In Japan, for example, the real vote counts for a great deal more than the proportion of the population it represents. Japanese courts have repeatedly ruled that elections have been unconstitutional because of the disproportionate vale of rural votes, but nothing is done about it because the LDP (the dominant party) depends on rural votes to stay in power.

Conservatives tend to avoid both, and of course if urban conservatives have to go to some lengths to do that they will. That's a huge generality, of course, but it's always been that way and in many nations as urbanization continues the separating out is intensifying.

When I was working in a downtown LA skyscraper I learned that, shockingly, many people around me, including strangers chatting in the elevators as I rode the 50+ stories down, had literally never walked out at street level, and never wanted to, even though it was a great neighborhood with many very wonderful places, art galleries and fine museums (Museum of Contemporary Art practically across the street), central library, restaurants and an exquisite bakery, open-air concerts on summer nights, Grand Central Market, etc, etc, in walking distance.

The smart kids, the creative kids, especially the tortured LGBTQ kids, flee shit-hole rural and suburban religiously insane U.S.A. just as soon as they are able.

Some of my favorite teachers of paleontology and evolutionary biology grew up in creationist communities. They hit the road when they graduated from high school and never looked back.

I know a lot of military people like that too. They signed up, saw the world, and never went back home again.

It's serious suckage that the regressive rural people are granted extra clout in our political system.

I grew up in 99.44% Ivory Soap white affluent "Christian" U.S.A.. The politics of that place are marginally Democratic, but there's no way in hell I'd ever return. My entire family, my parents, my siblings, cousins, my in-laws, nieces and nephews, fled just as soon as they were able. Nobody stayed.

"The smart kids, the creative kids, especially the tortured LGBTQ kids, flee shit-hole rural and suburban religiously insane U.S.A. just as soon as they are able."

I've been watching it happen here in rural bumf*ck Indiana for years.

Study after study have shown educated people tend to live in suburbs and cities and have higher incomes typically.

Or only farmers should be allowed to live outside of Cities.

There are plenty of Lefties who like the idyllic countryside, with wildlife freely moving about in dense forests and freedom from incessant man-made noises. I'd fight to the death rather than be forced to live in a city.

Its not that I like the occasional trashy ignorant asshole who lives out in the countryside, as I love the tolerant culture of cities, but I can't stand the noise, concrete, and close quarters. I NEED to be out in nature.

For instance, our whole system is at the whims of rural voters, who just get screwed over anyways, but at least they kept the liberals out!