Thank you for this. Though I went to college in the Midwest, I am really one of those who lived her life in big, coastal cities. Growing up in D.C. proper, I didn't even really understand what it meant to be part of a state-- politically or economically. But for the last 23 years I've been living in a small-ish city in Western New York, and for nearly a decade I lived on a 25-acre family farm on a road with no internet and only occasional attention from snow plows in the winter. It's true that our next door neighbors were evangelical, Christian Republicans who had a picture of Dubya and his wife up in their processing room in the barn, but they were also organic farmers with a dairy contract with Organic Valley who raised all their own feed and treated their cows homeopathically. They were smart and highly skilled and kind to me and my weird, little family.
Living in that community, seeing the ways that my neighbors were left behind by economic and infrastructure development, how they were left vulnerable to the depredations of fracking speculation just to pay their taxes so they could keep farming their family land, I got a much more complicated sense of our political landscape. And I became much more protective of small, rural communities that deserve economic and political advocacy, not demonization.
I'm the last one to excuse xenophobia or racism. I was glad to leave that farm before my trans son hit puberty and came out because I don't think he would have been supported or entirely safe there. I honestly never made a lot of friends. But if ANYONE in our government had expressed two shits worth of care for that community in the last sixty years so that the folks there actually had access to resources and services I'd happily still be there.
although we now live in a small city which is actually pretty liberal, we spent most of our 50 years here in iowa in very small towns. the problems are huge and only growing worse. the lack of healthcare (both physical and mental), the lack of funding for schools, economic decline as well as defensiveness about how 'great' life in a small town is all play into this. in one town that we lived in the cancer rate was astronomical (no doubt farm chemical run-off) and there were multiple suicides as well as rampant alcoholism. it was a lot to contend with and, at the same time, i loved living there and was very sad to leave when my husband's job changed. there are rural problems that city folk will never understand simply because they haven't lived it. thank you for your perspective, asha, i appreciate it.
I think Smarsh sidestepped the question about voting against their self-interest. She also assumed it implies that people think these voters do so because they're stupid. I don't think that's it - I think it's a combination of manipulation by a sophisticated right-wing misinformation machine AND selfishness. "I got mine; fuck you" is definitely here in the heartland as much as it is on the coasts (see: NIMBYism in the Bay Area). I think folks are voting out of a combination of fear of whatever their chosen hate machines are feeding them, the persistent desire to pay lower taxes without wanting to contemplate how those taxes benefit them and all of us, and clinging to the myth of the self-made American -- so they're not asking the right questions about why their infrastructure sucks. They'd see it as a handout, a weakness.
“I am not suggesting that the people who then “fall for” far-right messaging are stupid. I think it suggests that they're human beings who need to feel validated on some level. And I don't want to discount the white supremacy and the racist undertones and implications that a lot of this phenomenon employs. But I think that simultaneous with that truth is real pain, real lived disadvantage.”
The people who they elect are white…. Mostly men
The business folks who run their companies and corporate farms are White …. Mostly men
The business that went overseas were lead by Whites… mostly men
Their leaders rejected broadband - so no internet for you (Dems tried to get it passed several times)
The infrastructure and justice system in the area are run by men - mostly White ( pretty much like the rest of America)
Why are these folks never ever mad at White men… except for Biden??
The people they elected stated they wanted to drown government in a bath tub, they cheered drill baby drill, they repeatedly want to cut all domestic spending, they have to think real hard about writing a federal check when a natural disaster happens anywhere outside their region.
So how can you complain about YOU not getting help? Or you being left behind?
I’m sorry but we’re all being attack by capitalism - we’re struggling getting basic needs, we’re all afraid of each other - we’re all stressed and stereotyped. The difference is the grace given to fly over countries- even if it is out of pity. Your drug use, under age sex, even righteous anger about the system is treated different - you still get treated like Humans who need to be figured out. The rest of us are just animals, thugs and immoral.
