Summary

In Chapter 9, the author explains the meaning of the “deep story” (135) – a story based on feeling which can be found under most people’s politics and their perceptions of the world. Everyone has a deep story, she says, and such stories are not just political: They can be found in the long-term relationships people form with each other, for instance. For Tea Party Republicans the story, in the author’s telling, is of a line, made up of (mostly white, Christian, and male) Americans working in the private sector, trying to reach the American dream. They have waited patiently in line, and though they wish for good things for the less fortunate – often people of color – behind them in line, they feel their turn should come at the proper time as a reward for their patience and diligence. However, increasingly women, blacks, immigrants...