Reply #82: Not middle-class, UPPER middle class

[Zynx]

For example, the primary white collar suburbs around Milwaukee in my state are full of people who make more than what would be considered "average" national income. These people may not be that common nationally, but they are a major component, if not the majority, of every major suburban area.

Taxes are a major issue for these people. But gas prices generally are not - they are more an annoyance than a critical threat like they are for the typical Wal-Mart customer.

These people also tend to vote in higher %'s than lower middle class and poor individuals. That's just a demographic fact. For example, in Waukesha County (where I live), voting turnout is extremely high in the wealthier areas (Delafield, Brookfield, etc), but is much lower in the City of Waukesha, which is poor and actually goes Democrat.

So you've got people with a predisposition to voting Republican who vote at a higher rate than the Democrat-leaning people in the same counties. Hence, the county goes red.