There’s also the fact that when state and federal tax monies get divvied up, those monies almost exclusively go to urban areas. Rural areas get left out every time. So they’ve reason to be bitter about educational priorities et al, other than that they don’t go to college. Why should a rural person’s tax dollars go to fund an education in some obscure discipline that won’t make that urban yuppie kid employable when they risk their lives every day going to work crossing a bridge there’s conveniently never enough money to repair? When local hospitals are closing? When their own kids aren’t getting the education they deserve?

And so forth and so on.

Plus, all that money that goes to fix urban problems never actually seems to do so. And they’re always asking for more. The problems seem to get worse every year. So why continue to throw effort after foolishness? Isn’t the definition of insanity to repeat an action and expect a different result?

You’re the first person other than myself I’ve seen look at the electoral map and see the divide is primarily rural vs urban.

Good article.