White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy
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- Create Date：2024-02-29 14:22:52
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Tom Schaller
- ISBN：B0CKVJ66JR
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Summary
A searing portrait and damning takedown of America’s proudest citizens — who are also the least likely to defend its core principles
White rural voters hold the greatest electoral sway of any demographic group in the United States， yet rural communities suffer from poor healthcare access， failing infrastructure， and severe manufacturing and farming job losses。 Rural voters believe our nation has betrayed them， and to some degree， they’re right。 In White Rural Rage， Tom Schaller and Paul Waldman explore why rural Whites have failed to reap the benefits from their outsize political power and why， as a result， they are the most likely group to abandon democratic norms and traditions。 Their rage—stoked daily by Republican politicians and the conservative media—now poses an existential threat to the United States。
Schaller and Waldman show how vulnerable U。S。 democracy has become to rural Whites who， despite legitimate grievances， are increasingly inclined to hold racist and xenophobic beliefs， to believe in conspiracy theories， to accept violence as a legitimate course of political action， and to exhibit antidemocratic tendencies。 Rural White Americans’ attitude might best be described as “I love my country， but not our country，” Schaller and Waldman argue。 This phenomenon is the patriot paradox of rural The citizens who take such pride in their patriotism are also the least likely to defend core American principles。 And by stoking rural Whites’ anger rather than addressing the hard problems they face， conservative politicians and talking heads create a feedback loop of resentments that are undermining American democracy。
Schaller and Waldman provocatively critique both the structures that permit rural Whites’ disproportionate influence over American governance and the prospects for creating a pluralist， inclusive democracy that delivers policy solutions that benefit rural communities。 They conclude with a political reimagining that offers a better future for both rural people and the rest of America。
White rural voters hold the greatest electoral sway of any demographic group in the United States， yet rural communities suffer from poor healthcare access， failing infrastructure， and severe manufacturing and farming job losses。 Rural voters believe our nation has betrayed them， and to some degree， they’re right。 In White Rural Rage， Tom Schaller and Paul Waldman explore why rural Whites have failed to reap the benefits from their outsize political power and why， as a result， they are the most likely group to abandon democratic norms and traditions。 Their rage—stoked daily by Republican politicians and the conservative media—now poses an existential threat to the United States。
Schaller and Waldman show how vulnerable U。S。 democracy has become to rural Whites who， despite legitimate grievances， are increasingly inclined to hold racist and xenophobic beliefs， to believe in conspiracy theories， to accept violence as a legitimate course of political action， and to exhibit antidemocratic tendencies。 Rural White Americans’ attitude might best be described as “I love my country， but not our country，” Schaller and Waldman argue。 This phenomenon is the patriot paradox of rural The citizens who take such pride in their patriotism are also the least likely to defend core American principles。 And by stoking rural Whites’ anger rather than addressing the hard problems they face， conservative politicians and talking heads create a feedback loop of resentments that are undermining American democracy。
Schaller and Waldman provocatively critique both the structures that permit rural Whites’ disproportionate influence over American governance and the prospects for creating a pluralist， inclusive democracy that delivers policy solutions that benefit rural communities。 They conclude with a political reimagining that offers a better future for both rural people and the rest of America。
Reviews
Davinia Palacios
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A bit boring。
Ana Maria
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DNFAnti-White piece of c***
Richard Smith
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What the F is this piece of trash？？
Reader
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Paul was a leading advocate of these trade deals and would write column after column telling these people they would get better jobs because of it。 Now they’re pissed off about being lied to and won’t trust them anymore， so they’re a threat to their world ord。。 I mean democracy。 I can’t stress how disgustingly sinister these people really are。 They knew they were lying。 They won’t even put on a face and say they may have made a miscalculation。 No。 They raped you and your family and now that you’ Paul was a leading advocate of these trade deals and would write column after column telling these people they would get better jobs because of it。 Now they’re pissed off about being lied to and won’t trust them anymore， so they’re a threat to their world ord。。 I mean democracy。 I can’t stress how disgustingly sinister these people really are。 They knew they were lying。 They won’t even put on a face and say they may have made a miscalculation。 No。 They raped you and your family and now that you’re pissed， you’re a threat。 。。。more
