Why do rural folks vote Republicans?

[CostaMesa]

FWIW:

Born in Nebraska and lived there until 12yo.
Worked (and paid) my way thru undergrad to get a BS Chem.
Saved up until I could pay my way through grad to earn an MS MatSci.
Voted Obama. Registered Independent.
Live in the sticks and heat the house with wood that I cut down and split by hand.

So, I guess that I’m another one of those lazy lefties that’s always looking for a handout.

Most Republicans who’ve responded to this thread have insulted my intelligence and belief system, in their attempt to defend their belief system.

Either people are respectful or they’re not. It’s that simple.

[calidesigner]

Big Government, small government; it’s hard to define. What I (and I suspect many Democrats and Republicans) really want is an effective government that provides services that we really need. Take healthcare for example, having HMO corporations compete for consumers’ business is a good idea and should be kept intact; however, as healthcare technology improves, so does the cost of providing it. Just as we subsidize public education (granted to varying degrees of success), why not let people choose the health plan they like, make HMO’s compete for our business, but get our respective State governments to subsidize a PORTION of it; and also mandate that HMO’s can’t drop our coverage every time we sneeze. This preserves competitiveness, but allows us as Americans to essentially “help” each other out and bring in less fortunate people, college students, younger people who don’t make as much money and such, into the healthcare fold; we’re paying taxes already, don’t we deserve a service such as this?

[calidesigner]

Big Government, small government; it’s hard to define. What I (and I suspect many Democrats and Republicans) really want is an effective government that provides services that we really need. Take healthcare for example, having HMO corporations compete for consumers’ business is a good idea and should be kept intact; however, as healthcare technology improves, so does the cost of providing it. Just as we subsidize public education (granted to varying degrees of success), why not let people choose the health plan they like, make HMO’s compete for our business, but get our respective State governments to subsidize a PORTION of it; and also mandate that HMO’s can’t drop our coverage every time we sneeze. This preserves competitiveness, but allows us as Americans to essentially “help” each other out and bring in less fortunate people, college students, younger people who don’t make as much money and such, into the healthcare fold; we’re paying taxes already, don’t we deserve a service such as this?

[calidesigner]

Big Government, small government; it’s hard to define. What I (and I suspect many Democrats and Republicans) really want is an effective government that provides services that we really need. Take healthcare for example, having HMO corporations compete for consumers’ business is a good idea and should be kept intact; however, as healthcare technology improves, so does the cost of providing it. Just as we subsidize public education (granted to varying degrees of success), why not let people choose the health plan they like, make HMO’s compete for our business, but get our respective State governments to subsidize a PORTION of it; and also mandate that HMO’s can’t drop our coverage every time we sneeze. This preserves competitiveness, but allows us as Americans to essentially “help” each other out and bring in less fortunate people, college students, younger people who don’t make as much money and such, into the healthcare fold; we’re paying taxes already, don’t we deserve a service such as this?

[calidesigner]

Big Government, small government; it’s hard to define. What I (and I suspect many Democrats and Republicans) really want is an effective government that provides services that we really need. Take healthcare for example, having HMO corporations compete for consumers’ business is a good idea and should be kept intact; however, as healthcare technology improves, so does the cost of providing it. Just as we subsidize public education (granted to varying degrees of success), why not let people choose the health plan they like, make HMO’s compete for our business, but get our respective State governments to subsidize a PORTION of it; and also mandate that HMO’s can’t drop our coverage every time we sneeze. This preserves competitiveness, but allows us as Americans to essentially “help” each other out and bring in less fortunate people, college students, younger people who don’t make as much money and such, into the healthcare fold; we’re paying taxes already, don’t we deserve a service such as this?

[calidesigner]

Big Government, small government; it’s hard to define. What I (and I suspect many Democrats and Republicans) really want is an effective government that provides services that we really need. Take healthcare for example, having HMO corporations compete for consumers’ business is a good idea and should be kept intact; however, as healthcare technology improves, so does the cost of providing it. Just as we subsidize public education (granted to varying degrees of success), why not let people choose the health plan they like, make HMO’s compete for our business, but get our respective State governments to subsidize a PORTION of it; and also mandate that HMO’s can’t drop our coverage every time we sneeze. This preserves competitiveness, but allows us as Americans to essentially “help” each other out and bring in less fortunate people, college students, younger people who don’t make as much money and such, into the healthcare fold; we’re paying taxes already, don’t we deserve a service such as this?

[Dukehorn]

I’ll pass on listening to folks who think dinosaurs existed 6,000 years ago. Really, I will. And I’ll say that I thought we wanted our kids to go to good schools and get educated. But different ambition for different folks….

