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NorthCarolina

(11,197 posts)
Fri Jul 3, 2015, 01:20 PM Jul 2015

Have You Ever Wondered

How Republicans Get Americans To Vote Against Their Own Self Interest?

If you have ever contemplated that issue, which I'm sure many have, then you may find this piece a worthwhile read, and likely a confirmation of what you probably believed to be true. I enjoyed it anyway, so thought I would post a snippet and a link to it here.

Hope everyone has a safe and fantastic 4th!


The general stigma and opinion of the majority of the American people is that the Republican party and their policies favor the wealthy. If so many people believe that a particular political party has only a small elite in their best interest, why do so many still continue to vote for them? A question needs to be asked, why do working class, low and middle income families, continue to support a party that gives little to no benefit to them?

A New York Times/CBS News poll was released last October and showed that 70% of all Americans believed that the policies of congressional Republicans favored the rich. In addition to the backlash towards congressional Republicans, two-thirds of Americans actually disapprove of continuing tax cuts for corporations and millionaires. President Obama's recent proposal, the "Buffett Rule", which would place a minimum tax rate of 30% on millionaires, failed in the Senate with a 51-49 vote. Only one Republican voted for the bill, falling nine votes short of the 60 vote super majority it needed to move to the House of Representatives.

Though the "Buffett Rule" failed in the Senate, if a 60% threshold was needed among the American people, the bill would have passed with flying colors. According to a recent CNN poll, 72% of Americans favor the "Buffett Rule,"blowing away the numbers shown in congress. These numbers show where the majority of Americans stand when it comes to economics, but it doesn't translate in the polls when it comes to election time. On most occasions, both the Republican party and the Democratic party each gain around 45% of the electorate, with the remaining 10% swinging in either direction depending on the mood of the country. While Democratic voters are mostly working class Americans who are more inclined to change and accepting others, Republican voters stick to their ideology and are much more resistant to change.

It makes economic sense for the wealthiest Americans to vote for the Republican party because they want to protect their own private finances without giving others, including themselves, the chance for more upward mobility. What makes people scratch their head is the idea of a working class family, making $50,000 a year, voting for a party that continues to give tax breaks to the wealthy and paying for it by cutting the programs that benefit the lower and middle class income families. <snip>

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Have You Ever Wondered (Original Post) NorthCarolina Jul 2015 OP
Most Republican voters view themselves Android3.14 Jul 2015 #1
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