Brien Piechos
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I sincerely wish rural people were as ravenous and dangerous as these two sniveling sissies make them out to be， and that they get to find out up close and personal very soon。
Jack Reidy
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White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy by Tom Schaller and Paul WaldmanPosted on February 25， 2024 by JackThe book is “White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy” by Tom Schaller and Paul Waldman brings together a huge amount of information to discuss rural areas， their problems， and potential solutions as well as the current political situation which contributes to these problems and presents a threat to American democracy。 I think that may be the longest and most complicate White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy by Tom Schaller and Paul WaldmanPosted on February 25， 2024 by JackThe book is “White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy” by Tom Schaller and Paul Waldman brings together a huge amount of information to discuss rural areas， their problems， and potential solutions as well as the current political situation which contributes to these problems and presents a threat to American democracy。 I think that may be the longest and most complicated sentence I’ve written lately， so let me explain。First。 why just talk about Rural Whites。 About 25% of rural residents are non-white。 So in rural areas the whites pretty much control the majority of votes。 And white voters are the one expressing rage at the government because they feel disempowered。However they have more power than any minority group。 They are a large minority but still a minority。 The authors call them the “essential minority” since they are often in control。 This is because of the original design of our government which was never changed。 The Constitution gives each state 2 Senators。In my review of Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point I put it like this: "This leads to situation where California with 39 million residents and Wyoming with less than 600 thousand residents are equally represented in the Senate。 To make matters worse the Senate has a filibuster rule where a minority of 41 of 100 Senators can block a bill。 So the minority of Senators， often representing a very small percentage of the population can defeat a bill favored by a majority of Senators and a much larger majority of citizens。The Electoral College is another problematic institution。 In recent years， it has often resulted in the candidate with fewer votes of the citizens winning the Presidency by winning the most electors。"Rural regions have many problems and these are discussed at length in White Rural Rage。 However failure to address them seem to be the fault of Republicans who keep getting re-elected by stoking rage rather that attempting to fix the problems。 In many cases Republicans chose the act to benefit big-money benefactors at the expanse of rural residents。The authors have several suggestions to improve the response of politicians to rural needs。 My favorite is to elect better Republicans。 Or make Republican and Democrat compete for votes。 Rural residents deserve much better。I thank NetGalley and Random House or allowing me read this before publication。 The book is scheduled to go on sale February 27 。。。more
Stephen Power
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We're a long way from "What's the Matter with Kansas，" Toto。 Schaller and Waldman do a fantastic job pulling together a huge a amount of information--some previously reported， much new--to show that the greatest threat to America is rural white Christians。 Despite the citizens of rural areas being treated as the only "real Americans，" despite the government and society putting the thumb on the scale for them in every way since the founding， their parts of America haven't really been American cul We're a long way from "What's the Matter with Kansas，" Toto。 Schaller and Waldman do a fantastic job pulling together a huge a amount of information--some previously reported， much new--to show that the greatest threat to America is rural white Christians。 Despite the citizens of rural areas being treated as the only "real Americans，" despite the government and society putting the thumb on the scale for them in every way since the founding， their parts of America haven't really been American culturally， economically and socially for more than a century。 Rural areas are instead decaying， impoverished， drug-addled， violent， and dependent on government charity--everything the Rural White likes to project on "cities，" that is， in his mind， Black ghettos--and full of workers like himself who aren't educated， who can't compete for what good jobs are left locally， and won't compete for the lousy jobs immigrants are willing to do because these are beneath him。 In other words， rural areas are the Old Country， the place anyone with a brain， a will or a chance flees to find opportunity， become who they want to be， escape bigotry and oppression， and achieve the American Dream。 