Your response seems to have the attitude that the author rejects by the end of the article. Are you saying that rural and working class voters are just too simple to let what the author calls "the elites" tell them what is good for them?
Here are the final two paragraphs.
"If Democrats want to understand what makes people vote Republican, they must first understand the full spectrum of American moral concerns. They should then consider whether they can use more of that spectrum themselves. The Democrats would lose their souls if they ever abandoned their commitment to social justice, but social justice is about getting fair relationships among the parts of the nation. This often divisive struggle among the parts must be balanced by a clear and oft-repeated commitment to guarding the precious coherence of the whole. America lacks the long history, small size, ethnic homogeneity, and soccer mania that holds many other nations together, so our flag, our founding fathers, our military, and our common language take on a moral importance that many liberals find hard to fathom.
Unity is not the great need of the hour, it is the eternal struggle of our immigrant nation. The three Durkheimian foundations of ingroup, authority, and purity are powerful tools in that struggle. Until Democrats understand this point, they will be vulnerable to the seductive but false belief that Americans vote for Republicans primarily because they have been duped into doing so."
He doesn't reject the intial paragraphs here,what he does is try to explain what dems would need to do to bring those voters to their side which in his opinion is to pander to the strong flag waving,militaristic tendencies that exist in some parts of the american culture.That is just a tactical arguement on how to win for the democrates not a rejection of his initial observations.Whether they have been duped or not they are still voting against their own interests.
One thing I would mostly agree with that someone said is neithier party represents the vast majority who are middle class and down working people's interests enough.But what people fail to get is that when they give some support to the party which is clearly less working for their interest (the republicans) they invite both parties in some way to dismiss them and their interests.The vested wealthy interets have lots of money to spend to influence both parties at the expense of the majority,untill they pay a price for allowing that politically don't expect much change in whose interests and agenda they are representing.
Tough to get anything done with the partisan nature of politics today. It doesn't seem what the issue is.
Could you expand on your last thought though? I'm not sure where you are going with the having to work thing.
I beleive he is saying what I said ,that anyone who actually works for a living and is not in the top couple of percent in wealth and votes republican is voting against their own interests.Again are dems different enough on tax policy and other things that effect the living standards of the average american,definately not IMO, but there is some difference.Much more likely to get some relief from out of control for profit health care system from the dems then republicans is just one example.
