Interests or Values?

[DonViejo]

Bill Schneider: “What happens to high-income voters who are well-educated? Sociologists call them ‘cross-pressured,’ meaning pulled in different directions. If they vote their interests, they vote Republican. If they vote their values, they vote Democratic.”

“Way back in 1896, Democrats nominated the whole populist package: William Jennings Bryan, an economic radical, religious fundamentalist and foreign policy isolationist. Bryan’s candidacy turned off cosmopolitan America. He did well in rural America and the South, but lost the fast-growing, urbanizing and industrializing states that were attracting immigrants. Democrats nominated Bryan three times (1896, 1900 and 1908). Each time he did worse. Democrats became the nation’s minority party for 36 years.”

“With Trump as their standard-bearer, Republicans may be inviting a similar fate. They are becoming the party of declining America. Democrats are becoming the educated cosmopolitan party.”

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https://politicalwire.com/2016/09/13/interests-or-values/

[Exilednight]

1. I take my values over my interests any day of the week.

If I were to vote my interests, I would choose school vouchers since my girls are in private school, but I'm gearing up for the fight against them here in Texas.

[elleng]

2. NOT TRUE,

if they vote their interests, they vote Democratic!

[athena]

4. Exactly!

That was also my reaction. Democrats are not one-step thinkers. We don't just look ahead to the next tax return. We also think about a bridge on the way to work that may fall down next year, or the next war that may be started for the wrong reasons by a Republican.

[Hortensis]

3. We became the educated cosmopolitan party

a long time ago. But yes.

This shows the GOP congress more conservative than any time in history. It does not show conservative voters, much less educated and cosmopolitan voters, but, though voters have been pulled far right, neither are following that dark-money-influenced drive to severe right-wing economic extremism.



Political Scientist: Republicans Most Conservative They've Been In 100 Years
http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2012/04/10/150349438/gops-rightward-shift-higher-polarization-fills-political-scientist-with-dread

Btw, this shows what many of Trump voters are finally rebelling against in their very uncosmopolitan and haplessly unintellectual ways. It's not all about bigotry by a long shot.