And all this grinds the Rural White， who thinks he should be treated as a pillar of society， a proper Babbitt， because he's a rural， white and Christian （and certainly because he's male）， when in fact he's just rubble in an antique land。The trouble is， the electoral college and gerrymandering have given the Rural White tremendous power， power that's been cynically cultivated by the Republican Party in exchange for nothing that will improve his life except a way to vent his rage at being irrelevant。 This is why he loves Trump。 As the authors point out， Trump knows he's just a schnook from Queens who'll never be accepted by the swells in the city。 Similarly， the Rural White is a schnook from the sticks and who， despite raging that the city looks down him， can't accept the fact that the city would rather not look at him at all。 Thus， he is happy to follow Trump's lead in wanting to burn it all down if he can't be the only "real American" anymore。 Remember: the Rural White is the same person who， when courts ordered his public pools to be integrated， closed the pools instead。 He is a child who， if a game goes against him， takes the ball and leaves--and it's not even his ball。I have just two complaints about the book。 One， the authors' solution to the problems of the Rural White， helping the Rural White， won't work because any help he gets he thinks of， in my opinion， as his due。 Of course help should flow to him。 It always has。 It's what America does， help him。 It's why he pays what taxes he's grudgingly willing to pay。 What he hates is help flowing to non-rural non-white people too， as the authors point out when citing DYING OF WHITENESS。 This is why direct Democratic appeals and actual programs don't change his mind。 It remains to be seen， for instance， whether Biden walking with striking auto workers will actually help him even with those auto workers， let alone other unionized workers or lower class workers in general。 They expect that。 They are happy to take the help （just as Republicans happily take credit for Democratic programs they voted against）， but， of course， getting any help only reminds the Rural White of his desperation， reminds him that he's a minority in every way now， and， because no REAL American needs or takes help from the government， that makes him bite the hand that feeds， especially if it's a Democratic hand。 The better solution is to abolish the Electoral College （or outwit it through popular vote compacts）， redraw district lines so they aren't gerrymandered （as just happened in Wisconsin） and， thus， strip the Rural White of his undeserved， unearned power。 Let his one vote count the same as the vote of everyone else。Two， the authors go right up to the line of saying what's happened to our country， but don't actually do so （much like their subtitle naming the rage， not the rageful， as the threat）， so let me: American is now an apartheid state run by the Rural White。 Despite his being a minority， we are subject to his small-mindedness， his lawlessness， his obsolete and anti-democratic attitudes， his grievances， his need for revenge， his violence and bigotry， his perverted and cruel version of Christianity--that is， as I see it， his collapsing narcissism， another thing he has in common with Trump。 Fortunately， his is also a rapidly shrinking minority， in part because his "values" are repellent to a majority of actual Americans， especially anyone under 35; in part because his approach to the world furthers the destruction of his own world like an arsonist in a house of straw， and in part because he's largely elderly and eschews pandemic precautions and what medical care is left to him。 It's possible his own nature as well as Nature itself will solve the problem of the Rural White before he destroys the rest of the country。Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early look。 。。。more
Lisa Davidson
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Even though it didn't start with Trump， Trump seems to have exacerbated the problems that already existed。 White rural voters go against their own interests because they've been convinced that their hatred and rage are more important than their own country， health， their very lives。 It's depressing and the book hits you with fact after fact after fact。 I've been trying to understand for years why people are so willing to pay MORE out of their own pockets because it makes them feel like they're k Even though it didn't start with Trump， Trump seems to have exacerbated the problems that already existed。 White rural voters go against their own interests because they've been convinced that their hatred and rage are more important than their own country， health， their very lives。 It's depressing and the book hits you with fact after fact after fact。 I've been trying to understand for years why people are so willing to pay MORE out of their own pockets because it makes them feel like they're keeping something good from someone else， someone they don't even know。 Politics is such an important part of their identity。 Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this 。。。more
Cheyenne
