Walking through my little beach town today, I was depressed by the number of Romney-Ryan signs (and encouraged by the Obama-Biden ones!). I really, really cannot understand why anyone would want to vote for the Republican ticket. After much thought, I have decided there are only four reasons, which I attempt to define below.
Ignorance: There are probably a few people out there with no information whatsoever, because they really do not read, watch any news at all, or listen to anything on the radio besides music. The greatest number in this category, however, are the sadly deluded who think they do know the real story, because they get their information from Fox News, Rush and the rest of the Koch brothers’ minions. They have never looked at any rational set of facts (and they don’t want to). The classic “low-information” voter who makes a choice based on who they’d like to have a beer with.
Stupidity: This group really bothers me. I’m sad to say I have acquaintances (really, I can’t call them friends anymore) who do read and get their information from several sources, and just plain refuse to acknowledge the truth, even when it hits them in the face like a dead mackerel. When the facts are placed right in front of you and you choose to ignore them – well, that’s just plain stupid. It’s lottery ticket thinking. It’s magical thinking. It’s thinking that somehow the rich guys are going to create millions of jobs instead of enriching themselves. It’s thinking that you might become one of those rich guys!
Greed: Well, there are plenty of those in my town. I live in a beautiful little beach town on the Outer Banks. There are many here who have had successful careers (or were lucky enough to buy when this was just a sandbar with a gravel road). The average home price is over a million dollars (not mine). And a percentage of these lucky, lucky people just don’t want to share their good fortune with anyone else. They want to keep it all. And they will vote for someone who promises to let them hang on to more.
Evil: I’d like to think this is a tiny percentage. These are the bullies, sociopaths and creeps. It’s not enough for them to have it all to themselves – they actually enjoy the idea of other people suffering. I’d include all of the homophobic, racist, women-hating assholes in this group. I suppose there is some very slight comfort in knowing that these people will never experience true joy, or love, or kindness. And when they die, no one will shed any tears.
So, of the people you know who are voting Republican, which category is the largest?