Why do economically disadvantaged people in Red States consistently vote against their own interests?

Answer 1

I know a woman who is ill with a debilitating illness. She does not have health insurance. Her spouse is ill and he has VA insurance, but it takes months to get seen. He has lost his job and they are not eligible for Social Security. They are very poor and extremely close to homelessness. Young men in her family will be eligible for the war if the mandatory draft is reinstated. She was at the polls ready to vote before they opened. She does not see any connection whatsoever in spite of the direct impact it's had on her immediate family in the past five to six years. If you ask her "Why?" she responds "because he's a good Christian."

Answer 2

Probably because they have not been educated about what their interests really are. And it serves the interest of the republican party well to keep these people in the dark so that they are not able to make educated choices.
The republican party has a 2 pronged approach. They appeal to the super rich and the poor. They really are the party of the super rich. And these rich people are smart, no mistake about that. And the government helps this rich bunch with tax breaks and other incentives. But there are not a whole lot of super rich people. So just by themselves they will not be able to gain power. That is where the other prong comes in play. They appeal to these poor uneducated people and appeal to their religious beliefs. Religion is a strong influencer. And these poor people who have not had a lot of education or opportunity can't really make much sense of the message of the republicans. They just come in and say "we are for small government", "we are for less taxes" and obviously they herd up people from this section of society. These people do not realize that in reality the government is not small at all, and even if the number is small, the power and reach of the government is extremely large and that the less tax actually applies for the rich and not for the have-nots.
But to understand these concepts you need education, which is denied to this segment of society. You don't want them to get smart, so you teach them fatalism and intelligent design.
It all boils down to education.

And to dragongfly's answer: she doesn't realize that tax breaks are not "across the board". Tax breaks like taxes are also progressive, so the rich save more and the poor save less. Calculate the difference of two quantities: money you have after taxes minus money you would need to live comfortably. Then calculate the same number for someone who is super rich. You might notice that the number is very different for the rich. This is called your expendable income and this phenomenon is called accumulation of capital. And the republican policies DO NOT allow accumulation of capital in the hands of the poor people. This expendable income is what helps you improve your lifestyle. I don't know if you have studied economics. It is not possible to create wealth if at some point you have not accumulated enough capital by means of expendable income. So the logic that you hear that you can jumpstart your own life just by hardwork is not entirely true. The rich got rich because far back in history at some point they got ahold of wealth that they did not have to work for. If you are running from pillar to post trying to meet your necessities, you never have the resources to improve your condition. It's true for entire countries just as it is true for individual families.
You proved my earlier point about education.

Answer 3

"They pretend to pay us and we pretend to work"
Unofficial Motto of Workers in the USSR

We working poor and working class voters in the red states tend to vote conservative:

Because, in the red states we recognize that cutting taxes accross the board creates jobs (especially for the working class).

Because in the red states we recognize that welfare programs encourage laziness and continuing unemployment thus dragging members of the "economically disadvantaged" down.

Because in the red states we recognize that the money belongs to the people who earned it. Redistribution of wealth eliminates the incentive to be innovative and to explore new ideas.

Because in the red states we recognize that getting ahead requires a use of natural talent combined with a lot of hard work.

Because in the red states they recognize that the "disadvantage" we face limits us only as far as we allow it to.

Answer 4

How is it voting against thier own interest to vote republican?
How is voting democrat going to put more money in anyones pocket?
Maybe they believe it is thier responsabillity to improve thier station in life and not the federal governments. And Republicans tend to lower taxes and reduce regulation and clear the way for them to be all they can be.
I am one of those " red state" people, by the way.

Answer 5

The republican mindset is a very fundamentalist Christian one.

1. They vote based on faith in what they believe and questioning their belief is like questioning their faith. They refuse to do it because they fear it will weaken them but this leads to reject learning.

2. They believe that their way is the best way to live and want to share that with everyone. If this means some unhappiness for some people who want to keep a different way of thinking they are willing to make that sacrafice for what they consider the greater good.

Answer 6

Despite the resounding agreement by others on this forum who said that red state voters are stupid or ignorant, or comments having to do with republicans being manipulative, rich or evil, the real reason that many voters in red states has absolutly nothing to do with their ignorance of their economic interests, but their obsession and preoccupation with their religious interests. Being a democrat in a predominantly red state, i can tell you that many of the people that voted for bush didn't vote him into office because of his economic policy, simply because they dont care about their financial standings as much as their commitment to their religious ideals. I agree with many of my republican friends on almost all economic matters in our country, but disagree with them greatly when it comes to social issues such as gay marraige and abortion. While I do not vote according to who my church dictates as moral or immoral, many americans put their faith far ahead of their finances on their list of priorities, and are proud to say they do so. So to answer your question, they dont vote against their own interests, because they are only interested in upholding the values of their religion through the law, which can be achieved by voting in representatives that will faithfully uphold these religious ideals in the government, despite the fact they have horrible economic policies and corporate agendas to attend to

Answer 7

Now isn't that the million dollar question. I think its because most people only educate themselves by way of 30 sec commercials, Or during the last couple of elections I heard people talking about they were going to vote based on who it looked like was going to win anyway.

Answer 8

What you call disadvantaged might not be the same as for them, Each of us compare ourselves to others depending on the social economic situation we are around. So what might be poor living for you might be high living for someone Else's. Depends on our expectations. Religion plays a large part.

Answer 9

Can you give examples? By the way, I'm so tired of this partisan garbage red/blue states! People need to worry more about the issues, than what party someone belongs to.

Answer 10

because most of them tow party lines whether it is their best interest or not. I live in Nebraska, totally red state. But I am a liberal. I vote for what I believe in not what others tell me to believe.