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Thank you， NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group， Random House， for this advanced reader’s copy。 This book was phenomenal and well researched。 Easy to read， but maybe not so easy to hear information about citizens of white rural America。 Authors did their research and backed up their findings with statistics and said if they didn’t find any evidence to support information。 Best part of the book that will resonate will is that everyone does not need to vote Democrat， but if you vote Republi Thank you， NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group， Random House， for this advanced reader’s copy。 This book was phenomenal and well researched。 Easy to read， but maybe not so easy to hear information about citizens of white rural America。 Authors did their research and backed up their findings with statistics and said if they didn’t find any evidence to support information。 Best part of the book that will resonate will is that everyone does not need to vote Democrat， but if you vote Republican， vote for someone who will actually act on your behalf and work FOR YOUR INTERESTS。 Oh， and actually just vote， cause your vote counts， everyone deserves the right to have their voice heard and has the right to vote， and voter fraud is NOT as common as you are lead to believe。 Amazing book！ 。。。more
Chris Loves to Read
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Well researched book looking at the politics of the rural white voter。 Will any white rural people actually read this book？ Probably not and they make end up here on GR calling it fake news。 White people need to stop voting against their own best interests to "stick it" to the others。 I just reviewed White Rural Rage by Tom Schaller; Paul Waldman。 #WhiteRuralRage #NetGalley Well researched book looking at the politics of the rural white voter。 Will any white rural people actually read this book？ Probably not and they make end up here on GR calling it fake news。 White people need to stop voting against their own best interests to "stick it" to the others。 I just reviewed White Rural Rage by Tom Schaller; Paul Waldman。 #WhiteRuralRage #NetGalley 。。。more
Dale Dewitt
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A well-researched， thought provoking book that fell short of being a clarion call to actually correct the actions of those that it is highlighting。 As a self-acknowledged West coast liberal， I could agree with all the statements and research the authors put into this workl。 Where it fell short was that there was no guidance based on their research about how to re-engage with the Rural White Electorate to actually help them to see that they are often voting against their own best interest and tha A well-researched， thought provoking book that fell short of being a clarion call to actually correct the actions of those that it is highlighting。 As a self-acknowledged West coast liberal， I could agree with all the statements and research the authors put into this workl。 Where it fell short was that there was no guidance based on their research about how to re-engage with the Rural White Electorate to actually help them to see that they are often voting against their own best interest and that they need to hold their elected leaders accountable for local interests instead of just buying into to xenophobic dog whistles and populist rhetoric。 If you are a liberal this book is preaching to the converted but it will not be read by those in rural power or their constituents in any meaningful way。。 I did like the focus on the Rural Minority Journey but again the authors didn’t give any recommendations on how to engage with and fire up those populations which in some rural counties can be a significant voting block。 。。。more
DesanaRose
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Where do I begin？ I really wanted to read this book for a number of reasons。 The main being if we don't learn from history we are doomed to repeat errors and failures over and over again。 I am not white nor do a live in a rural region， quite the opposite actually。 I'm African-American， female， and I live in the city。 I desperately want to understand the struggles faced by others。 I truly believe that we will not move forward until we understand we have more in common。 Once we acknowledge the com Where do I begin？ I really wanted to read this book for a number of reasons。 The main being if we don't learn from history we are doomed to repeat errors and failures over and over again。 I am not white nor do a live in a rural region， quite the opposite actually。 I'm African-American， female， and I live in the city。 I desperately want to understand the struggles faced by others。 I truly believe that we will not move forward until we understand we have more in common。 Once we acknowledge the commonalities we can meet in the middle on the differences。 Think of that SNL skit with Tom Hanks on 'Black Jeopardy' it was meant to be funny but there's truth to it。Trump's success and the subsequent lookalike campaigns are a symptom of dissatisfaction。I had no idea of the poor maternal care and health care， wages， education in rural American。 I'm aware of the issues that plague my community less so of others。 This book did an amazing job pinpointing the statistics and opening my eyes。We all have to do better。Thank you Tom Schaller， Paul Waldman and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to better educate myself。 。。。more
Erin
