Yeah, his second point's BS. Sourthern states are the welfare states, they recieve government money from more affluent states, and the Republican party is just as big on that as anyone. States like New Jersey support the Southern states' welfare. As part of the south I can say yeah, people don't like welfare, except when they're the receipients. But then, of course, they deserve it. His first point is ok, that people are entitled to vote against they're econimic interests in favor of cultural interests, but, wasn't that Krugman's point? That the Dem's therefore need to target cultural issues as well as economic issues?
The south's support for the Republican party is one of the most disaparate view in the world. But it truly has nothing to do with economics, because as was posted the south is full of welfare and they are not moving to work any time soon. The reason the south supports Republicans is guns and morality. The southerners are easily scared into thinking that the Democrats want to take away their guns and they also believe that the Republicans hold the high moral ground. If the intellectually challenged southerners actually voted based on "what have you done for me lately", they would vote democratic every time, although that would require getting off the couch and reading a newspaper instead of getting all you information from Rush and Fox. Unfortunately the "white trash" southerners do not have enough mental capacity to make an informed decision and since the Republicans are now going to fund education even less the poor deep south folk will never know what they are missing.
Southerners are easily scared into thinking that the Democrats want to take away their guns, because, nationally, the Democrats *do* want to take away their guns.
Welfare for white southerners generally doesn't take the form of direct checks from Uncle Sugar to individual recipients. It's usually in the form of pork-barrel projects and contracts or subsidies for local corporations. Someone building gunboats the Navy doesn't really want in Mobile is still engaged in productive work, even if his boss is a welfare queen. Most of the rest of the country has little moral objection to that kind of "welfare", it's just that the South has collectively been better at getting it than the rest of the US. The South also tends to get projects that are related to activities the federal government ought to be doing, like roads and national defense, so the question isn't "should the feds be building roads/battleships", but "should the feds be building *this* road/battleship?"
Yeah, his second point's BS. Sourthern states are the welfare states, they recieve government money from more affluent states, and the Republican party is just as big on that as anyone. States like New Jersey support the Southern states' welfare. As part of the south I can say yeah, people don't like welfare, except when they're the receipients. But then, of course, they deserve it. His first point is ok, that people are entitled to vote against they're econimic interests in favor of cultural interests, but, wasn't that Krugman's point? That the Dem's therefore need to target cultural issues as well as economic issues?
Posted by Michael | Link to this comment | 11- 7-03 11:33 PM
The south's support for the Republican party is one of the most disaparate view in the world. But it truly has nothing to do with economics, because as was posted the south is full of welfare and they are not moving to work any time soon. The reason the south supports Republicans is guns and morality. The southerners are easily scared into thinking that the Democrats want to take away their guns and they also believe that the Republicans hold the high moral ground. If the intellectually challenged southerners actually voted based on "what have you done for me lately", they would vote democratic every time, although that would require getting off the couch and reading a newspaper instead of getting all you information from Rush and Fox. Unfortunately the "white trash" southerners do not have enough mental capacity to make an informed decision and since the Republicans are now going to fund education even less the poor deep south folk will never know what they are missing.
Posted by Mark | Link to this comment | 11- 8-03 7:48 AM
Southerners are easily scared into thinking that the Democrats want to take away their guns, because, nationally, the Democrats *do* want to take away their guns.
Welfare for white southerners generally doesn't take the form of direct checks from Uncle Sugar to individual recipients. It's usually in the form of pork-barrel projects and contracts or subsidies for local corporations. Someone building gunboats the Navy doesn't really want in Mobile is still engaged in productive work, even if his boss is a welfare queen. Most of the rest of the country has little moral objection to that kind of "welfare", it's just that the South has collectively been better at getting it than the rest of the US. The South also tends to get projects that are related to activities the federal government ought to be doing, like roads and national defense, so the question isn't "should the feds be building roads/battleships", but "should the feds be building *this* road/battleship?"
Posted by Anthony | Link to this comment | 11- 8-03 9:40 AM