Political Mythological Analysis
Metropolitan areas that are mostly represented by democrats, especially Portland, have become a dominant political power in Oregon. Our informants argued thatthe voice of the conservative population from largely rural areas cannot reach the political decisions, and the bills that are pushed through by Democrats largely affects rural communities. As an insider who observed state politics, interns had a deeper understanding of Oregon politics than the average voter. To explore these two conceptions, this data section presents two themes. One is liberal myth of Oregon, and the other one is urban-rural division.
Liberal myth of Oregon
Many interviewees said that Oregon is generally perceived as very liberal state, however, our informants argue that this misconception is a result of the over-representation of metropolitan areas, such as Portland, in politics. One informant said that Oregon as a whole has a much more conservative population than is generally assumed. Informants perceive Portland, and other urban areas, as dominant voices in state politics that can push bills …show more content…
because Oregon is one state, and the vote is carried by the greater number of people, on the issues that affect entire State, the people who live in those urban communities benefit much more than those in rural communities. For instance the new minimum wage bill that just passed, which raised the minimum wage to nearly 15 dollars an hour over the next few years, sounds great in theory. Um having read through the bill myself and actually analyzed the policy and potential impacts, it actually hurts rural communities disproportionately to the benefit on urban communities. Because small family businesses are much more common than big chains in rural communities, these small businesses can’t afford pay the new minimum wage and at the same time, it creates a tiered income structure. So the urban communities have a higher minimum wage than the rest of the
Liberal myth of Oregon
Many interviewees said that Oregon is generally perceived as very liberal state, however, our informants argue that this misconception is a result of the over-representation of metropolitan areas, such as Portland, in politics. One informant said that Oregon as a whole has a much more conservative population than is generally assumed. Informants perceive Portland, and other urban areas, as dominant voices in state politics that can push bills …show more content…
because Oregon is one state, and the vote is carried by the greater number of people, on the issues that affect entire State, the people who live in those urban communities benefit much more than those in rural communities. For instance the new minimum wage bill that just passed, which raised the minimum wage to nearly 15 dollars an hour over the next few years, sounds great in theory. Um having read through the bill myself and actually analyzed the policy and potential impacts, it actually hurts rural communities disproportionately to the benefit on urban communities. Because small family businesses are much more common than big chains in rural communities, these small businesses can’t afford pay the new minimum wage and at the same time, it creates a tiered income structure. So the urban communities have a higher minimum wage than the rest of the