Why Workers in Red States Vote Against Their Economic Self-Interest

[O.R.I.O.N]

I just don't feel right about voting to take money out of somebody else's wallet and putting it into mine. Rich people are rich because they can save more than poor people. It's just a fact of life. Get over it!

 

[Unkotare]

For years, political scientists have wondered why so many poor and working-class citizens of so-called “red” states vote against their economic self-interest.
The wages of production workers have been dropping for 30 years, adjusted for inflation, and their economic security has disappeared. A smaller share of working-age Americans hold jobs today than at any time in more than three decades.
For them, a job is precious — sometimes even more precious than a safe workplace or safe drinking water.
This is especially true in poorer regions of the country like West Virginia and through much of Southern and rural America, where the old working class has been voting Republican. Guns, abortion and race are part of the explanation. But don’t overlook economic anxieties that translate into a willingness to vote for whatever it is that industry wants.
This may explain why Republican officials who have been casting their votes against unions, against expanding Medicaid, against raising the minimum wage, against extended unemployment insurance, and against jobs bills that would put people to work, continue to be elected and re-elected.
They obviously have the support of corporate patrons who want to keep unemployment high and workers insecure because a pliant working class helps their bottom lines.

As someone who has lived in the south for the past half of my life it always puzzled me why people in this region always vote against their self interests and defend the same people who exploit them . I attribute it to a plantation mentality ...

Low taxes, smaller government, individual responsibility and strong National defense.

Explain how these are against poor and middle class citizens interest.

Low Taxes-For the rich
Smaller Government-Only when it suits their needs when it doesn't to hell with it.
Individual responsibility-aka to hell with the poor let the rich get richer off their backs
Strong National Defense-aka attack and invade ANY nation we want to!

Look at Nazi-boy Onion putting the socialist into National Socialist. What a piece of shit.

 

[O.R.I.O.N]

**** yourself wannabe...stop being jealous you little homosexual stalker.

 

[Unkotare]

If government policies help all poor people, including blacks, then red state poor whites will oppose it.

Who doe NOT know this?

Your race card is all worn out. Go back to the DNC and get a new one.

You've fallen into that same old liberal trap. LMFAOROFL

What trap is that? Pointing out to them what they are doing? Oh, what a trap.

 

[The2ndAmendment]

Because Detroit went bankrupt.

You can ignore this reality as long as you want, I'll just keep reiterating it.

 

[O.R.I.O.N]

Detroit didn't go bankrupt because Democrats were in charge...went bankrupt because incompetent negro's were in charge. Hell look at California. Run by the craziest Democrats in the country and they have a surplus!

 

[Katzndogz]

When working class people see themselves overtaxed to pay the lazy to sit on their asses they aren't voting against their self interest. To democrats the worker's self interest is to quit working and become a lazy ass too. Now that worker can vote to rob someone else.

 

[Unkotare]

Detroit didn't go bankrupt because Democrats were in charge...went bankrupt because incompetent negro's were in charge. Hell look at California.

Hell, look at yet another lefty racist POS. Nothing new there.

 

[O.R.I.O.N]

Detroit didn't go bankrupt because Democrats were in charge...went bankrupt because incompetent negro's were in charge. Hell look at California.

Hell, look at yet another lefty racist POS. Nothing new there.

Smell that? I farted in your face...figure since you are stalking me like the homosexual you are you wanna be as close to my ass as possible. Don't let them facts hurt your small brain there numb nuts...we should all take tips on how to run a successful nation from nations in Africa eh? LOL...

 

[Missouri_Mike]

Detroit didn't go bankrupt because Democrats were in charge...went bankrupt because incompetent negro's were in charge. Hell look at California. Run by the craziest Democrats in the country and they have a surplus!

So socialism only works if white people do it? How drunk does a person have to be to post shit like this?

 

[Missouri_Mike]

Detroit didn't go bankrupt because Democrats were in charge...went bankrupt because incompetent negro's were in charge. Hell look at California.

Hell, look at yet another lefty racist POS. Nothing new there.

Smell that? I farted in your face...figure since you are stalking me like the homosexual you are you wanna be as close to my ass as possible. Don't let them facts hurt your small brain there numb nuts...we should all take tips on how to run a successful nation from nations in Africa eh? LOL...

You're going full retard here aren't you?

 

[thereisnospoon]

you mispelled 'guano'

lol!!

:d

It's always entertaining when these newcomers pop in and post screeds assuming that unions, minimum wages, etc. are somehow "good for people's economic self-interest", when in fact those things reduce jobs and lengthen recessions.

Strange how the red states welcomed with open arms company's from good wage states taking jobs at what the company's formally paid at half the wage in the 1980's. Then when company's found they could get even cheaper labor they left the region in the late 90's

Dude, did you just awake from a slumber and it was 1930?
STFU...
Seriously.
You noobs come on here full of piss and vinegar just itching to start a brawl.
Well, you are now labeled a troll. And are dismissed as such.

 

[thereisnospoon]

They like being poor and living in a trailer.

Like being poor and living in a section 8 tenement?

 

[thereisnospoon]

.

So the only reason to vote for something is so that someone will give you something?

Maybe not everyone thinks that way.

.

