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Want to Shrink Government? Red States will be the Big Losers [1]
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Date: 2025-01-15
We can say that the Republican attitude towards life is basically one of selfishness or self-interest. This can be clothed in Christian idealism and concern for the country’s “greatness” but peel away the public relations veneer and you have lots of self-interest coupled with a fair amount of resentment.
The country is going in the “wrong direction” and they have been told by the wealthy who hate government taxes and regulation that reducing the size of government is the “right direction.”
So, what is the basic argument for voting for the former President?
First, Republicans are continually told by right-wing media that their problems with inflation, illegal foreigners, gay/transgender rights, decline in religion, and job insecurity are bad and getting worse because of Biden administration policies.
And somehow, Rupert Murdock, an Australian billionaire is the most trusted source for all this pessimistic political information. Murdock has also been chosen as the new arbitrator of right and wrong with selected stories on FOX generally driving home the idea that conservatives are right about everything, and liberals are evil or foolish. Murdock has replaced both the Bible and the minister as the supreme moral authority. So, most Republicans proudly believe everything his network says which makes them completely out of touch, lacking even the most basic information needed by informed citizens.
This pessimistic perception of the way things are makes Republicans and many swing voters want to vote for change – any change. And we all know who the radical change candidate is.
Second, if the changes that occur make Republican’s situation worse (imagine Medicare and Social Security going away), at least they have the satisfaction that any change that occurs will be worse for those they dislike and resent (liberals).
In their mind, blue states and liberal urban areas may lose government funding for disasters, roads, and Medicare. Middle and lower-class Democrats, African Americans, and the poor may lose Medicaid, Affirmative Action programs, Welfare (for dependent children), abortion rights, transgender rights, and Obamacare (ACA). Illegal Hispanics immigrants, Haitians, and other refugees will be kicked out of the US making it whiter and more homogeneous. Muslims will not be let in anymore.
On balance, it seems like a win to vote Republican and this is true even for some swing voters. They want to bet that things will get better based on the promises of the former President who has almost never kept his word on anything except perhaps limiting abortion. But the alternative is liberals winning which is wholly unacceptable. For Republicans, their vote is a no-brainer.
But Republican states and their populations use government services far more than Democrats do as shown by the huge disparity between the government money that goes to Red States versus Blue States.
Of the top 15 most dependent states in terms of accepting federal government aid, 13 are Red States. When Republicans see the results of shrinking government in their communities, only then will they realize that they had a great deal to lose by spinning the wheel with all their bets placed on red. Republican voters hate to lose but in winning the presidency, shrinking government will likely make them the biggest losers.
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