Burnwinter wrote:
Absolutely.
There's also the illogic of calling out the admittedly frustrating voices of the well-heeled, wealthier echelons of the left that thread through the cultural and academic sectors an "elite" when they have no real political or economic power.
Yep that's right. Have a read of "Deer Hunting With Jesus" by Joe Bageant.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/sep/06/5
He argues basically that the white American working class votes Republican because they are stupid and have bought into the rhetoric of Democrats being the elite. And also that there is a sense of conditioning - "it's in the blood" to vote one way or another.
I read an interview with a guy in the US last week who is voting for Trump who said explicitly "I'm voting with my middle finger." I think that is a terrible way to vote. Voting by reflex instead of a result of consideration will rarely lead to good government, or good candidates.
I'm always amazed that the working poor in the US seem to vote against the party that is trying to implement better healthcare and education. Bageant argues there is a view that says "hard work can get you out of the cycle and you shouldn't expect handouts from the government" - yet the Republican policies more often than not keep them down while allowing the rich to get richer. Mind you the USA isn't alone in this. Australia and plenty of other countries are experiencing similar policies.
I'm only a distant observer and this view could be way off of course. It's hard to generalise with a population of 300 million.
I was listening to an interview with an ex Aussie Prime Minister who said that 20 years ago and more there was a basic 40 40 20 rule. 40% voted conservative, 40% voted Labor and 20% were swing voters or voted for minor parties. He thinks now society is more fragmented and patterns are more like 30 30 40, which makes for more precarious political environments. Some might see this as a good thing, and reflective of democracy. He is a conservative, so sees it as worrying.
