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Because people keep voting for them, or they simply run unopposed.
They run unopposed because the people voting for them are literally brainwashed
They live in Kentucky. Saying they have a brain is far fetched.
They have brains, it's just knowledge doesn't magically appear in someone's head...
It's no coincidence the states lowest in education and republican states are more of a circle than a Venn diagram
Ribbit
While I understand the urge to come to this conclusion, it's a simpler hypothesis that they just like the policies these people have pushed for, so much so that they disregard all the negatives that seem to be connected to Republican control (lower life expectancy, ineffective government programs[^1], lower standard of living, etc. You might call it "brainwashing" but that term in this context is too vague; they could claim we are also brainwashed with the same amount of accuracy.
Also, while it isn't your point, this would be a reason they keep getting voted in-- not a reason they run unopposed.
[1] This may be seen as a good thing, for some of them.
If you are in the 99% and voting for republicans then you are voting outside of your best interests due to brainwashing. They may like it but it’s due to brainwashing. Fox News and propaganda is remarkably powerful.
I don't buy this. I am a cis, white, middle-class male. Should I vote only for my best interests, or should I take a wider view, and vote even if it will personally disadvantage me?
Voting against one's own best interests is not brainwashing, necessarily.
And this is still within my first point. They are definitely voting against their best interests, but it could just be that they find this an acceptable trade off to getting something else they want-- like more codified religion in the law, or bringing back the good ol' days (/s) of overt racism.
The point is that "they're brainwashed" is a cop out. And, not for nothing, a corollary to them being brainwashed is that they are not responsible for their actions, isn't it?
The current trends are a result of most voting in the interest of their own pocket book.
It is a great leash tool when combined with mortgages, tuitions, and general inflation.
It's not policies, it's a "he's one of us" and they are "not one of us" mentality.