4 ms·
> Things are tight, taxes are scary The economic angle is what I understand least about the Republican voter base. A core part of the Republican platform is th
by brianpgordon 10y ago
> Things are tight, taxes are scary
The economic angle is what I understand least about the Republican voter base. A core part of the Republican platform is that we should be cutting government services and programs in order to lower taxes. But these cuts disproportionately affect the poor. The whole point of these programs is to provide a social safety net for the most vulnerable.
So I understand why the rich would vote Republican but I'm confused by the groundswell support for Trump among those struggling to pay their bills. It seems like they're voting against their own interests. How did the pro-business, small-government faction gain such traction among the people who have the most to gain from the redistribution of wealth via higher taxes?
Is it purely because of the parties' positions on abortion, immigration, defense, marriage, etc?
- austenallred 10y agoMy experience is that Republicans generally don't view it through the lens of "what will I get back from the government." At least in the town I was living, there's "what I make" and there's "what the government takes" and that's the end of the equation. Most people I knew who qualified for government assistance wouldn't even apply for it. Partially out of pride, occasionally out of ignorance, partially out of a fierce independence.
- nec4b 10y agoIt's called morality. Not taking what is not yours to take, when you can earn it yourself.