ANSWERS: 30
  • They aren't really, only with the unions pushing their employees to vote Democratic it makes it seem that way. If Republicans are pro business, then anyone working for a business will want that business to prosper. The Democratic argument of supporting labor over the businesses is insane. If the business cannot compete because of labor costs it will shut down. Take a look at what happened to Consolidated Freightlines. They were the 3rd pargest freight carrier in the country, and had to close the doors because of the strangle hold the unions had on them. They could not compete in the market any longer. Unions, for the most part, have outlived their use and are merely a money generating device for the unions themselves. I used to be a Teamster, and even a shop steward for a time, and looking back, I realized they did nothing for me except take dues from me every month. Nowadays, companies offer the same benefits without the union intervention for the most part.
  • A number of reasons: 1.) The Republican party has been fuzed with the religious right, and many of those blue-collar workers, and rural workers, are from conservative religious backgrounds. They vote against their own best interests to "save family values" from the gays, atheists, pagans, scientists, environmentalists, and all us other nasty folk. 2.) The Republican party spreads myths about Democrats increasing taxes, and that frightens middle America. The truth is the largest tax increases have occurred under Republican administrations. 3.) Republicans, for the most part, are Hawks. Democrats tend to be Doves. Fearful people want someone to go to war to protect them, they don't trust diplomatic solutions. They think in terms of "good guys" and "bad guys", so Harry Potter does not negotiate with Voldermort. They don't understand the subtle truths that exist in the real world.
  • Unfortunately Workers in the US need unions. There are 44 million uninsured American citizens. They have no union and no medical benefits or pensions. In general, Bosses are not the friend of the Workers. That doesn't mean that they are enemies either--they just have different interests.
  • Talk about an opinion laced question - perhaps they are sick of high taxes
  • What are their own interests? Walk into any bar full of blue collar workers and they wil agree with the values of Republicans far more than Democrats. If their only interests were an increase in pay (most of which they would give to a Union boss) and guaranteed job security (making getting hired much more difficult because it makes it much harder for businesses to get rid of deadbeats) then your question would make sense. The free market works and most U.S. workers believe in it.
  • Because they read the Bible and listen to their Pastors. Homosexuality is wrong and is forbidden. Read Your Bible!
  • They don't if they believe in family values and capitalism.
  • Being gay voting Republican is voting against my self interest. however I am forced to do it every four years for these reasons: 1. The Dem. party has abandoned me. They have become the party of unthinking special interests. 2. They eviscerate the military every time their in office. 3. Every time there is an election they never fail to put forth a candidate that wishes to seed sovereignty to the UN. 4. In the last eight years they have engaged in the worst kind of disinformation campaign. That isn't to say that the Rep. are any better. Just slightly less loathsome. I would vote for a Zell Miller or Joe Lieberman but the primaries weed good Dems. out.
  • Sticking to the tax issue alone, Republicans are careful not to mention they are only talking about the rich when they talk about cutting taxes. Democrats, even Obama, go into the gory details and brains shut off, ears shut down, and they think its some sort of doubletalk. . Fortunately, the KISS approach of the Republicans is backfiring on them now and they have become the party of the simple and stupid.
  • We all have the rights to our choices and opinions. Welcome to America, the freedomland.
  • Ask the UAW workers (of which I am one) who's interests they voted against when they voted for Obama. The UAW supported and endorsed Obama. Both the UAW and Obama screwed us.
  • long answer short... with a republican leader you may not be rich but if you put in work, effort, determination and a little brains you can create an oppertunity to become well to do(compared to your average citizen) where as with democrats they want everyone to be on the same level. poor. thats why they encourage free hand outs. welfare, free health care, section 8. and people not working to earn what they have. meanwhile the people who have done for themselves suffer to benefit the poor.
  • Alot of blue collar workers voted for Clinton who signed NAFTA and GATT which sent our manufacturing jobs overseas and to Mexico and put millions of blue collar workers out of work and is collapsing our economy to this day. Was voting for that democrat in their best interest or anyone's for that matter? We'll be feeling the effects of that clowns actions for long time to come.
  • so weird you asked that, theres a book called the political mind and it answers that in depth second chapter
  • Sounds like the democrats don't know their own interests!
  • Voting to keep more of the money that you earn instead of giving it to those who don't work? How is that against our own interests?
  • Because fox news left out that Obama's plan cuts taxes for the middle class and raises taxes only for the top 5% of America...I don't know how they think they are getting their taxes raised.
