Values vs. Economic Self-Interest

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Richard Cohen gives us another look at the issue of whether the American poor are being duped by rich Republicans on the issue of 'values,' on top of George Will's treatment, that is, whether the American poor are being hoodwinked to vote for the Republicans on account of religion and hence going against their real economic interests.

Mr. Cohen picks up on the point that it's not like Kerry and company offered a clear and tangible alternative that would enrich their lives:

"So just how, precisely, were all these cultural conservatives duped? It seems to me that they saw through the promises for what they were -- empty -- and voted on what mattered most to them. They knew, just as we all know, that nothing in the Democrats' oh-so-moderate program was going to make much difference to them -- or, even if it did, it was not worth what they would have had to give up in exchange."

In addition, Cohen points out the striking example of the American Jews who seem to vote in favor of 'values' over economic self-inerest:

"Sometimes a voter may actually decide to vote against his or her economic self-interest. In an Oct. 26 column I cited Jewish voters as an example. As a definable group, they are among the wealthiest in the country, and yet time and again they vote overwhelmingly Democratic. In the 2004 election, Bush got only about 20 percent of the Jewish vote. In that column, I cited the power of culture, which is not simply inherited, like hair color, but can be the product of thought as much as tradition.

"Most Jews are not voting Democratic out of mere habit. They are making a conscious decision to forgo an economic benefit for something that matters more -- a cultural imperative for social justice. They believe in social welfare programs. They believe in redistributing wealth (some of it, anyway), and they believe firmly in civil rights and civil liberties. What are these rights worth? Anything you can name, because history teaches that without them even the pursuit of happiness is futile."

But these last values are ones which we can appreciate. It seems tragic that so many Americans should cling to medieval values.

( Cohen column )

Values vs. Economic Self-Interest

~
Richard Cohen gives us another look at the issue of whether the American poor are being duped by rich Republicans on the issue of 'values,' on top of George Will's treatment, that is, whether the American poor are being hoodwinked to vote for the Republicans on account of religion and hence going against their real economic interests.

Mr. Cohen picks up on the point that it's not like Kerry and company offered a clear and tangible alternative that would enrich their lives:

"So just how, precisely, were all these cultural conservatives duped? It seems to me that they saw through the promises for what they were -- empty -- and voted on what mattered most to them. They knew, just as we all know, that nothing in the Democrats' oh-so-moderate program was going to make much difference to them -- or, even if it did, it was not worth what they would have had to give up in exchange."

In addition, Cohen points out the striking example of the American Jews who seem to vote in favor of 'values' over economic self-inerest:

"Sometimes a voter may actually decide to vote against his or her economic self-interest. In an Oct. 26 column I cited Jewish voters as an example. As a definable group, they are among the wealthiest in the country, and yet time and again they vote overwhelmingly Democratic. In the 2004 election, Bush got only about 20 percent of the Jewish vote. In that column, I cited the power of culture, which is not simply inherited, like hair color, but can be the product of thought as much as tradition.

"Most Jews are not voting Democratic out of mere habit. They are making a conscious decision to forgo an economic benefit for something that matters more -- a cultural imperative for social justice. They believe in social welfare programs. They believe in redistributing wealth (some of it, anyway), and they believe firmly in civil rights and civil liberties. What are these rights worth? Anything you can name, because history teaches that without them even the pursuit of happiness is futile."

But these last values are ones which we can appreciate. It seems tragic that so many Americans should cling to medieval values.

( Cohen column )