White Rural Rage: The Heartland Threat to America

＂It’s an open secret that voters in smaller, less populous states have more electoral power than their urban counterparts, so why are these same voters the most eager to leave behind democratic principles? ... Thomas Schaller and Paul Waldman explore why, with all of this extra influence, these same voters fail to see real benefits, for instance suffering worse health and education outcomes than larger states, and why they are the most likely to rage against the democratic project the moment elections stop going their way. This is the patriotic paradox of rural America: the rural citizens who take such pride in their patriotism are least likely to defend core American principles, even when the system itself is set up in their favor＂--

Tom Schaller is a professor of political science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. A former columnist for the Baltimore Sun, he has written for The New York Times, Washington Post, and The Los Angeles Times. He is a regular analyst of U.S. politics for the Canadian Broadcast Company and has appeared on ABC, CBS, The Colbert Report, and MSNBC, among others. The author of Common Enemies, The Stronghold, and Whistling Past Dixie, and the coauthor of Devolution and Black State Legislators.

Paul Waldman is a columnist at The Washington Post. A former regular blogger for the American Prospect, he has also written op-eds for the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Boston Globe. He is the author of Being Right Is Not Enough and Fraud, as well as the coauthor of Free Ride and The Press Effect.