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ARC for review。 To be published February 27， 2024。 The authors here have a very definite point of view but they back it up with statistics and data and come to the conclusion that rural white Americans are attacking the very system of democracy， a scary thought， as they “are told daily by the people they trust that what they really need is more rage and resentment，” and this is true despite the fact that they win elections。 They are told their enemy is China when actually it is big business and ARC for review。 To be published February 27， 2024。 The authors here have a very definite point of view but they back it up with statistics and data and come to the conclusion that rural white Americans are attacking the very system of democracy， a scary thought， as they “are told daily by the people they trust that what they really need is more rage and resentment，” and this is true despite the fact that they win elections。 They are told their enemy is China when actually it is big business and consolidation， and conservatives are the key to that entrenched corporate power， especially in the media where we have fewer options than ever， a real threat to democracy。 I took so many notes on this book I could have a review that is pages long， but I’ll try to limit to the high points。 Namely， once Republicans are elected， which they are， without even a token opposition in many rural areas， do they actually deliver for rural whites？ They do not， catering to cultural conservatives and business interests instead。 When is the last time you heard a Republican talk about health care （rural whites are uninsured far more often than urban whites）， education （rural school lag behind urban schools） or economic concerns？ And how in the world did Donald Trump， of all people， become what authors call “the king of rural America？” He doesn’t align with rural Americans in any way， but strokes their darkest impulses - you’re right to feel downtrodden and the correct response is anger。 The authors posit four basic facts: rural whites are more xenophobic， more apt to believe in conspiracy theories， less supportive of democratic principles like free speech and separation of church and state and more inclined to justify use of force to resolve political disputes than urban counterparts。 The authors back this with data and examples and it’s all really depressing， especially when one considers how much political power rural voters have。 Sobering and recommended。 。。。more
Hailey
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Diving into "White Rural Rage" feels like a journey into the heart of a nation I thought I knew but clearly needed to understand better。 Schaller and Waldman skillfully pull back the curtain on the complexities of rural America， a place often oversimplified or misunderstood in mainstream narratives。What resonated deeply with me was their genuine effort to humanize rural White Americans， a group often reduced to divisive stereotypes in our polarized times。 They delve into the paradox of immense p Diving into "White Rural Rage" feels like a journey into the heart of a nation I thought I knew but clearly needed to understand better。 Schaller and Waldman skillfully pull back the curtain on the complexities of rural America， a place often oversimplified or misunderstood in mainstream narratives。What resonated deeply with me was their genuine effort to humanize rural White Americans， a group often reduced to divisive stereotypes in our polarized times。 They delve into the paradox of immense pride in country while feeling left behind by its promises—a sentiment that， while challenging， demands our attention and empathy。While I wholeheartedly appreciate the book's insights， I couldn't help but wish for a deeper dive into actionable solutions。 Still， their vision for an inclusive future， where all Americans feel seen and heard， is a much-needed antidote to the divisive politics that have plagued recent years。In essence， "White Rural Rage" is essential reading for progressives like me。 It challenges our assumptions， beckoning us to engage with the complexities of American democracy head-on。 Schaller and Waldman's nuanced approach offers both a critique and a path forward， reminding us that understanding is the first step toward unity。 。。。more
R。Z。
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Two urban intellectuals， one a professor and one a journalist， give their views on what they believe is happening in rural America and why it votes so overwhelmingly Republican。 While undoubtedly holding many valid arguments， the authors can't hide their anger at people in rural areas who don't think as they do。 This book is full of generalizations that lump all people in rural communities and on farms into one homogenous mindset， and that is its greatest drawback。 The reader would do well to re Two urban intellectuals， one a professor and one a journalist， give their views on what they believe is happening in rural America and why it votes so overwhelmingly Republican。 While undoubtedly holding many valid arguments， the authors can't hide their anger at people in rural areas who don't think as they do。 This book is full of generalizations that lump all people in rural communities and on farms into one homogenous mindset， and that is its greatest drawback。 The reader would do well to read more widely about this subject。 。。。more
Mags
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A fascinating and scholarly look at how rural America is changing in the Era in Trumpism。 Learned a lot。 I found the history if trucks as a symbol particularity fascinating。 A great read。
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