This 20 year flyover pity party is past its shelf life. Please right about what comes next after Trump. It’s going to get worse? If so please tell your minority neighbors to move now.
"we're all being attacked by capitalism - we're struggling getting basic needs, we're all afraid of each other - we're all stressed and stereotyped." 💯
I often get very angry at Republican voters for what's happening in this country, and then I'll read something like today's post from Lyz, and I'll try to remember that so many of these people are being manipulated. I don't think there are any easy answers, because Republicans have cultivated these voters for decades, but I do suspect that if we're ever going to move forward, we'll probably have to distinguish between the people who run the Republican party, Republican elected officials, judges, donors, activists - people who are privileged - and including in that the portion of Republican voters who are privileged, because as this post points out, there are a lot of them - from the kinds of voters Lyz and Sarah are talking about, who are actually struggling and are in despair at the system. Because if the Democratic party stands for anything it should be trying to lift up people who are disadvantaged and level the playing field with people who are privileged.
It's complicated because there are multiple kinds of privilege. White privilege is a huge problem. Male privilege is a huge problem. But I think their argument is that if you look closely at the lives of a lot of people in the 'flyover' country, there are other kinds of privilege that many of those folks don't have. And the case they're trying to make is that the Democratic party should do a better job recognizing that and trying to find ways to reach out to those voters. But yes it's really tough right now because the MAGA machine is so powerful in these communities. And we can't let ourselves give in to white privilege or male privilege in addressing these problems.
I’m not White nor am I a male. I agree with everything you said here.
What is missing is I don’t see people like you making a dent in reaching the people you describe (not the politicians or the well off ones.)
This article and your comments are the same - don’t ridicule, try to understand .
I think these articles serve two purposes. 1. They are written for the fly over folks - basically it reiterates they have been left, their anger is valid and they are owed resources and consideration. Never have I seen one article written do the opposite for Muslims, Blacks, Women, LGBT etc
2. The audience is people like you-or the ones that got out. You know how hard working these folks are. You know they got a raw deal. Give them a break, don’t confront anything they say at Thanksgiving. Let them blow off steam. If we show compassion maybe they will see our humanity.
Are they are written for people like me? People who have/are/would suffer if we could Make America Great Again. Honestly, I’m done fine but my family just got out of abject poverty because of Civil Rights, Title IX, and reproductive rights —— all the things the people they elected are reversing in the same lifetime they were created.
I was just miffed with my first comment but now I am pissed. Please talk to them, not me. I can promise you, I’m never going to elect folks to take away their rights.
Yes, you are correct, we are not making a dent with these people, we are failing, and because of it their rage is running rampant and threatening the lives of people like you and the groups you mention. I certainly didn't mean to imply anything otherwise and I apologize if I did.
I was just questioning what the way forward to get out of this is, and I think that's what the post was asking. But you're bringing up an important point, which is that the burden to fix this is on the privileged parts of the Democratic coalition, not on you or someone like you. Or at least that we can't ask you to sympathize with them if we refuse to ask them to sympathize with you.
Personally it's hard because I don't want to make the mistakes they're making, and end up like a mirror image of them, and I'm not sure I do very well at that.
I sense a lot of valid frustration in your comment. It's true that men in general (and white men in particular) are the people whose actions and policies cause most of the harm in flyover states, and that's also true of the non-flyover states. This specific interview is about flyover states and how the people in them are often overlooked or how the diversity of people and perspectives in flyover states is flattened.
I hear you though. It's a scary, precarious time and it is hard everywhere. Every person deserves to feel safe where they live, to actually *be* safe where they live, to have all of their basic human needs met (food, housing, healthcare, child care, leisure/recreation). There is no safe place for anyone to move to and we cannot leave anyone behind.
agreed. you raise questions that i have been asking myself for years. why, oh, why do people vote against their own economic interests? it baffles me. even here in iowa, we DO have choices - diverse candidates, people with a wider vision - yet the same white men keep getting elected over and over and over again. (bangs head on keyboard!)
