Political Memes

That has far more to do with the boom-bust business cycle creating waves of anti-tax conservative-leaning voters when markets are good and waves of pro-public spending liberal-leaning voters when markets go bad.

Similarly, the D/R economic divide has much more to do with Republicans heavily investing in export-oriented state economies (particularly those with big fossil fuel reserves) while Democrats coast on the LBJ legacy that plays well in large urban metroplexes. So, consider Wyoming, which is practically a fief of the Cheney (really Vincent, Dick just married in) family for decades. The state is practically a company town, what with the volume of O&G exploitation that commands employment. And the Vincent/Cheney clan sits at the top of the pyramid. They're heavily invested in Republican politics, because Republicans are deeper in the pockets of fossil fuel business.

Swing over to Kentucky, where a deeply conservative democrat Governor Andy Beshear holds office, or pop up to Vermont, where one of the last liberal Republicans Phil Scott holds sway, or pop over to New Jersey where Republicans periodically go into and out of high office because their Dem counterparts are constantly getting indicted for SEC violations and bribery scandals, you'll get a different political dynamic despite the same two parties running the show.

Ultimately, both parties are invested in the long term growth of the FIRE sector and a US political hegemony internationally. So their policies don't vary significantly, outside of a few niche hot-buttons. Fights over abortion and the rights of trans-people simply don't have a huge impact on the state or national economies. By contrast, their alignment on education privatization and their focus on a steady return for stock portfolios means every state from California to Florida to New York to Texas has the same set boilerplate set of problems - skyrocketing real estate costs, ballooning student/medical debts, stagnant wages, decaying urban infrastructure, and enormous wealth inequality thanks to wave after wave of scams at the public and private levels.