Thomas Frank's book _What's the Matter with Kansas_[0] explores this pretty well. Some of what he proposes is a bit over-simplified (ie that all conservatives prefer to vote for morals over pragmatism[1]), but his main thesis -- that the conservative platform has created a moral argument convincing poorer Americans to vote against the very social programs that they rely on -- is a good starting point for considering this.

Personal note: I grew up rural California; Frank's thesis describes the adamant, self-defeating narratives that I regularly heard from my neighbors.

[0] https://www.amazon.com/Whats-Matter-Kansas-Conservatives-Ame... [1] http://www.economist.com/node/8057895

example: https://www.amazon.com/Whats-Matter-Kansas-Conservatives-Ame... "The largely blue collar citizens of Kansas can be counted upon to be a "red" state in any election, voting solidly Republican and possessing a deep animosity toward the left. This, according to author Thomas Frank, is a pretty self-defeating phenomenon, given that the policies of the Republican Party benefit the wealthy and powerful at the great expense of the average worker."

The joke is that the rural people are oppressing themselves. "Urban elites" have long advocated for policies that would benefit the rural poor but the white rural poor are dead set against any policy that would also benefit black people. http://www.nber.org/papers/w17234 and http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Matter-Kansas-Conservatives-Amer... for more on that.

Best selling books have been written about it. [1]http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Matter-Kansas-Conservatives-Amer...