What's the Matter With Blue Collar Republicans?

Or "Thank you, sir, may I have another?"

Thomas Frank recently appeared on Comedy Central's THE DAILY SHOW WITH JOHN STEWART in support of his book, "What's The Matter With Kansas?"

I've read transcripts of previous interviews on the book and reviews of it as well. In the book, Mr. Frank makes a case for the heartland of American being the victims of a political "bait and switch" by the Republican party.

You see...the Republican Party plays up their positions on Godly issues (anti-abortion, anti-homosexuality, pro-censorship/decency laws, anti-gay marriage, etc) to sway the blue collar, God fearing voter to choose Big Red.

But, upon getting into office, those same Republicans can't deliver any changes on the issues (and some suggest they don't want to). See...it is almost impossible to legislate any changes on these Godly issues. The will of the people is too divided on these issues for us to come to a consensus that will change them and principles of democracy demand that we err on giving people free choice rather than on telling them what is good for them. So, there is really nothing that can be accomplished by sending elected officials to Washington for issues of morals.

Well...our GOP friends have been elected to office, but can't change anything on these issues...what to do with the rest of their time? Why, follow through on the rest of their platform, namely the economic issues that are pro-corporation, of course...often at the expense of the same blue collar, God fearing voter that elected them.

This happens time and time again. Are the Republicans just that good at pulling the wool over the eyes of the voter? No...they have plenty of help from the Democrats.

Over the last few decades, Democrats appear to be moving more towards the middle economically while staying to the left on social issues. They think that they are trying to broaden their appeal to Republican voters, but all they really accomplish is further polarizing the voter on the social issue...since the differences there standout the most.

Thus, a blue collar worker votes his spiritual conscience on Election Day and votes his or her way to a decreased paycheck or to no paycheck at all.

And I blame the Democrats for their slow abandoning of the blue collar worker and the unions.