I have never voted Republican in my life. I did not and will not vote for Trump. If that wasn't clear, I did in fact engage in sloppy writing.

I didn't promise the reasons why people would vote for Trump would be profound or would make sense. I understand your point about Biden's policies.

To some extent my rural experience cannot be extrapolated. Unlike many rural people who grew up in Great Depression, my grandparents were not fans of FDR. The only thing I knew about FDR growing up was that my grandfather called him "the lowest man in hell" and also was of the opinion that "government programs make crooks of honest people." The way private interests and corporations currently extract money from the government leads me to believe he wasn't too far off on that last one.

I am glad you get along with the people who live near you. Although I am not Republican, I also do not like progressive liberals who don't believe in law enforcement until their car is stolen out of their expensive subdivision, and then they frequently call for more law and order. But I strive to get along, since I am used to never quite fitting in.

Thank you for your well-explained response. I am happy you noted the weirdness of "the system is working exactly the way it was set up to work"--I actually think a lot of the problem in rural areas is people thinking everything is broken. When you approach it from the fact that the economy is extracting cash from bodies on purpose--well, that makes it a different problem.

p.s. if you think people don't love bullies, you don't have children in school currently. I have volunteered at my sons' schools and seen the bullies...with their slavering hangers-on and toadies...and trust me. Absolutely "being a bully" is part of Trump's appeal. It's gross, but that doesn't mean it isn't true.