The general attitude with the current administration is that the West is of little consequence. We are treated like a Third World country. Region's Concerns Go Unheard To be marginalized in political debate can have serious implications for the states in the nation's fastest-growing region. Not only do the West's particular issues fail to gain a national platform, but the concerns of its residents, including a significant and growing Latino population, remain unheard. Even so, Bush appears to have a lead right now over Vice President Al Gore.
Presidential candidates have a responsibility to know the entire American family.
As in most families, some members get more attention. With a combined 40 electoral votes, the inter-mountain West is utterly trumped by the coastal colossus, California, with its 54 electoral votes. Since he started his campaign through the end of May, Democrat Gore had made a total of eight visits to the region, getting to half the states. In the same time span, Gore had campaigned in early-primary Iowa 44 times. Republican Bush's numbers soared with his swing last week through four Western states.