ghost2006

I have a friend who is a research psychologist and this is his explanation:

The reasons are simple.

Most humans don't vote based on real issues. This is the problem with democracy. People mainly vote based on moral grounds. If you think of why you like or dislike someone it’s usually for simple reasons. For example, I don't like him because he his "rude" or "racist" or "gay" etc... We would like to believe that we use more complicated reasoning when we vote, but in fact research doesn't support this.

The other reason is the need to belong to some group, in particular the power group. White people are the power group in American society. They have the higher social status and material possessions. However, poor white folks can’t show they belong to this group through the same methods. The only commonality that poor white people have with the rich is skin color and a historically common moral and ethnic background. Hence, this is what poor white people hold onto. It gives them the feeling that they still belong to the powerful group in the society.

Sally

Interesting. My Mum in England is like that. She thinks that being a Tory makes her "posh". When I was a child the hideous Norman St John-Stevas was our MP. She always said "we must vote for him, he's more famous so it gets our town noticed"

scrubbedexpat099

The premise is a bit weird, there is no poor people party to vote for.

Just look at the leading Democrats. Kerry will not be going through the eye of a needle.

All about the Money.

Dan725

I don't think its a Republican vs Democrat thing as much these days as it is a personality contest, and the TV campaigns aimed at the lowest intellect really do work.

I think the reason why a lot of lower income white americans voted Dubbya in was because he comes across as a good ol boy dumbo, and they identify with that. The TV campaigns made Kerry to be a wise and crafty fox, with so much trickery going on that he wouldn't be able to decide what to do, and thus alienated him from the honest goodness trailer folk.

dinosaur

That's so funny - I think there's a definite Tory psyche like that. My folks were teachers, who are not exactly proletarian, but equally were never paid much. Of course, most teachers are left wing, but my parents were slavish Tory voters who perceived Labour as either:
a) "lower class" (whatever that means ) or
b) hypocrites who claim to be "working class" while actually having piles of money
Guess its why I ended up somewhere in the middle in the UK...and get perceived as a raging pinko commie here.
My take on US politics is you have the Republicans, who come over like the right wing of the Tory party, and the Democrats, who are like the left wing of the Tory party...imho there is no equivalent of Labour or the LibDems , and it seems US parties are beholden to capitalist interests - i.e. they are guided by who gives them the most dosh, and not any higher political principles...

Manc

the equivalent of the Lib Dems is Alcoholics Anonymous.

Maz

:scared: Same constituency as me! We never voted for him, though.

Sally

lol 2 good posts you will get karma in due course

Sally

Good old Chemsford! Haven't been back for donkey's.

Maz

Last time you went, was the High Street pedestrianised? J/K I was there in October. It was cold, wet and rainy.

Sally

I believe they've developed the area by the river since I left. I remember the lovely "precinct" - in my day it had a big empty fountain where punks would congregate.

dinosaur

You can probably drop the "Anonymous"

gsnichol

Same reason why the UK has Labour/Conservative heartlands. In Sunderland I live in one of only 3 Conservative wards; the rest of the council is dominated by Labour. Consequently the non-Labour areas receive virtually 0 funding for any kind of special project, whilst the Labour-voting areas, which are mostly council estates, receive all kinds of funding for community buildings, better street lighting, CCTV cameras etc.

This and the mentality that not voting Labour would break some sort of family 'tradition' is what gets politicians relected. Politicians in every country are the same!

Maz

The precinct is now called "High Chelmer", has a lovely cafe in the middle called "Butterflies", even. The old market under the multi-storey is still there... unfortunately. Scrutty little area, that is. "The Meadows" is the new shopping centre near the river. It's not very big, but there's a ton of parking in and now behind the Odeon. Yes, the Odeon is now a multi-storey parking garage. LOL They've developed about as far as they can down to the meads, though... if they go much further, buildings will start to sink. LOL Chelmer Village is clearly visible from the back of Meadgate Estate. The tidal flyover is still there... and starting to show signs of age. Quite scary, esp when one's 70-year old father drives at 40 mph over it. :scared:

scrubbedexpat099

Got my Dads Capri stuck in there.

Happy Days

No doubt changed enormously, this was when Chelmsford was a county town.