I was part of an interview this week with friend and fellow editorial cartoonist Angelo Lopez. He lives in the Bay Area in California, and he was curious about the post-election vibe in the Midwest.
Angelo was particularly interested in the apparent trend of the working-class voters shifting from the Democrat to Republican parties. I grew up in Flint, so I know well that back in the day most people, but especially blue collar folks, voted Democrat. Lots and lots of reasons why that was so and lots and lots of reasons why it isn't so much anymore.
But the best explanation I can think of for shifting voter patterns is that it's a very different world today and political parties evolve. Back when I was born, if you were a white social conservative living in the South, you'd vote Democrat. And if you were a free-trade, no-tariff capitalist, you'd vote Republican. New opinions are constantly developing to meet a changing world and political parties evolve to meet them.
It made me a bit nostalgic, though. Remember the good ol' days when holiday dinners were ruined over labor vs. management fights instead of party politics?
Editor's note: John Auchter is a freelance political cartoonist. His views are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Michigan Public, its management, or its license holder, the University of Michigan.
