The Politics of Resentment

How is it that people who benefit from governmental services not only vote against candidates who are in favor of those services, but are vehemently against the idea of big government itself? And why do people who are in economic distress vote for candidates whose policies hurt them but help the wealthy? Typical answers are that people are voting against their interests because they don't understand politics or perhaps out of allegiance to principles like limited government. Cramer has a different answer. In listening closely to people across the state of Wisconsin for over five years, she discovered the powerful role played by resentment. What can look like disagreements about basic political principles can be rooted in something even more fundamental: ideas about who gets what, who has power, what people are like, and whom is to blame. The state of Wisconsin has come to be ground zero for debates over the appropriate role of government. The ascent of Scott Walker to the governorship, his policies targeting public employees, and the historic protests and recall election--threw into sharp relief resentment rooted in a rural/urban divide. Cramer's book illuminates the contours of rural consciousness--how people use it to make sense of politics and how these processes fit into a broader politics of resentment and one's social identity. Whether or not urban elites really do shortchange or look down upon those living in the country, placed-based identities profoundly influence people's understanding of political issues. An original and bold recasting of the "What Divides America Debate," Cramer's book shows that rural resentment--no less than partisanship, race, and class--can be a critical factor.