Midwest Battle Gounds

I thought this was a good informative article. It highlights some key reasons why the Midwest voted so strongly in favor of the GOP in the recent midterms. Most notably it points to white blue collar workers with no college degree as the main demographic responsible for the unfortunate 2010 election results.

This, however, is not surprising. The hardest hit group by the economic downturn has indeed been this demographic. Milwaukee, for example, has recently jumped from the 8th poorest city in the U.S. to the 4th. It is understandable that the fear of job loss and poverty should arouse desires for a shift in leadership. Yet, in this case, making that shift meant voting against one’s own interests. If the blue collar workers of Wisconsin are struggling now, they will be even worse off if Republicans cut construction projects such as the rail, badger care, various government jobs, and many important social programs.