Transcript of “Buying Gingerbread Means Buying Ballots”
In parts of Appalachia, if you’re buying gingerbread, you may not literally be buying a baked good.
Buying gingerbread is an old expression for vote buying, because in the past, politicians often
Bought gingerbread cakes from elderly women and distributed them to people in hopes of getting a
Few extra votes. Oh, wait. So were they buying the votes of the women whose cakes they bought
Or buying the votes of the people who they gave the cakes to or both? Both. Both. They got the
Goodwill of the gingerbread bakers and also anybody who received a free piece of gingerbread.
How about that? Buying gingerbread. That’s a good one. I don’t think I knew that one.
Yeah, I learned that from the book Our Appalachia by Laurel Shackelford and Bill Weinberg.
Well, we will take your gingerbread.
You can vote for us, too.
