my opinion is that areas with inelastic voters (the south being the most obvious example) are that way because it is a failed state. A place like WA-8, on the other hand is more elastic because almost all of the things that exist in the south don't exist in a place like WA-8. Reichert, of course, is a moderate-minded congressman and the district is not one that has a liking for demagogues (look at who he ran against in 06 and 08).
Psychometricians and social scientists have talked about human capital and the signs of good human capital and low human capital
Signs of good human capital are as follows:
Achievement Motivation
Altruism
Anorexia (there's a reason why this doesn't exist in human capital deficient Africa)
Artistic Ability
Craftwork
Creativity
Dietary preference for less sugar and fat
Educational Attainment
Emotional Sensitivity
Extracurricular Attainment
health, fitness, longevity
sense of humor
income
breadth and depth of interests
leadership
logical ability
memory
voluntary migration (i.e. mobility)
moral reasoning
motor skills
musical ability
occupational status
perceptual ability
practical knowledge
reading ability
social skills
high SES
spelling ability
talking speed
Such things either cause prosperity, result from prosperity, or are what people get away with due to prosperity. Anorexia is a not-so-great consequence of prosperity.
People believe in themselves and in commercial and public institutions. People value education even for non-material values (like access to culture).
Again, contributing factors -- like poor education, a corrupt economic order, incompetence in the public sector, for-profit institutions that serve only the well-connected. Political leaders are likely to use divide-and-conquer, with those on the wrong side of the divide being scapegoated or ignored. People either become accomplices or victims.
Obesity, alcoholism, and tobacco use reflect that people are very low on the hierarchy of needs of Abraham Maslow. People who have grown up with food insecurity may get their chance to gorge on high-sugary, high-fat (but cheap) foods. Highly-nutritive foods light in calories like asparagus, broccoli, and carrots may give more satisfaction to some. Where I live the Wal*Mart has plenty of customers who get around on carts because they are so obese that they can hardly walk. Do I need to tell you what they buy? They seem to avoid the fruit and vegetable aisles. Alcoholism is clearly for losers; nutritionally, alcohol is almost as close to empty calories as (gaak!) sodas loaded with high-fructose corn sweeteners. Tobacco? I have told people poorer than I why I don't smoke -- basically, I can't afford it. Really -- I have better uses for my money than to smoke or chew tobacco. Alcoholism, obesity, and tobacco use all contribute to poor health and reduced lifespans.
Ill-educated people are much more gullible. Well-educated people expect a merchant to make a profit; ill-educated people may be enticed by the lie that the merchant is losing money on the deal. That's before I even discuss politics.
You failed to explain 'inelasticity'. In the context, 'inelastic' voters prevailed in 2014, and should they prevail, then the new America will be a very nasty place -- on in which rigid, hierarchical thinking is the norm, in which inter-group tensions that may now become the least of our problems intensify, in which crime (for lack of alternatives) becomes more common and severe, overall health deteriorates, drug abuse proliferates, and the educational system fails. Economic relationships will become exploitative in the extreme, and such will poison the rest of life -- with a tendency for wild swings between reaction and Left demagoguery.
