This week The Washington Post’s Wonkblog rolled up its sleeves and got to work trying to figure out why exactly rural voters are so angry. To get a new perspective, the Post talked to Kathy Cramer, author of The Politics of Resentment.
Cramer has spent years living with rural Americans and listening to their concerns. She says where the American media went wrong is by assuming that rural voters were being duped, that they somehow weren’t smart enough to know what was happening. Instead, Cramer said rural Americans have real concerns.
First, she said, rural dwellers felt they weren’t getting their fair share of decision-making power.
Second, she said small-town Americans believe they aren’t getting their fair share of federal resources.
And third, she said, rural Americans have felt for a long time that they aren’t getting enough respect for their hard work.
With the election last Tuesday, rural Americans are now being heard loud and clear.