Greta - everyone does. People vote for people they like all the time or look like them because it makes them feel good. People think when their team wins a sport game they also are winners … like they ran a play.
The thing is when Black Politicians are horrible we don’t expect consideration and we don’t make Jesus or Captain America pictures with the faces of convicted politicians like Marion Barry or Kwame Kilpatrick, Bob Menendez.
Everyone has the same issues, but people in other communities don’t get to says “it’s those people in flyover country that’s keeping you down”. When have we ever seen that happen?
It’s constant praise for coal miners, farmers and factory workers. It should be our national anthem. Well, there are factory workers and farmers and other utilities workers in other parts of America too. They deserve respect too. No one write about them - and I’m not saying anyone should. Writes have to write what they want.
I would just like less me me me and see them for he first time ever send out an olive branch. It’s always always us listening to them.
i always appreciate hearing your perspective since i don't often hear it expressed in my community, although we are becoming more diverse by the minute and that is a joy! so keep speaking out; there's always an olive branch extended from my hand to yours. hugs, dear friend.
I subscribed because I find Lynx writing about women’s issues compelling. Also because it’s in my best interest to not be stupid or naive about my Country anymore.
I know it seems like I’m always harping on the White ladies but it’s because the blind spots are so big! I don’t know how many POC comment or write here but damn! Womanhood is not the same and not treated the same in all parts of America.
I truly appreciate you listening and so many people liking. And I do want to know you as well- that’s why I’m here.
Beverley, I just want to say I appreciate your comments and insights here. I think a lot of what Smarsh is writing about and who her mission field is are other white "well meaning" liberals who write off flyover places. I should have been more clear about that in the interview and that is on me. I hear what you are saying and I think you are absolutely correct.
yes, the blind spots are big and that's why i read your comments with so much attention and appreciation. i have blind spots of my own so i want to be able to see more clearly and lovingly!
Interviews like this are exactly why my subscription money is so well spent. I admit to being guilty of believing all citizens of red states believe the same things.
This was a great read. I grew up in Boston, and recently moved to very rural TN to live out my dreams of being a feral woman in the forest. I'm a very left-leaning independent and the culture shift has been interesting. No matter where in the country you go, people are struggling, just for different reasons. When you're struggling in a major city, there's still a bus so you can get to work. Local jobs are more walkable. Low-cost services can be found. When you're struggling in the same way out where I am now, there's nothing. No bus. No where to walk to. Hardly a hospital, let alone a clinic where free resources can be accessed. I understand why folks can feel hopeless, like their whole life & experience has been overlooked by the mainstream. I keep being surprised at the folks here who share their distaste for Trump - and each time checking myself for the bias I clearly carry. "Everyone in the South/Midwest is a "Trumper" who voted for him." It's simply not true. I spend half the year in FL and while some of the politics there are getting out of hand, it's rare I chat with anyone who is on board with book banning and the "Don't Say Gay" laws. Dismissing whole states based on media click bait headlines is unfair to all of us.
We all need to approach conversations with the belief that we have more in common than not, and challenge ourselves to recognize where our "understandings" might not be as valid as we think.
Thank you Lyz and Sarah for doing this interview. Heartland is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I don't remember reading anything as empathetic and as moving as the stories of Sarah's mother and step-grandmother.
My husband and I grew up in rural Texas. I struggle with both the immense respect and love I have for the people who helped raise me and the horrific ways in which the policies crafted by their elected officials continue to rip away fundamental human rights. These policies are not the result of uneducated masses going to the polls. These choices and actions are deliberate and consistent.
Her response to your final question deserves widespread publication….”Let's talk about social media strategically targeting particular demographics who have not been directly looked at or addressed or validated — particularly in their class struggles — by the Democratic Party for a really long time.
And in that void of concern the far right faction swooped in.
