As I've written about before, I love spending time at my friend's farm. While previewing the produce and riding through the fields are staples of the experience, the bulk of my time there is spent chewing the fat. My friend's father (who owns the farm) and I routinely talk politics, which unquestionably starts with him asking me, "So, Freddy, have you decided to become a Republican yet?" Whatever the topic, our conversations always lead to him predicting that I will join the GOP as I grow older.
While I usually brush this aside as being unsubstantiated speculation, I was interested in a recent Gallup poll which showed that age is only a factor among non-Hispanic white voters. Check it out:
While I usually brush this aside as being unsubstantiated speculation, I was interested in a recent Gallup poll which showed that age is only a factor among non-Hispanic white voters. Check it out:
There are a number of factors that are likely at play here. First and foremost, many see the Republican Party as being incredibly hostile toward immigrants and non-whites. Even if one disagrees with this claim, the fact of the matter is that the perception of racism still affects votes.
Another reason can be explained using economics. White people comprise both the poorest and the wealthiest populations in the United States. On one hand, the majority of social insurance welfare money goes to white people. On the other hand, for example, the CEOs of the Fortune 500 companies: only five are black, seven are Latino, and seven are Asian. The remaining 481 are white.
If the spread of the economic diversity is greater, then a greater diversity of political thought would only make sense. If the social mobility of white people is greater, then it would also make sense that their political views could be more easily changed, as well.
My friend's father's claims are still totally unsubstantiated. However, it is quite fascinating to explore why he might think that I'll suddenly become a neo-con in "a decade".