Wait, you mean people vote their own self interests? Dam thats terrible

If you refer to all the votes that go to politicians who provide "free shit" then yes, that is horrible

 

[rdean]

For years, political scientists have wondered why so many poor and working-class citizens of so-called “red” states vote against their economic self-interest.
The wages of production workers have been dropping for 30 years, adjusted for inflation, and their economic security has disappeared. A smaller share of working-age Americans hold jobs today than at any time in more than three decades.
For them, a job is precious — sometimes even more precious than a safe workplace or safe drinking water.
This is especially true in poorer regions of the country like West Virginia and through much of Southern and rural America, where the old working class has been voting Republican. Guns, abortion and race are part of the explanation. But don’t overlook economic anxieties that translate into a willingness to vote for whatever it is that industry wants.
This may explain why Republican officials who have been casting their votes against unions, against expanding Medicaid, against raising the minimum wage, against extended unemployment insurance, and against jobs bills that would put people to work, continue to be elected and re-elected.
They obviously have the support of corporate patrons who want to keep unemployment high and workers insecure because a pliant working class helps their bottom lines.

As someone who has lived in the south for the past half of my life it always puzzled me why people in this region always vote against their self interests and defend the same people who exploit them . I attribute it to a plantation mentality ...

Low taxes, smaller government, individual responsibility and strong National defense.

Explain how these are against poor and middle class citizens interest.

Low Taxes - for billionaires and corporations.

Smaller government - except when it comes to women's rights, gay rights, etc. Then someone has to "step in".

Individual responsibility - when disaster strikes, no American should be responsible for other Americans. We want a country that's "every man for himself".

Strong national defense - like invading Iraq and letting Bin Laden go.

Republicans are "for" these things except when they are against them. Like when they expand government, hate minorities, engage in voter suppression and so on. They are simply an odious party and anyone who supports their disastrous and moronic policies is a "fool".

 

[rdean]

.

So the only reason to vote for something is so that someone will give you something?

Maybe not everyone thinks that way.

.

Wait, you mean people vote their own self interests? Dam thats terrible

If you refer to all the votes that go to politicians who provide "free shit" then yes, that is horrible

Yea, like "food stamps". Terrible people. Greedy taking a little food. How dare they. We have needy billionaires whose taxes we need to cut.

 

[Unkotare]

Detroit didn't go bankrupt because Democrats were in charge...went bankrupt because incompetent negro's were in charge. Hell look at California.

Hell, look at yet another lefty racist POS. Nothing new there.

Smell that? I farted in your face.....

Try to find an adult who can explain to you how the internet works, Onion.

The OP is clearly just empty partisanship.

 

[ClosedCaption]

Dont those rednecks realize how much more theyll benefit from the wisdom of progressive, neo-communist , statist civil servants...

You'd think that since welfare buys votes (says the GOP) the red states would actually be blue states. They LOVE their welfare...I mean, they hate it and accept it under duress...

What you're pointing out here is interesting, isn't it? The people who end up using welfare the most, the people who face its reality every day, consistently vote against expanding it - even voting for leaders who say they'll cut it. Yet the states with more well-to-do voters seem to like the programs, voting for leaders who want to create even more. Hmmmm....

Yet keep their hands out at alarming rates. Repub Policies created the environment for it Congratulations.

 

[QuickHitCurepon]

Your race card is all worn out. Go back to the DNC and get a new one.

You've fallen into that same old liberal trap. LMFAOROFL

What trap is that? Pointing out to them what they are doing? Oh, what a trap.

It was a generalization.

 

[Barb]

For years, political scientists have wondered why so many poor and working-class citizens of so-called “red” states vote against their economic self-interest.
The wages of production workers have been dropping for 30 years, adjusted for inflation, and their economic security has disappeared. A smaller share of working-age Americans hold jobs today than at any time in more than three decades.
For them, a job is precious — sometimes even more precious than a safe workplace or safe drinking water.
This is especially true in poorer regions of the country like West Virginia and through much of Southern and rural America, where the old working class has been voting Republican. Guns, abortion and race are part of the explanation. But don’t overlook economic anxieties that translate into a willingness to vote for whatever it is that industry wants.
This may explain why Republican officials who have been casting their votes against unions, against expanding Medicaid, against raising the minimum wage, against extended unemployment insurance, and against jobs bills that would put people to work, continue to be elected and re-elected.
They obviously have the support of corporate patrons who want to keep unemployment high and workers insecure because a pliant working class helps their bottom lines.

As someone who has lived in the south for the past half of my life it always puzzled me why people in this region always vote against their self interests and defend the same people who exploit them . I attribute it to a plantation mentality ...

Low taxes, smaller government, individual responsibility and strong National defense.

Explain how these are against poor and middle class citizens interest.

Low Taxes benefit the wealthy and corporations. The bills still have to be paid. Smaller government is code for doing away with or kneecapping regulations that kept industry from pissing in the common well and kept them from having to pay for the damage they get caught doing, and financial institutions from doing what they did because they were unregulated and became "too big to fail." Individual responsibility is a method of individualizing social problems that require a group effort, and doubles as a way of limiting the social liability of the entities that caused the problems in the first place. A "strong national defense" also benefits the wealthy and corporations more than average citizens, by keeping the world market stable (or uncooperative nations unstable) for industry and finance to rape, pillage, steal, and plow the fields with salt. The average citizen pays for that with their lives, or the lives of their sons and daughters.