Why Ordinary Americans Voted Against Their Own Interests

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So why did voters turn against the democrats in last week’s election?  After all, things are really looking up in the good ole USA, especially after you compare the America of today to the America of George W. Bush.  Again, the question must be asked: why did the electorate say NO to dems, and vote for republicans, the party that hates them?

Many Americans remain frustrated with low-paying jobs.(Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Many Americans remain frustrated with low-paying jobs. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The Week’s  has some pretty good ideas:

Dude, where is my raise? If you had to summarize why voters rebelled against Democrats in last week’s midterms, that question would be it. In national exit polls, the economy by far ranked first on the list of voter concerns, even though by Wall Street standards, the economy is hunky-dory: Unemployment is dropping, and corporate profits and the stock market are in the stratosphere. But here’s the rub: All that lovely wealth isn’t trickling down. The country’s median income hit a high of $56,080 in 1999, went into slow decline, dropped to $53,644 after the 2008 economic meltdown — and five years later, was lower still, at $52,100. Raises remain tiny. Many newly created jobs pay a pittance. For tens of millions of people, the economic recovery is an illusion.

The voters are right: Wage stagnation — and the resulting erosion of the middle class — is this country’s biggest problem. When hard work no longer produces upward mobility for workers who lack elite skills, America’s implicit promise is broken. At National Review, conservative Maggie Gallagher complains that “for more than a decade Americans have been losing ground financially, and the GOP has yet to address the issue.” In The Washington Post, liberal Harold Meyerson grouses that “the Democrats have had precious little to say about how to re-create…widely shared prosperity.” Perhaps that’s because the standard liberal and conservative nostrums (Tax the rich! Eliminate regulations!) won’t address the fundamental problem: Globalization and technology have devalued both labor and workers, and made companies more ruthlessly competitive. Here’s a scary thought: Neither party is offering a remedy because there isn’t one.

What do you think?  Is Mr. Falk right?  Let us know in the comments.

About Post Author

Professor Mike

Professor Mike is a left-leaning, dog loving, political junkie. He has written dozens of articles for Substack, Medium, Simily, and Tribel. Professor Mike has been published at Smerconish.com, among others. He is a strong proponent of the environment, and a passionate protector of animals. In addition he is a fierce anti-Trumper. Take a moment and share his work.
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9 years ago

Yes, neither party has a solution to the challenges of globalization and technology. Both suppress wage growth and transfer rewards to owners of capital (aka shareholders). Unless “wage slaves” become participants in the economy as owners of capital, they will not benefit from economic changes driven by globalization and technology.

Stormin' Norm
9 years ago

The American ‘public’ or, if you prefer, ‘voters’, voted in the Republicans somewhat by ‘default’. They were, and are, disillusioned not just by your Democrats but by your politicians in general and, it just so happens, your President is a Democrat.

Had the reverse been the case then, I suspect, the Democrats would have won.

Ultimately, given the low voter turn out, both Democrats and Republicans need to get their heads out of their asses – where, in many case, like our politicians in Britain, their heads have resided for many years.

In Britain the ‘backlash’ against ‘voter disenfranchisement’ has been the rise of UKIP to ‘fill the void’.

In America there is clearly a similar void.

Still, as long as your politicians can ‘get away’ with things the ‘void’ will continue until some party appears to fill it.

Your politicians, like ours, are, probably, the greatest threat to true democracy since the Nazi’s.

Not that any of them are Nazi’s I hasten to add….merely inept and out of touch with reality.

Andy Bolin
9 years ago

Ordinary Americans didn’t vote against their own interests because ordinary didn’t vote.

Andy Bolin
Reply to  Professor Mike
9 years ago

The comment I wrote is different to the one published, several words missing. Oh well.

Marsha Woerner
9 years ago

When you look at the actual number of people voted, I don’t know that it’s a question of “people rejected the Democrats”. I think it’s more a question of “people didn’t think that anything made at difference”, so they didn’t take the time and effort to vote.

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