Every day I marvel at how poor and middle class Republicans vote against their self-interests

[booley]

78. I think it has more to do with values

Conservatives have different priorities about what values are important.

It's not that cons are necessarily against education but education has to fall in line with their values.

Hence why there are so many conservative private schools and colleges like oral roberts and Liberty and why cons love private schools.

Yes one can say that Liberal institutions are more open to opposing ideas BUT that's because Liberals hold open mindedness itself as an important value (at least in theory)

Republicans as a party know how to feed and reinforce these values. OF course adding fear to the mix can help this. People will respond when they feel their cherished values and institutions are under threat (and lets be honest Liberals are no different in this regard. Otherwise how to explain Wisconsin and Walker's recall?)

While what you say has some merit in a case by case basis, I think it misses the over all picture.