Voting Self Interest

Have politicians never heard of principle? In yet another tedious speculation on why obviously bone-headed whites don't vote Democrat, even though it would be in our economic self interest, Jonathan Chait does his best to reinforce Barack Obama's condescending explanation for why he and his ilk cannot win our vote.

Here's an explanation that apparently has not occurred to you. I call it principle. I have a neighbor who has accumulated a multimillion dollar fortune. If some politician came to me and promised to take half of it and give it to me, that would be in my economic self-interest, would it not? But, it would violate my principles, and so I would vote against any politician promising that.