The party of the people? Jack Beatty writes in The Atlantic that the Republican party has become the "party of the people" in the United States. That is, the party of the rural American.
"Rural America is Bush country," Beatty notes. "It is also a museum of poverty, and its poverty shapes its politics."
As one who lives in rural America and sees its poverty firsthand, I have to agree with Beatty's assessment. Rural Americans are suspicious of the Democrats but hold to the GOP's espoused values.
The Red State electorate is not fooled. They may not know the details of Bush's crony-capitalist raid on the treasury but would they reject the GOP if they did? They vote for values, strength, guns, and righteous ferocity abroad -- and the GOP delivers. The rest comes under the heading of keeping government off our backs.
That's what sells out here in the impoverished pockets of rural America, whether we like it or not.