Originally Posted by
xerxe
This is a pretty common sentiment in a lot of other countries, not just the United States. There's an ongoing culture clash between coastal elites and the countryside everywhere.
Here's a map of the recent Turkish referendum, which decided the question of whether to replace the parliamentary system with a presidential one, and thereby give more powers to the executive. The "Yes" vote squeaked by with a small majority thanks to voters in the more Islamist and conservative heartland, in large part because the would-be president was also a Muslim conservative.
Brexit also surely comes to mind.
Displaced workers and the economy are surely important factors, but I agree that a lot of it is racism and exaggerated fears of 'change' (read: homosexuality in media and immigrants). I'll listen to counterarguments, but I also believe that a lot of it is pure tribalism against distant power centres that are perceived as different rather than simply indifferent; and there are plenty of historical examples of countryside people switching to a clashing ideology out of resentment for the central government. End's rhetoric about "demonic" and "pagan" liberal elites certainly illustrates that point.
I've also always suspected that much of American libertarianism is simply disguised nativism; the hostility towards immigrant workers is entirely uncharacteristic for an ideology that promotes the freedom of movement of capital. Even the Tea Party was more than about defending "free market" principles, but also included agitation and support in favour of the paternalistic American military state. These people take a kinder view to government interventionism when it takes the form of building border walls—Rush Limbaugh is quintessentially this type of person.