Source: Common Dreams News Center
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1104-01.htm
On November 4, 2004 Common Dreams News Center reported, "for years the Democrats have been telling themselves 'it's the economy, stupid.' Yet consistently for dozens of years millions of middle income Americans have voted against their own economic interests to support Republicans who have tapped a deeper set of needs. Tens of millions of Americans feel betrayed by a society that seems to place materialism and selfishness above moral values. They know that 'looking out for number one' has become the common sense of our society, but they want a life that is about something more --- a framework of meaning and purpose to their lives that would transcend the grasping and narcissism that surrounds them. Sure, they will admit that they have material needs, and that they worry about adequate health care, stability in employment, and enough money to give their kids a college education. But even more deeply they want their lives to have meaning --- and they respond to candidates who seem to care about values and some sense of transcendent purpose. Many of these voters have found a 'politics of meaning' in the political Right."