Anyone but Hillary

[brer cat]

23. Good report, herding cats.

From my experience the dichotomy between rural and urban does indeed reflect our views on social issues. It is certainly no secret that rural people tend to be more insular, and those I know have always been distrustful and fearful of the influence of "outsiders."

When I was young during the 1950s - early '60s, the issues you listed were not on our radar, but the "big city" ways were hated by my rural relatives: they feared the sins we would import, the breaking down of family bonds as young people were lured away from the farms and small towns into the cities, the rejection of the evangelical beliefs that formed the core of their existence. They simply wanted to be left alone in their communities where patriarchy and preachers ruled.

The Civil Rights movement, women's liberation, gays coming out of the closet, immigrants settling into wider areas were imposed by outside forces and all threatened their traditional way of life. These are the issues, far more than economic ones, that influence their votes and led to their intense hatred of liberals. The Southern Strategy, which imo spread far beyond the south, was successful primarily because of racism but also because of the loss of local control. Racism attracted both suburban and rural voters to the republican party, but I think loathing of feminism, the hippie counter-culture, and liberalization of some religions strongly influenced rural sentiments.

Those that I know or suspect voted for Trump bring up only social issues. My bubble is the south, and maybe it is different in the rust belt and other areas.