Ask Auntie Pinko
May 10, 2001

Dear Readers,

Auntie Pinko has been so gratified by the enthusiastic response to these little columns. It's really a pleasure to hear from every one of you, liberal and conservative. While I can't respond to every single query immediately (once a week is as much as I can manage to be wise and profound,) please rest assured that I read every one and will try to address all the concerns you express.

Now, on to this week's question, which is a really lovely one:

Dear Auntie Pinko,

Why is it that some people think they are rich if they vote Republican?

Sincerely,

Confused Dem North Huntingdon, PA

Dear Confused,

It may be the same mysterious force that makes people think they are "fashionable" if they wear clothing loudly embellished with a popular designer's logo that is in operation here.

There may be another reason, as well: We misunderstand the nature of wealth.

It's ironic that a nation founded on principles of democracy should be as class-conscious as America, but maybe it was inevitable given that old "Protestant ethic" that shaped many of our early leaders. We connect economic success with moral and social virtue, and associate poverty with such despised qualities as laziness, lack of initiative and moral vice.

If we accept these associations, we have to demonstrate our worth as human beings and fellow-citizens by participating in the highest level of economic class we can manage to maintain.

Now, the Republican Party is, of course, the political tool of the very wealthiest class of Americans. As with most elites, it is not really in their self-interest to invite large numbers of others to actually join their social and economic class. But it is in their interest to make it seem as if they serve a larger group-the ones who aspire to demonstrate their social worthiness by appearing "rich."

This is like the public relations coup achieved by really gigantic multinational businesses that persuade small and medium-sized American businesses to support political and economic policies that benefit only the mega-giants-just because they're all "businesses" together. Even when those policies may be positively detrimental to the actual conditions that allow small and medium sized businesses to thrive, the "business group identity" keeps them automatically in line.

The Republican Party cleverly uses the same psychology to keep voters in line with the interests of the very very wealthy elite who control the Party's inner workings. Their psychological reward for voting Republican is encouragement to believe they "belong" to a wealthier economic class. And to protect that illusory identity as "rich," they must continue to support the economic and political policies that benefit only the tiny elite.

It's a nice racket.

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