They'll ride it forever. My dad still insists "Protecting the environment is conservative, look at the EPA made by Nixon" as if there hasn't been clear and deliberate anti-environmental policy since then.

After 30 years of empirical reality demonstrating that if you want a government that is responsible with money, you must vote democrat, Donald Trump was still voted in because "He's good for the economy"

He is not.

Late response but I can't leave the assertion that voting Democrat results in fiscal responsibility unchallenged. Their experiment with neoliberal economics and aggressive disinterest in pursuing anti-trust and anti-monopolistic policy have bankrupted most of rural America. At this point if fiscal responsibility is a goal you'd pretty much have to vote 3rd party or independent (for as much good as that does anyone).