> why do you care what they other 49 do?

Well we don’t live in a vaccuum. What happens in one state affects the others.

Most obvious example is federal funding. Red states disproportionately take more than they contribute. Blue states are the reverse.

This is one of the reasons it feels particularly frustrating that the electoral college is a thing. I.e. minority opinions can dominate and take take take.

Whenever there’s a chicken vs egg type question the answer is almost always both.

Poor states are red because red states are poor.