A Pilgrim’s Digression

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Bitter at the Top

David Brooks writes an interesting column today. I’ve always respected him for his fairness. He also seems to reflect my own middle-of-the-road, tending toward conservative values. I don’t think there is anything astoundingly new in what he reports here, though. I suppose common sense would suggest that “knowledge” workers would vote Democrat while “managers” would tend to vote Republican, and the parties themselves nominate candidates based (unintentionally) on this stereotype. I can rememeber my AP Political Science teacher from High School, Mr. Woody Wilson (yes, that was indeed his real name), telling his students that the well-educated tend to vote Democrat. I think what Brooks points out here is that the well-educated as a class is itself divided. Myself, I am “bi-political,” meaning I swing both ways. The first vote I ever cast was for George H. W. Bush in ‘92; I voted for Dole in ‘96. I voted for McCain in the 2000 Republican primary, and I voted for Gore in the General Election. My vote for Gore was the most difficult vote I ever cast; to this day, I still admit it reluctantly. It was too much like voting for Bill Clinton to ever be completely palatable to me, but at the time I felt it was the right choice. This year, I don’t know which way I will swing. The trajectory of my voting history, following as it does the course of my college education and entrance into the workforce, suggests a steady pull towards the Democrat party. My vote in November will be heavily influenced by events over the next few months.