the lead story in today’s Wall Street Journal, headlined “The Democrats’ New Worry: Their Own Rich Voters.” Here’s something to keep in mind. Barack Obama’s winning 2008 majority was a top-and-bottom coalition.
According to the Edison-Mitofsky exit poll, Obama carried voters with incomes under $50,000 and over $200,000. He lost among voters with incomes between $50,000 and $200,000. There’s obviously a certain tension between high-income and low-income voters.
Incidentally, in Colorado, Congressman Polis’s home state, the exit poll shows Obama getting a higher percentage (56%) among those earning more than $100,000 than among those earning less (53%). It shows Obama getting 53% from those between $100,000 and $150,000, so by interpolation those with incomes over $150,000 (who are the same percentage of the electorate as those in the $100,000-$150,000 bracket) cast 59% of their votes for Obama. Congressman Polis, who thanks to his success as an entrepreneur is among that high-income group, has evidently been paying attention.
