The real difference in the 2 party's economic policy

[MelK]

I've been reading the book "What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America" by Thomas Frank.

He continually asserts that the blue collar voters of Kansas and other red states are voting against their economic best interests when they vote for Republicans, but he never backs up his claim that the Democratic economic policy is in the best interest of blue collar/farm workers with solid facts or arguements. He just asserts that it is so.

So my questions are:

1 - Is the Democratic economic policy really better for average people than the Republican policy?

2 - What are the key differences in the party's policies that makes one party's policy better for average people?

3 - Is a person's judgement on which party has the better economic policy really based on that person's perception of how economics works, rather than clearly measurable in objective results?

4 - Can we really know which policy is better for blue collar workers, or is it just a matter of opinion?

5 - How much more important should economic policy be to a voter than non-economic social issues?

I am confused and don't know how much weight I should give to the authors assertions on this point.