Gordon Post #2

Class, especially economic class, plays a humongous role in the way that Willie runs his state.  Willie's image as a man of the people is his most important weapon.  He freely admits that he is a hick himself, just another redneck farm boy who happened to study a little law, and he treats these country folk as real people not just as a chunk of the vote.  "He told them things they didn't like. He called them the names they didn't like to be called, but always, almost always, the restlessness and resentment died... They listened when he told them to stand on their own hind legs."  This section from page 133 describes how Willie enraged after finding out he had been used by Joe Harrison goes about exacting his revenge.  For the first time these "suckers" have a politician talking to them as people. They see Willie as someone who understands that they know what they need and has seen it first hand.  These people are tired of being told what they want by the "city politicians" who they know are out for their own gain.  For them Willie is the answer.  It is the
"hick vote" that fuels his rise to the top.  Driving from county to county he gains unwavering support from the inhabitants of rural Louisiana which lets him bypass the two political fractions that had held the state for so long.  Unlike so many before him Willie kept his promise.  Once he was in he could have easily done away with his supporters, but instead he gives back tremendously.  He builds new schools and roads generally improving the standard of living giving attention to a fraction of the population that the higher ups of Louisiana had generally regarded as live stock.  And for this they back him up.  When the MacMurfee section tries to have Willie impeached his people come out in droves "on the afternoon of the fourth of April the down-own streets leading to the capitol were full of people, and not the kind of people you usually saw on those streets... The crowd began chanting: Willie, Willie, Willie-we want Willie!" (p.210).  Even though Willie has already intimidated and secured every lose end to this possible impeachment he still ask for their support, and they give it to him because nobody has ever asked for it before.