The Politics of Resentment

An important book, but perhaps overly dry and academic. The most interesting takeaways for me were:

* rural folks feel looked over and left behind by government and perceive that the majority of their tax dollars leave the community and never come back, whether or not this is actually true

* the common narrative that people vote Republican because they're rich or believe they will/can be someday is flawed. The conversations Cramer observed suggest that Republicans have been so successful because they tap into existing resentments; namely, the government, people who work for it, and urban areas full of liberals and people of color. So the “them” or the “haves” is defined not by affluence, but by culture

* most rural/”small government” folks don't actually oppose education, despite the common narratives and rural voting patterns. Rather, many of these folks would be willing to pay more taxes for money that would improve education, but they perceive that their tax dollars go only to urban schools or “undeserving” school teachers (these folks strongly resent public employees, who are perceived as “haves”). So it's not more money for public education these voters oppose, but their desire to limit this aspect of government so as not to benefit the perceived recipients.

* likewise, it is too simplistic to say rural and Republican voters favor small government. They don't usually actually support the principle of small government, but rather oppose particular social groups (again, usually because of a perception of undeservingness)

However, aside from the government doing a much better job of showing how tax dollars are used and how social programs do benefit rural communities, I still don't know how to get around rural consciousness. Listening alone, while it may soften neighbors and increase acceptance, is not going to actually change hearts and minds. And study after study shows that many people just double down on their beliefs when presented with facts that contradict them. Cramer suggests that we need to stop letting politicians prey upon divisiveness and, while I agree, again, how do you get everyone to stop buying into classic us vs them narratives?

TLDR: while this book was interesting and insightful, I'm still left feeling rather pessimistic about the general population.