The Hillbilly Vote

This Newsweek article purports to be about voters in Appalachia, but it doesn't really spend much time discussing voting patterns in the area or why they are what they are. That's probably because West Virginia--where my father and his side hail from--is among the poorest states and also consistently vote Democrat.

Coming, as I do from solid West "By God" Virginia stock, I don't feel a bit ashamed to point out the stupidity of hillbillies who continuously vote for Democrats thinking that they give a rat's behind about what happens up in the hills and hollers.

(That's me, second from the right, ready to blow somebody's head off--Just kidding).

Even in the comments section of the Newsweek article, there's the same meme that stupid hillbillies keep voting for Republicans who only care about rich people, instead of voting for Democrats who care about poor people. Well, it is true that Robert "KKK" Byrd brings home the bacon to West Virginia. The last time I was there (which was about 12 years ago), I was astonished at how straight U.S. 119 had become (and four lanes, no less!) with the infusion of my Texas tax money (and tax money from every other part of the country) into that tiny state. But that doesn't mean much has changed for the folks living up in Rattlesnake Holler. They still live in shanties with cardboard wallpaper and the second bathroom is an outhouse (not so many as I remember, though). But graduation rates are up and folks are finding better jobs, but that's not really thanks to Democrats. Democrats show up to pretend they like fried squirrel only at election time. Or when they need white voters to cover up their racism.