To upset Barack Obama next Tuesday, John McCain is counting on a conservative base in small towns, energized by running-mate Sarah Palin. It's the so-called "values vote," focused on social issues -- abortion, gay marriage and gun rights -- as well as cutting the size of government. Four years ago, Thomas Frank published What's the Matter with Kansas?, raising a question about the so-called "values voters" who were crucial to the election and re-election of George W. Bush. This year, big parts of America's "Heartland" have become battlegrounds between McCain and Obama. Is that a temporary phenomenon or will there be lasting political consequences? Is the economy trumping the culture wars? Has the population changed in the past eight years?
Will 'Values Voters' Turn to the Economy?
Credits
Guests:
- Joe Bageant - journalist
- William Frey - Brookings Institution
- Anna Greenberg - Vice President, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research
- John McLaughlin - Republican strategist, John McLaughlin and Associates