their state's politics.
And now with the way that abortion and LGBT rights are being dismantled, the people who are comfortable enough to leave the state (or those who were able to access education and resources) can just throw their hands up and blame voters instead of the fucked up government that perpetuated this shit.
I just hate all this individualism where people assume you can just 'shop around' to find human decency or places to live.
In summary :amerikkka: x 50
[sizing up South Africa] this is a lot like Iowa