As an fyi, on who folks are listening to:

Mark Steyn (Canadian, no college degree)
Glenn Beck (ex alchoholic, no college degree)
Rush Limbaugh (little drug issue, no college degree)
Matt Drudge (341/365 in high school, no college degree)
Sean Hannity (no college degree)

Rachel Maddow (Stanford, Rhodes Scholar)
Keith Olbermann (Cornell)
Al Franken (Harvard)
Jon Stewart (William and Mary)
Stephen Colbert (Northwestern)

For more data points

George WIll (PhD Princeton)
David Brooks (University of Chicago).

When Parker, Will, Brooks and Noonan start complaining about the anti-education bent of the Republican party maybe some of you party faithful should listen? You’ve lost all the Rockefeller Republicans (like myself) in the past 14 years and it just seems to be getting worse.

[Dukehorn]

I’ll pass on listening to folks who think dinosaurs existed 6,000 years ago. Really, I will. And I’ll say that I thought we wanted our kids to go to good schools and get educated. But different ambition for different folks….

As an fyi, on who folks are listening to:

Mark Steyn (Canadian, no college degree)
Glenn Beck (ex alchoholic, no college degree)
Rush Limbaugh (little drug issue, no college degree)
Matt Drudge (341/365 in high school, no college degree)
Sean Hannity (no college degree)

Rachel Maddow (Stanford, Rhodes Scholar)
Keith Olbermann (Cornell)
Al Franken (Harvard)
Jon Stewart (William and Mary)
Stephen Colbert (Northwestern)

For more data points

George WIll (PhD Princeton)
David Brooks (University of Chicago).

When Parker, Will, Brooks and Noonan start complaining about the anti-education bent of the Republican party maybe some of you party faithful should listen? You’ve lost all the Rockefeller Republicans (like myself) in the past 14 years and it just seems to be getting worse.

[Dukehorn]

I’ll pass on listening to folks who think dinosaurs existed 6,000 years ago. Really, I will. And I’ll say that I thought we wanted our kids to go to good schools and get educated. But different ambition for different folks….

As an fyi, on who folks are listening to:

Mark Steyn (Canadian, no college degree)
Glenn Beck (ex alchoholic, no college degree)
Rush Limbaugh (little drug issue, no college degree)
Matt Drudge (341/365 in high school, no college degree)
Sean Hannity (no college degree)

Rachel Maddow (Stanford, Rhodes Scholar)
Keith Olbermann (Cornell)
Al Franken (Harvard)
Jon Stewart (William and Mary)
Stephen Colbert (Northwestern)

For more data points

George WIll (PhD Princeton)
David Brooks (University of Chicago).

When Parker, Will, Brooks and Noonan start complaining about the anti-education bent of the Republican party maybe some of you party faithful should listen? You’ve lost all the Rockefeller Republicans (like myself) in the past 14 years and it just seems to be getting worse.

[Dukehorn]

I’ll pass on listening to folks who think dinosaurs existed 6,000 years ago. Really, I will. And I’ll say that I thought we wanted our kids to go to good schools and get educated. But different ambition for different folks….

As an fyi, on who folks are listening to:

Mark Steyn (Canadian, no college degree)
Glenn Beck (ex alchoholic, no college degree)
Rush Limbaugh (little drug issue, no college degree)
Matt Drudge (341/365 in high school, no college degree)
Sean Hannity (no college degree)

Rachel Maddow (Stanford, Rhodes Scholar)
Keith Olbermann (Cornell)
Al Franken (Harvard)
Jon Stewart (William and Mary)
Stephen Colbert (Northwestern)

For more data points

George WIll (PhD Princeton)
David Brooks (University of Chicago).

When Parker, Will, Brooks and Noonan start complaining about the anti-education bent of the Republican party maybe some of you party faithful should listen? You’ve lost all the Rockefeller Republicans (like myself) in the past 14 years and it just seems to be getting worse.

[Dukehorn]

I’ll pass on listening to folks who think dinosaurs existed 6,000 years ago. Really, I will. And I’ll say that I thought we wanted our kids to go to good schools and get educated. But different ambition for different folks….

As an fyi, on who folks are listening to:

Mark Steyn (Canadian, no college degree)
Glenn Beck (ex alchoholic, no college degree)
Rush Limbaugh (little drug issue, no college degree)
Matt Drudge (341/365 in high school, no college degree)
Sean Hannity (no college degree)

Rachel Maddow (Stanford, Rhodes Scholar)
Keith Olbermann (Cornell)
Al Franken (Harvard)
Jon Stewart (William and Mary)
Stephen Colbert (Northwestern)

For more data points

George WIll (PhD Princeton)
David Brooks (University of Chicago).

When Parker, Will, Brooks and Noonan start complaining about the anti-education bent of the Republican party maybe some of you party faithful should listen? You’ve lost all the Rockefeller Republicans (like myself) in the past 14 years and it just seems to be getting worse.

