Why do poor and working-class conservatives support tax cuts for the wealthy?

THIS ACTUALLY MAKES SENSE. Essentially this article from The Economist is saying that some people near the bottom are worried that if our nation’s economic inequality were improved somehow, those now at the bottom might match or surpass those just above them. And those people would rather see the rich get even richer than see people in a lower economic class move up to their level or beyond:

Instead of opposing redistribution because people expect to make it to the top of the economic ladder, the authors of the new paper argue that people don’t like to be at the bottom. One paradoxical consequence of this “last-place aversion” is that some poor people may be vociferously opposed to the kinds of policies that would actually raise their own income a bit but that might also push those who are poorer than them into comparable or higher positions…

In keeping with the notion of “last-place aversion”, the people who were a spot away from the bottom were the most likely to give the money to the person above them: rewarding the “rich” but ensuring that someone remained poorer than themselves. Those not at risk of becoming the poorest did not seem to mind falling a notch in the distribution of income nearly as much. This idea is backed up by survey data from America collected by Pew, a polling company: those who earned just a bit more than the minimum wage were the most resistant to increasing it.

Poverty may be miserable. But being able to feel a bit better-off than someone else makes it a bit more bearable.

That kind of psychology is probably impossible to overcome — especially when combined with religious and political ideology. It reminds me of something Robert Reich called The Republican Strategy, which is, in part:

The Republican strategy is to split the vast middle and working class – pitting unionized workers against non-unionized, public-sector workers against non-public, older workers within sight of Medicare and Social Security against younger workers who don’t believe these programs will be there for them, and the poor against the working middle class.

By splitting working America along these lines, Republicans hope to deflect attention from the big story. That’s the increasing share of total income and wealth going to the richest 1 percent while the jobs and wages of everyone else languish.

This “Republican Strategy” is exactly what we’ve been dealing with for at least three decades — and especially now from the rank and file Teaparty base and their continued support of extending tax cuts for the wealthy, in opposition to their own self-interests.

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14 thoughts on “Why do poor and working-class conservatives support tax cuts for the wealthy?”

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I always find this aspect interesting. I live and work around many lower-middle class people who follow the Republican ideology even though the party’s policies go against their best interests. When I ask why they would support policies that actually HURT their own families the typical responses I get are based on:

1. Religion / Religious differences: usually the sticking point is abortion (libs support, conservatives oppose and want to outlaw).

2. Race: it continually rears its ugly head. The poor and white lower working class seems to think that all welfare goes to blacks and hispanic illegal aliens even though a large proportion would also help THEM should they lose their job, get sick, etc., etc.

UTMB on August 18, 2011 at 08:35 said:

Thanks for the insights and what you say makes a lot of sense. Sadly.
Circle City News on August 18, 2011 at 10:53 said:

I totally agree with you. Those two points are so entwined it sometimes is hard to separate them. I would also throw in a small third point: Patriotism. Under their worldview, it’s unpatriotic, un-American, big government, big brotherism, socialist, etc. to have the government raise taxes on the anybody, including the wealthy.

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The other thing I constantly find ironic is how the Tea Party and Republican/conservatives keep saying they want “smaller government” and that our current government has too many restrictions/taxes/whatever. However these very same people DO feel the government should dictate who you can or can’t marry, what you can or can’t do to your own body, and how you want to die.

So. Their take is that government taxing and government healthcare is intrusive but making gay marriage and abortion illegal is somehow not? Makes NO SENSE. To me, government needs to stay out of our private lives. I don’t mind paying my FAIR share of taxes—it helps pay for things EVERYBODY needs in life. I don’t give a rats ass about what people do in their bedrooms and at home as long as there is consent and of legal age.

UTMB on August 19, 2011 at 08:37 said:

It might be that they try to stuff their social conservative (religious) ideology into fiscally conservative arguments for mass consumption. Most people are fiscally conservative but are NOT socially conservative or rightwing fundamentalists.