White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy by Thomas F. Schaller

White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy

by Thomas F. Schaller

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Rural white Americans hold outsized electoral power and still face poor access to health care, failing infrastructure and lost jobs. That said, Schaller and Waldman argue these voters are more likely than other Americans to embrace conspiracy theories and xenophobic beliefs and to accept political violence.

Core ideas
  • A patriotism contradiction: The authors see a gap between the patriotism these voters profess and their rejection of core democratic values.
  • Grievance amplified: Republican politicians and conservative media feed rural grievance, in their telling, instead of addressing the problems underneath it.
  • Fixes on offer: The book closes with proposed structural reforms and policies meant to help rural communities and strengthen democratic institutions.
Published2024
Pages320
ISBN9780593729144

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