I am not suggesting that the people who then “fall for” far-right messaging are stupid. I think it suggests that they're human beings who need to feel validated on some level. And I don't want to discount the white supremacy and the racist undertones and implications that a lot of this phenomenon employs. But I think that simultaneous with that truth is real pain, real lived disadvantage.
Democrats just really fumbled the ball on that. Somewhere around the Reagan era, I would say that Carter was the last person that was really talking about it.
And in the 90s we got “free trade.” By then, the farm crisis had gutted our agricultural communities. Now industry falls as well. There's a lot of resentment. There's a lot of real pain. There's a lot of real struggle.
And who spoke to that pain? Politics is an emotional business before it's a rational one.”
Thanks for this. I loved Heartland and I'm looking forward to Bone of the Bone.
Washington is reliably blue state. For those of us on the coast, flyover country starts at Snoqualmie Pass. Central and Eastern Washington's rural counties are ignored. Air and water quality in the Yakima valley, for example, are an environmental health disaster and show up as such on the state's environmental health tracking maps. I've testified on this before the state's Environmental Justice Council. There were grave nods of the head and thanks for bringing it to their attention, but, if it's not happening in Seattle's inner-city neighborhoods, they don't see it as a justice issue.
Back in 2016, I remember several get togethers with friends in the Bay Area, talking about the upcoming election... and none of my friends took Trump seriously. They thought anyone who would vote for him was an idiot. I tried to talk to them about the frustrations and the anger of a lot of voters who felt the Democrats at best ignored them or worse denigrated them -- and the general feeling that the government had abandoned them. I've seen that sort of voting shift in the UK, multiple times, and it just felt to me that the US was ready to do something similar... and then the UK voted for Brexit and I figured we were doomed to Trump... :(
Thank you for this. Though I went to college in the Midwest, I am really one of those who lived her life in big, coastal cities. Growing up in D.C. proper, I didn't even really understand what it meant to be part of a state-- politically or economically. But for the last 23 years I've been living in a small-ish city in Western New York, and for nearly a decade I lived on a 25-acre family farm on a road with no internet and only occasional attention from snow plows in the winter. It's true that our next door neighbors were evangelical, Christian Republicans who had a picture of Dubya and his wife up in their processing room in the barn, but they were also organic farmers with a dairy contract with Organic Valley who raised all their own feed and treated their cows homeopathically. They were smart and highly skilled and kind to me and my weird, little family.
Living in that community, seeing the ways that my neighbors were left behind by economic and infrastructure development, how they were left vulnerable to the depredations of fracking speculation just to pay their taxes so they could keep farming their family land, I got a much more complicated sense of our political landscape. And I became much more protective of small, rural communities that deserve economic and political advocacy, not demonization.
I'm the last one to excuse xenophobia or racism. I was glad to leave that farm before my trans son hit puberty and came out because I don't think he would have been supported or entirely safe there. I honestly never made a lot of friends. But if ANYONE in our government had expressed two shits worth of care for that community in the last sixty years so that the folks there actually had access to resources and services I'd happily still be there.
although we now live in a small city which is actually pretty liberal, we spent most of our 50 years here in iowa in very small towns. the problems are huge and only growing worse. the lack of healthcare (both physical and mental), the lack of funding for schools, economic decline as well as defensiveness about how 'great' life in a small town is all play into this. in one town that we lived in the cancer rate was astronomical (no doubt farm chemical run-off) and there were multiple suicides as well as rampant alcoholism. it was a lot to contend with and, at the same time, i loved living there and was very sad to leave when my husband's job changed. there are rural problems that city folk will never understand simply because they haven't lived it. thank you for your perspective, asha, i appreciate it.
Yes, if those of us who live in more sizable cities were forced to live in small towns for a period of time, we'd see all the disadvantages.
it does change your perspective. i grew up in a very big city (NYC) before moving to iowa. wow. that was a game changer.
