The nationally representative poll of 1, citizens included voters who cast votes for Republican Congressional candidates in the midterm elections. Only one in four Republican voters felt that most or almost all Democratic voters sincerely believed they were voting in the best interests of the country. We asked every Republican in the sample to do their best to imagine that they were a Democrat and sincerely believed that the Democratic Party was best for the country.
We asked them to explain their support for the Democratic Party as an actual Democratic voter might. But most had trouble looking at the world through Democratic eyes. Asked in May which candidate would do more to advance their family's economic interests middle-class white voters who say they are struggling to maintain their financial positions gave Romney a 26 point lead over Obama. But that support is less pronounced among white women than white men and is not uniform across the country.
Of the nine states that backed Obama in in three less affluent whites went for McCain, in five they backed Obama and one was a tie.
In all of them non-whites voted Democrat. Factors such as religion and education result in a less clear pattern of class-based voting than we might expect based on income in- equality alone. The fact that race is a factor does not necessarily follow that racism is the driving force more of that later or that Obama's race is the principle motivating force. Things are more complicated than that. Gladney, for example, was black while many of the trade unionists he confronted were white.
Race is so deeply embedded in American history and culture that to talk of where politics ends and race begins sets up a false dichotomy. Since the end of the second world war Democrats have only once in won the presidency with a majority of the white vote.
A far higher percentage and number of whites voted for Obama than voted for Kerry. On some level explaining why poorer whites would vote for the Republicans demands a resource sorely lacking in American political culture at present — particularly during election time: empathy. There are more to "interests" than just the economic.
If someone's core conviction is that abortion is murder or gay marriage is wrong then their decision to vote for a candidate who is against abortion or gay marriage is not an act of delusion but conviction. In any case working class white voters who are against abortion are significantly more likely to vote Democrat than their more affluent counterparts. So the economy still matters.
But it is not the only consideration. Given his plans to tax high earners more heavily many of them were voting against their economic interests as do Warren Buffett, George Soros and all of Obama's wealthy funders. If poor states voting Republican is a paradox then the fact that 9 out of 10 states with the highest median income vote Democrat is no less so. Moreover some people, despite being poor, legitimately believe in free market and small government, even if it doesn't benefit them in precisely the same way that wealthy people may favour greater government intervention even if it doesn't benefit them.
Weaver had been the chairman of Loveland chamber of commerce and effectively lobbied for the business community of northern Colorado. He changed his registration to independent on polling day. His political views are eclectic. He is for gun control and a more humane immigration policy and thinks unions are dinosaurs and is against abortion — thinks its preferable to get rid of it by changing peoples' hearts than the law. He's arrogant, and it's hard for me to get past that.
It didn't change my mind about him because I always thought that about him. One could argue about whether his assessment of Romney's deficit-cutting plans are plausible. But one can't reasonably insist it wasn't a considered viewpoint. Finally, as Weaver's circumstances illustrate, poverty is not necessarily a permanent state.
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Table of Contents. Sign in to annotate. Delete Cancel Save. Cancel Save. We learned over the weekend that Congress is likely to soon pass a second stimulus package, providing much-needed economic support to millions of folks struggling due to the pandemic.
Of course, much of the focus has been on the direct stimulus payments designated for distribution to eligible individuals and families. Are people less in need now than they were in April? Or maybe politicians are just out of touch. Then you also have to account for transportation costs, clothing, phone bills, credit card bills, etc.
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