Why do urban centers vote Democrat, and rural Republican?

11-03 | M. Peach

[M. Peach]

I thought I had all the answers regarding politics until my one of my teen aged sons asked me (and yes, I'm proud to say both of them are conservative) why large cities tend to vote Democrat, and rural areas - or mostly the rest of the country, Republican?

Can I get some opinions out there?

[quantim]

Self-employed are more likely to be self-starters and are less likely to be on the union or city collective dole. They are also more likely to be republican and they are more likely to be successful as a result.

[DBeers]

anonymity in a crowd & acceptance among similar deviants...

the lunatic fringe are the overall minority yet a congregated majority

[M. Peach]

Excellent essay - thank you.

[ProudVet77]

In psychology there is a principal called "learned helplessness". If you live in an urban area you are more dependent on others for your survival. In many big cities people can't even travel without a bus or a subway. Everything they need for life comes from someone else. They also tend not to own anything of substance like land or a home.
So they are susceptible to people who say they are going to help.

[Born to Conserve]

The real questions are:
Why did all the conservatives leave the cities? Simply to get away from the liberals. To get away from their rudeness and taxing government.

And, why didn't the liberals follow them? It is more expensive to live out side the cities, and the parasites cannot follow their hosts easily.

[BunnySlippers]

Alternatively, maybe city folk are just all messed up. Why else would they opt to live in such cesspools to begin with?

Well, Griz, I can only speak for myself. But I was born and raised in Los Angeles ... since the 40's. And it is not a cess pool.

There are terrific advantages to living in a big city ... and a down side. As there are advantages and a down side to living a rural life.

[MrChips]

uh, black.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

Big cities contain the dims base, single women, gays, lesbians, government workers, union workers, blacks, Hispanics, and those on welfare.

No offense is meant here, just answering the question.

[TypeZoNegative]

I've noticed an urban stereotype about small towns, that how small towns are bastions of racism. That's the exact opposite of what I've noticed when I travelled to small towns. When I travelled to a small town in rual Minnesota, I was shocked at how friendly the people were. It impressed me so much that now I'm thinking about moving to that town after I establish my buisness down in Florida.

[meyer]

It is not "urban centers". It is high crime areas. :)

That is accurate. You'll note that urban and suburban areas that are well-kept and low crime are also generally Republican. Its the more run-down, crime-ridden areas that vote Democrat. And for good reason - its the laziest among us that look to others to provide for the needs that they don't wish to provide for themselves.

[Navydog]

Urban areas are where all the Social Services are centralized......the base of the Democratic (Socialist / Communist) party.

[justshe]

Having lived, for years, in a rural area.....yet worked across the country in urban areas, it is my opinion that it can be summed up in one phrase.

Urban voters suffer from a type of faux-intellectual elitism.

And that translates into a type of "bleeding" for every type of "cause" they can create. They view themselves as "victims" on every level. And thus if THEY are victims, then of course everyone around them in their urban bubble, is a victim too. And if you view yourself as a victim...you want everyone to make it "all better" for you. In order to make it all better for you.....you have to make it "all better" for everyone else.

I see it as a self-perpetuating cycle of mutual victimhood that feeds on itself.

[BunnySlippers]

In contrast, people in urban areas are generally dependent on others for just about everything. They are not very self-sufficient. Most city folk I know can't even change a tire. They call AAA when they get a flat. They expect the government to plow their roads, fix their potholes and run city buses for transportation. Without these government services, they would be lost. So they respond favorably to politicians who promise more of this type of thing and they tend to vote against any politician that speaks of "cuts" and "downsizing" of government freebies.

I thin kyou may be onto something here. At the same time I am appalled at some of the absolutely ignorant comments I see on this thread!

[MCH]

Blue big cities are where most of the parasites live, the ones who live off of the parasitic "hosts" that live out in the red areas.

Put another way, those of us in the red zone are the wagon pullers, and the blue zone denizens are the ones riding in the wagon. Oh yeah, and the guilt ridden 2nd & 3rd generation wagon owners, who are also blue, live in palaces in the blue zone, ruling over their parasite sheep-like subjects.

[6ppc]

Cities contain greater concentrations of "the entitled" who are bought off by the rats entitlement programs.

[PLK]

I may find out why Iowa wasn't defined as Democrat or Republican in the run up to voting. I thought of it as midwest, a lot more rural than urban and wondered why it wasn't either Party's territory. Earlier today I saw the votes for Republican easily outweighed Democrat... but I'm still not sure why it couldn't be predicted sooner.

STILL hasn't been called on the Fox website!

[truth_seeker]

"Actually, what Murray and Hernstien said about IQs in urban areas is that they are higher than in less densely populated areas, not lower. You should have read that book more carefully before quoting it, but then, it was a big book."

I read it entirely, about nine years ago.

I was trying to be sarcastically funny, about democrats being low IQ. Actually I think democrats attract both the lowest and highest IQ (if same can be guaged by education).

[elizabetty]

Urban areas are heavily populated with people trying to get close to the center of government. They want the government to take care of them. Rural areas are populated with people who want to pave their own way, live their own way, worship their own way. They want the government to keep them safe, build some roads and keep their hands out of their pockets.

[TChris]

Rural = self reliance, individualism, private property, broader experience, common sense

Urban = crowd thinking, gang mentality (us vs. them), survival instincts, community property, fight for yourself because nobody else cares