Conservative Republican Voters aren't stupid, they are ignorant

[Mortos]

Conservatives tell voters how bad government is and then get elected and prove it. Oklahoma is a prime example; Rebublicans have controlled the house, senate and governorship for nearly a decade and under their monopoly the state has fallen apart. Tax cuts for the wealthy and oil companies have resulted in massive budget shortfalls for the last 4 years. Government services (law enforcement, education, social services, etc.) have been decimated. We are facing another $600-$800 million dollar deficit in the next fiscal year yet Oklahomans just re-elected dozens of incumbent Republicans back into office. But hey, at least we didn't get the federal government to ease some of that burden by supporting Obamacare and we still have our God, guns and hate gays, sooooo...

See also: Mississippi, Arkansas, West Virginia, Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, Idaho, Florida, Montana, Missouri,Indiana, and Ohio.

Seventeen of the eighteen poorest states are proudly republican and conservative. Do you see a pattern? Because conservative republicans don't, even when they suffer the consequences of shitty governance. They aren't stupid, they are ignorant, not because of their level of education or capacity for intellectual thought but because they repeat the same actions over and over again when it comes to the people they elect and they continue to get themselves and everyone else in their states screwed harder and drier every year. I know some really smart conservatives but they can't see the cause and effect of their actions. They can't figure out after 30 years of failure and setbacks; there is no such thing as trickle down economics, tax cuts for the wealthy only make the rich richer, gay people don't impact their marriages, Mexico is not the reason your plant left (greedy corporate CEOs are), coal is not clean, climate change is real, no one wants to take your guns, Christianity is not under attack, AND a fucking billionaire narcissist is not going to make America great again.

ig·no·rance
ˈiɡnərəns/
noun
lack of knowledge or information.

"he acted in ignorance of basic procedures"

synonyms: incomprehension of, unawareness of, unconsciousness of, unfamiliarity with, inexperience with, lack of knowledge about, lack of information about; informal cluelessness about


Update: 16 of the top 20 wealthiest states are liberal and/or Democratically controlled at the state level. They include:

Maryland, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Virginia, Hawaii, Minnesota, Deleware, Washington, Colorado, New York, Rhode Island, Illinois, Vermont and North Dakota. And these numbers hold up at both average median income and per capita income.

[greymattermom]

1. and don't forget

your neighbor to the north, Brownbackistan.

[Mortos]

2. Kansas ranks 26th

in income but top three in ignorance.

[tanyev]

3. And a great many of them are willfully so.

[Mortos]

4. Proudly so...

[mercuryblues]

5. of course you are right

They will twist themselves tighter than a pretzel to justify their vote for republican, rather than even listen to those evil librulz. How else would you explain an elderly person voting for Ryan? He has attempted to destroy Social Security and Medicare more than once, yet they somehow don't believe it will effect them.

They will defend their ignorance. I have one brother not talking to the other. When brother A asked why, I simply told him that his trump vote will setback his equal rights as he is gay. Brother A insisted no it won't it is "settled law." I named off his cabinet picks mentioning how rabidly ant-gay they were and how they have actively worked for decades to fight gay rights. "settled law" was his response again. I let him know he is not getting it. With at least 2 of trump's picks for the SC being just as anti-gay, with one saying gays belonged in prison, that "settled law" turned into a mere suggestion, with trump winning. He actually said " we'll you'll see I am right, he can't do that" I said, we have had decades of republicans fighting against gay rights, openly promising to deny them not only equal rights, but freedom. They now have all 3 branches of government an open SC seat with at least 2 more in the next few years. You mean to tell me with that kind of power they will not be able to roll back gay rights? Especially when trump is selecting some of the most anti-gay people for his cabinet? He sure isn't selecting them based on their experience in the field they will now be ruling over. A minute later he had something important to do and hasn't called me since. But not before he said, well if he is going to let an election get in the way, that is his problem, not mine.

Ok, I change my mind. They aren't fucking ignorant. They are unwilling to accept the facts. Party over people. This is who they are.

[COLGATE4]

7. "Facts" are immaterial to them. One of Trump's flying female monkeys

proclaimed on nationwide TV that there 'are no facts anymore.' It's all relative.

[DetlefK]

6. The problem is a religion-like willful ignorance.

They believe that the Republicans are good for them and nothing will convince them otherwise.
True believers.
And true believers don't believe your liberal and elitist "facts". Because they MUSTN'T be true.

[Cracklin Charlie]

8. There are none so blind...

As those who will not see.

[eppur_se_muova]

9. Perhaps more importantly, they are heartless.

If being informed supports the notion that they should help The Other, they would rather be uninformed.

[Wounded Bear]

10. I tire of excusing willful ignorance...

faithful adherance to falsehoods garners no respect from me.