  • The answer is somewhat complicated and paradoxical. Jim Webb wrote a book about the Irish-Scots who immigrated to the US from Northern Ireland and largely settled the areas from Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas and east Texas. They brought with them a history of being bullied and dispossessed of property by the the British. They are very proud, clannish, emotional. Do you recall the cliche of "Hatfield and McCoys" which is a metaphor for the irrationality of hatred based some perceived wrong that was committed by some previous generation. (not unlike the tribal mentality in the middle east.) There is a distinct sense of not letting anyone think they are better than another (from English class structures), they fear intellectual thinking and "experts". There is also a complex love hate relationship to all forms of authority but mainly "god, country, father, husband". They vote against their own best interests because their fear overcomes their thinking, and they are generally not very educated. I have family that fits this category. What is most destructive, in my opinion, is the blind devotion women have to their fathers' and husbands' ego.
  • Because Republican politicians speak to their fears.
  • The answer is somewhat complicated and paradoxical. Jim Webb wrote a book about the Irish-Scots who immigrated to the US from Northern Ireland and largely settled the areas from Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas and east Texas. They brought with them a history of being bullied and dispossessed of property by the the British. They are very proud, clannish, emotional. Do you recall the cliche of "Hatfield and McCoys" which is a metaphor for the irrationality of hatred based some perceived wrong that was committed by some previous generation. (not unlike the tribal mentality in the middle east.) There is a distinct sense of not letting anyone think they are better than another (from English class structures), they fear intellectual thinking and "experts". There is also a complex love hate relationship to all forms of authority but mainly "god, country, father, husband". They vote against their own best interests because their fear overcomes their thinking, and they are generally not very educated. I have family that fits this category. What is most destructive, in my opinion, is the blind devotion women have to their fathers' and husbands' ego.
  • Wheres your proof of that?Dont have any do you. Meanwhile Dems in Congress and Senate are turning away from Obama.They're starting to realize what a mistake him being in office is.
  • Apparently they feel that having their jobs exported is far less important than Gay folks getting married. Lemming like behavior would be an appropriate moniker.
  • Fear, ignorance, willful stupidity, anger, or just plain old asskissing to the scum they suplicate to in hopes of a crumb from the table. Their rhetoric is false, demeaning and always at the expense of the weakest in our society. They are perfect submissives to the bullies they idolize, they are dupes and thoroughly brainwashed. Who, with any kind of self esteem at all, would proudly call themselves Dittoheads? I am no longer interested in the historical political analysis of why such a significant portion of the population is this way. They are our Sturmabteilung. They are dangerous. If you can bear to listen to their favorite media pimps, simply replace the word "liberal" with the word "Jew" and you have the same sneering rants that the German people were bombarded with between 1930 and 1945. This "Liberal" is armed. I mean, really, what kind of an idiot would support a party filled with thieves and pervs like this: http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/7231286
  • the only thing sad is you people thinking you know more then you do. dont try to press your issues on me. definiatly not workin.
  • Depends on the time period. In recent years , the Republican party has pushed the religious and patriotic buttons to distract blue collar workers from the reality that republican policies tend to favor the wealthy.
  • how do they vote against theri own interests? Until Obama, most dems raised taxes to fund social programs, it remains to be seen what O will do ppl work hard for their money, they don't want it just to be handed because some ppl think the world owes them a living they work, they have HC they don't want to fund the rest of country
  • How do you figure that???
  • According to a Wall Street Journal analysis of Social Security Administration data, more than one-third of all pay in the U.S. now goes to executives and other highly-paid employees: Executives and other highly compensated employees now receive more than one-third of all pay in the U.S., according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of Social Security Administration data — without counting billions of dollars more in pay that remains off federal radar screens that measure wages and salaries. Highly paid employees received nearly $2.1 trillion of the $6.4 trillion in total U.S. pay in 2007, the latest figures available. The compensation numbers don’t include incentive stock options, unexercised stock options, unvested restricted stock units and certain benefits. Between 1979 and 2006, the inflation-adjusted after-tax income of the richest 1 percent of households increased by 256 percent, compared to 21 percent for families in the middle income quintile. Despite these numbers, Democratic leaders, “bowing to unease among lawmakers and governors in their own party,” are reconsidering the House Ways and Means committee’s proposal to implement a surtax on the richest one percent of Americans as a way of financing a portion of health care reform.
  • Blue Collar most believe in the - 1. conservative values (social) that Rep represent when they vote on issues. (not nessessary in their own life) 2. A strong military 3. Lower taxes. For all. IF you tax "the rich" to much they cannot employ as many people with good jobs with benefits.
  • Think of it this way, how do companies get people to buy their products? They usually do research to see what gets the focus groups to "push the button" so to speak. So if that means putting a busty blonde in the commercial, then they'll do it. The same works for politicians. They figure out what exactly it is that will get uninformed/misinformed people to vote for them. This isn't to assume all blue collar workers are uninformed/misinformed, but generally speaking, a lot are uneducated making the whole monetary system, political system, and every other established institution almost incomprehensible to the average person. So all they need to hear is that somebody wants to destroy what you have and here's how we would fix it, and there you go. +3

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