The Republican Edge

[ The following was found in my material from 2004 and lightly edited. The numbers are out of date, but the principles still hold. -- KWG]

Now that we've taken a quick look at who owns what and at who pays for government in American society today, let's consider who elects our national leaders. Indulging my fondness for graphs and charts, I prepared another visual aid just for the occasion:

OK, the title is strictly my conclusion, while the data behind the graph is straight from the Census Bureau. It's astonishingly clear that affluent citizens generally take the trouble to vote, while a large majority of the poor do not. Isn't it just great how poor and working-class Americans trust us to look out for their interests?

Some of you may question whether this non-participation by poor citizens is really an advantage for the Republican Party. I assure you, it is. Exit polls and pre-election surveys consistently show that less affluent voters tend to vote Democratic, and census data reveals that while they represent a huge portion of the population, their influence in the voting booth is far below their potential.

Low-income non-voters thus represent a huge block of missing votes for Democratic candidates. This just confirms what political strategists have long known: a large voter turnout favors the Democratic Party. Now you can see why Republicans in swing states from Ohio to Florida try to suppress voter turnout.

republican-edge.html ... released 24 October 2012 ... expires 30 November 2024