Are Republican voters tricked into voting against their self-interest. No.

I often hear liberals ask why so many Republicans vote against their self-interest, like for example, supporting huge tax cuts for the wealthy while demanding that the poor pay more.  We have to understand that they AREN'T voting against their self-interest, they are voting against OUR self-interest.  They want a different America than we do.

We want a country that has good public schools for all and a higher education system open to the rich and the poor and we don't mind paying more in taxes for this.  We believe government can - and should - do things that the private sector and the private individual can't.  We believe workers should have enough leverage to earn a working wage and we want a vibrant middle class.  We strongly believe that a person's race should not matter but we recognize that racism still exists and we have a responsibility to do what we can to mitigate (and eliminate) it.  We also believe there must be a wall between religion and government, and that no one should be forced to obey someone else's purely religious edict.  So when we vote we vote for our self interest.

The Republican base has a different ideal.  They are suspicious of public schools or national standards, preferring that the local community get to decide what to teach kids.  Many see nothing wrong with teaching Christianity and Biblical myths rather than established science that contradicts the Bible.  They believe the free market should rule and that government should not get involved.  That this will result in a degraded environment, increased deaths from dangerous products, or a society of just two classes of people: a small group of the very rich, and a very large population of people constantly living on the edge does not seem to concern them.  Many Republicans I've talked to believe that this is God's will, and that poverty spurs people to work harder.  Sadly it appears that a significant portion of the Republican base see African Americans and Hispanics (and now Muslims) as enemies of their America.  To them, blacks are lazy and probably less intelligent who believe whites owe them food stamps and a welfare check, Hispanics are like ants that have invaded our country and are taking jobs away from us, and Muslims have come to America to eventually take us over and impose their religion and their law on us.  Obviously not everyone on the right feels this way, but in general this is the America they are voting for.

So, please, no more compalins about how Republicans are "tricked" into voting against their self-interest.   They know exactly what they are voting for.

--Trakker 

Comments

[Dagny T]

Trakker ... You wrote:

"So, please, no more compalins about how Republicans are "tricked" into voting against their self-interest. They know exactly what they are voting for."

Yes indeed we do. We are not the ones that have been "tricked" into anything as were the masses of OBAMA voters, such as you, who fell under his "magical" spell.

"They want a different America than we do."

Got that correct Trakker. We most *definitely* do.

"We want a country that has good public schools for all etc."

If that is true, why can't our taxes be put to better use in the classrooms, for the *students * benefit, as opposed to keeping incompetent teacher's on staff?

"We strongly believe that a person's race should not matter ..."

Very good! Please tell that to Obama and get him to stop pitting one race against another as he is wont to do.

"We also believe there must be a wall between religion and government ..."

There is. Read and do your best to *understand* the wording of the Constitution.

Enough for now, gotta go.

~ Dagny

[Dagny T]

Hello-o-o-o?

No response Trakker?

~ Dagny

[Trakker]

Was driving back from West Virginia. Couldn't respond.

"...OBAMA voters, such as you, who fell under his "magical" spell."

I'll be the first to admit Obama over-promised in 2008, and almost every liberal I know spent 2009 and 2010 in a funk. Obama took office believing he could work with the Republicans, work out compromises, and bring the country together. What he found was that Republicans didn't want to work with Obama, they wanted to do anything that would screw him in 2012. Any sane person would have caught on quickly that the right was out for blood, but Obama kept trying to work out deals with the Republicans...and they punked him very time. So in my eyes he failed big time, and by the 2010 elections rolled around Obama's supporters were depressed, they stayed home, and the Republicans won big. If you would look at my posts in 2010 you would see that I was very critical of Obama.

But it now appears he's given up being nice and is ready for an all out battle in 2012.

So, yes, Obama has been a big disappointment for us but only because the change he promised was a liberal change, but what he gave us was old, tired Republican legislation (Obamacare is very close to what Republicans proposed when Clinton was trying to get his health care package passed). But the point is, no matter how disappointed we are in his performance, we still prefer him to any Republican.

Teachers. We all know there are some incompetent teachers, and we all know they can be hard to fire (unless they do something really reckless). What percentage of our teachers do you think are incompetent, and how do you propose to identify them? Teachers are not factory workers, they have at least four years of college and most have big school loans to pay off. It would be terribly unfair to just fire teachers willy-nilly without proof that they are truly incompetent and that it isn't because of a personality difference with the principal, etc.

I am baffled by your claim that Obama is guilty of "pitting one race against another." What has he done to to divide the races?

And I don't get what you are trying to say about my desire for a wall between church and government. You say there is, so it seems you are agreeing with me (somehow I think not).

[Dagny T]

"Was driving back from West Virginia. Couldn't respond."

Fair enough. Am busy myself at the moment. will reply tomorrow.

~ Dagny

[Dagny T]

"I am baffled by your claim that Obama is guilty of "pitting one race against another." What has he done to to divide the races?"

Google it for yourself, is plenty of info out there! I want to get on to the "New Reader's" topic.

"And I don't get what you are trying to say about my desire for a wall between church and government. You say there is, so it seems you are agreeing with me (somehow I think not)."

Once again ... let me direct you to the words of the Constitution. Once again, you can google the section for yourself.

Am running out of time. RL is tapping on my shoulder.

~ Dagny

[Trakker]

Trakker: "I am baffled by your claim that Obama is guilty of "pitting one race against another." What has he done to to divide the races?"

Dagny: Google it for yourself, is plenty of info out there!

Trakker: I Googled "Obama pitting one race against the other" and got nothing about pitting one race against the other. Gues that's one way to slip away...

=============

Same with the wall between church and government. If you have nothing, just say so.

[Dagny T]

Trakker ...

Come on, stop being so obtuse!

You know exactly what I meant on both accounts.

If I had thought it was worth my time to continue this discussion with you, I would have done so.

I have not slipped away yet, as you can see.

Why don't you drop over to your "Oh my! New readers (temporary, I'm sure." topic of discussion.

I did take the time to reply to you in there.

Doubt that you will like what I had to say ... nor will you take the time to check out the link I left.

Oh well! C'est la vie!

~ Dagny

[Trakker]

“It is the mark of the mind untrained to take its own processes as valid for all men, and its own judgments for absolute truth.”
― — Aleister Crowley