In case no one has put this up previously, there's an article by Mark Ames in the current issue of the New York Press called "Spite the Vote" at http://www.nypress.com/17/23/news&columns/MarkAmes.cfm that addresses the same issues. It's remarkably splenetic, but at least it's funny, right down to the thesis: white male Americans vote the way they do out of spite, to increase the level immiseration of in the country. It does traffic in some right-wing bromides, notably that libs are affluent citizens of the coast who want to manage the lives of those who less fortunate them themselves--but Ames turns this one on its head by going on to say that the coastal libs are *right* about what less fortunate need, which only goes to piss off the spite voters more: "What bothers spiters is that the left *really does know* what's in their interests. If you're miserable, you don't want to be told what's best for you by someone who's correct-it's sort of like being occupied by a foreign army with good intentions. You'd rather fuck things up on your own, something you're quite good at, and bring others down with you."
Other exerpts:
"In this country, tens of millions of people choose to watch FoxNews not simply because Americans are credulous idiots or at the behest of some right-wing corporate cabal, but because average Americans respect viciousness. They are attracted to viciousness for a lot of reasons. In part, it reminds them of their bosses, whom they secretly adore. Americans hate themselves for the way they behave in public, always smiling and nodding their heads with accompanying really?s and uh-huhs to show that they're listening to the other person, never having the guts to say what they really feel. So they vicariously scream and bully others into submission through right-wing surrogate-brutes. Spending time watching Sean Hannity is enough for your average American white male to feel less cowardly than he really is...."
"Republican elites don't set off the spite glands in the same way, and it's not only because of a sinister right-wing propaganda machine. Take a look at a photo of the late billionaire Sam Walton, a dried-out Calvinist in a baseball cap and business suit, and you'll see why. If Republican billionaires enjoy their wealth, they sure as hell hide it well. As far as one can tell, Republican billionaires genuinely like working 18-hour days in offices. Their idea of having fun is a day on the golf green (a game as slow and frustrating as a day in the office) or attending conferences with other sleazy, cheerless Calvinist billionaires. If that's what all their wealth got them, let 'em have it-so says the spite bloc. This explains why the Republican elite-the only true and all-powerful elite in America today-is not considered an "elitist" class in the spleens of the white male have-nots. Elitism as defined today is a synonym for "happy," not "rich" or "powerful." Happiness is the scarcest resource of all, not money. And the happy supply has been cornered by the beautiful, famous and wealthy coastal elite, the ones who never age, and who are just so damned concerned for the have-nots' well-being. In that sense, you can see how the Republicans were able to successfully manipulate the meaning of "elitism" to suit their needs. They weren't just selling dogshit to the credulous masses; they were selling pancreatic balm to the needy...."
-- Curtiss
> According to O'Rourke, Americans know the Republicans,
> like the Democrats, suck and they know that business
> interests wield incredible power. They also know,
> from direct experience, that these influencers - the
> corporations - also suck. But, he said, they fear and
> distrust the government more than they do Walmart
> because the government has the power of coercion
> backed by force.
>
> So although it's true Walmart can make your life
> miserable, they can't proclaim you to be an 'enemy
> combatant' and remove you in shackles, facing the
> business end of an M441, to Gitmo or charge you with
> tax evasion and dispatch legal and police enforcers
> after you. and so on.