By Ezra
Best way to start my piece on this is with one of my favorite Onion articles:
"The Republican party—the party of industrial mega-capitalists, corporate financiers, power brokers, and the moneyed elite—would like to thank the undereducated rural poor, the struggling blue-collar workers in Middle America, and the God-fearing underpriviledged minorities who voted George W. Bush back into office," Karl Rove, senior advisor to Bush, told reporters at a press conference Monday. "You have selflessly sacrificed your well-being and voted against your own economic interest. For this, we humbly thank you."
Added Rove: "You have acted beyond the call of duty—or, for that matter, good sense."
Cute. Not particularly true, but cute. The poor do vote Democratic -- when they vote. They vote Democratic in the North and in the South, in urban centers and rural backwaters. And so, as Neil argues, they do know who's best for their interests. Now, one can easily mount a case for a self-destructive among lower middle class whites, but part of having a bit more disposable income is being able to vote on grounds other than direct economic benefit.
Nevertheless, as Shakes said, the poor largely don't vote, so even if the few who are turning out aren't marking for Republicans, the class as a whole is missing a great opportunity. But, and here's the kicker, we can't seem to figure out how to make them vote. If you guys remember, this was the rationale for Ralph Nader's candidacy -- he was going to sweep up all those disenfranchised stragglers through a combination of ant-corporate populism and quasi-socialist programs. It didn't work. Nor did it work when Mondale called for the reestablishment of the New Deal or when McGovern offered his Democracy Bonds or at any other time.