[UCGal]

[quote=ucodegen]

I assume that the OP meant this as a simple trolling post. Do you really believe that the median Democrat has a higher IQ or higher education level than the median Republican?

Would also be interesting to cross correlate with how many of the ones that are Grads had ‘daddy’ pay for the education versus paying for it themselves.. and break that down into party affiliation.

It would also be interesting to see if there was a liberal arts vs hard science breakdown on the education vs political party.

[/quote]
I think my husband and I would skew your theory…
My parents paid for my undergraduate degree – but insisted it be in something I could get a job in… (BSEE).

I put myself through grad school. (Well, my employer picked up part of it – I went nights while working full time.)

So I had “daddy” pay for my education, studied a math/science field, yet still turned out liberal.

My husband put himself through college in Architecture… he’s also a liberal.

And we plan on doing for our kids what my parents did – pay for the education, with veto power on the majors… they only get the free ride if they get a degree that will help with employment and if they maintain the GPA.

As far as people voting against their best interests – the book “What’s the matter with Kansas” looks at this very closely – and how the GOP party changed to get new “values voters”. A term which has always offended me since I consider the values of compassion and social concern to be valid values as well.

[UCGal]

[quote=ucodegen]

I assume that the OP meant this as a simple trolling post. Do you really believe that the median Democrat has a higher IQ or higher education level than the median Republican?

Would also be interesting to cross correlate with how many of the ones that are Grads had ‘daddy’ pay for the education versus paying for it themselves.. and break that down into party affiliation.

It would also be interesting to see if there was a liberal arts vs hard science breakdown on the education vs political party.

[/quote]
I think my husband and I would skew your theory…
My parents paid for my undergraduate degree – but insisted it be in something I could get a job in… (BSEE).

I put myself through grad school. (Well, my employer picked up part of it – I went nights while working full time.)

So I had “daddy” pay for my education, studied a math/science field, yet still turned out liberal.

My husband put himself through college in Architecture… he’s also a liberal.

And we plan on doing for our kids what my parents did – pay for the education, with veto power on the majors… they only get the free ride if they get a degree that will help with employment and if they maintain the GPA.

As far as people voting against their best interests – the book “What’s the matter with Kansas” looks at this very closely – and how the GOP party changed to get new “values voters”. A term which has always offended me since I consider the values of compassion and social concern to be valid values as well.

[UCGal]

[quote=ucodegen]

I assume that the OP meant this as a simple trolling post. Do you really believe that the median Democrat has a higher IQ or higher education level than the median Republican?

Would also be interesting to cross correlate with how many of the ones that are Grads had ‘daddy’ pay for the education versus paying for it themselves.. and break that down into party affiliation.

It would also be interesting to see if there was a liberal arts vs hard science breakdown on the education vs political party.

[/quote]
I think my husband and I would skew your theory…
My parents paid for my undergraduate degree – but insisted it be in something I could get a job in… (BSEE).

I put myself through grad school. (Well, my employer picked up part of it – I went nights while working full time.)

So I had “daddy” pay for my education, studied a math/science field, yet still turned out liberal.

My husband put himself through college in Architecture… he’s also a liberal.

And we plan on doing for our kids what my parents did – pay for the education, with veto power on the majors… they only get the free ride if they get a degree that will help with employment and if they maintain the GPA.

As far as people voting against their best interests – the book “What’s the matter with Kansas” looks at this very closely – and how the GOP party changed to get new “values voters”. A term which has always offended me since I consider the values of compassion and social concern to be valid values as well.

[UCGal]

[quote=ucodegen]

I assume that the OP meant this as a simple trolling post. Do you really believe that the median Democrat has a higher IQ or higher education level than the median Republican?

Would also be interesting to cross correlate with how many of the ones that are Grads had ‘daddy’ pay for the education versus paying for it themselves.. and break that down into party affiliation.

It would also be interesting to see if there was a liberal arts vs hard science breakdown on the education vs political party.

[/quote]
I think my husband and I would skew your theory…
My parents paid for my undergraduate degree – but insisted it be in something I could get a job in… (BSEE).

I put myself through grad school. (Well, my employer picked up part of it – I went nights while working full time.)

So I had “daddy” pay for my education, studied a math/science field, yet still turned out liberal.

My husband put himself through college in Architecture… he’s also a liberal.

And we plan on doing for our kids what my parents did – pay for the education, with veto power on the majors… they only get the free ride if they get a degree that will help with employment and if they maintain the GPA.

As far as people voting against their best interests – the book “What’s the matter with Kansas” looks at this very closely – and how the GOP party changed to get new “values voters”. A term which has always offended me since I consider the values of compassion and social concern to be valid values as well.

[Author]

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