I think Smarsh sidestepped the question about voting against their self-interest. She also assumed it implies that people think these voters do so because they're stupid. I don't think that's it - I think it's a combination of manipulation by a sophisticated right-wing misinformation machine AND selfishness. "I got mine; fuck you" is definitely here in the heartland as much as it is on the coasts (see: NIMBYism in the Bay Area). I think folks are voting out of a combination of fear of whatever their chosen hate machines are feeding them, the persistent desire to pay lower taxes without wanting to contemplate how those taxes benefit them and all of us, and clinging to the myth of the self-made American -- so they're not asking the right questions about why their infrastructure sucks. They'd see it as a handout, a weakness.
“I am not suggesting that the people who then “fall for” far-right messaging are stupid. I think it suggests that they're human beings who need to feel validated on some level. And I don't want to discount the white supremacy and the racist undertones and implications that a lot of this phenomenon employs. But I think that simultaneous with that truth is real pain, real lived disadvantage.”
The people who they elect are white…. Mostly men
The business folks who run their companies and corporate farms are White …. Mostly men
The business that went overseas were lead by Whites… mostly men
Their leaders rejected broadband - so no internet for you (Dems tried to get it passed several times)
The infrastructure and justice system in the area are run by men - mostly White ( pretty much like the rest of America)
Why are these folks never ever mad at White men… except for Biden??
The people they elected stated they wanted to drown government in a bath tub, they cheered drill baby drill, they repeatedly want to cut all domestic spending, they have to think real hard about writing a federal check when a natural disaster happens anywhere outside their region.
So how can you complain about YOU not getting help? Or you being left behind?
I’m sorry but we’re all being attack by capitalism - we’re struggling getting basic needs, we’re all afraid of each other - we’re all stressed and stereotyped. The difference is the grace given to fly over countries- even if it is out of pity. Your drug use, under age sex, even righteous anger about the system is treated different - you still get treated like Humans who need to be figured out. The rest of us are just animals, thugs and immoral.
This 20 year flyover pity party is past its shelf life. Please right about what comes next after Trump. It’s going to get worse? If so please tell your minority neighbors to move now.
"we're all being attacked by capitalism - we're struggling getting basic needs, we're all afraid of each other - we're all stressed and stereotyped." 💯
I often get very angry at Republican voters for what's happening in this country, and then I'll read something like today's post from Lyz, and I'll try to remember that so many of these people are being manipulated. I don't think there are any easy answers, because Republicans have cultivated these voters for decades, but I do suspect that if we're ever going to move forward, we'll probably have to distinguish between the people who run the Republican party, Republican elected officials, judges, donors, activists - people who are privileged - and including in that the portion of Republican voters who are privileged, because as this post points out, there are a lot of them - from the kinds of voters Lyz and Sarah are talking about, who are actually struggling and are in despair at the system. Because if the Democratic party stands for anything it should be trying to lift up people who are disadvantaged and level the playing field with people who are privileged.
It's complicated because there are multiple kinds of privilege. White privilege is a huge problem. Male privilege is a huge problem. But I think their argument is that if you look closely at the lives of a lot of people in the 'flyover' country, there are other kinds of privilege that many of those folks don't have. And the case they're trying to make is that the Democratic party should do a better job recognizing that and trying to find ways to reach out to those voters. But yes it's really tough right now because the MAGA machine is so powerful in these communities. And we can't let ourselves give in to white privilege or male privilege in addressing these problems.
I’m not White nor am I a male. I agree with everything you said here.
What is missing is I don’t see people like you making a dent in reaching the people you describe (not the politicians or the well off ones.)
This article and your comments are the same - don’t ridicule, try to understand .
I think these articles serve two purposes. 1. They are written for the fly over folks - basically it reiterates they have been left, their anger is valid and they are owed resources and consideration. Never have I seen one article written do the opposite for Muslims, Blacks, Women, LGBT etc
2. The audience is people like you-or the ones that got out. You know how hard working these folks are. You know they got a raw deal. Give them a break, don’t confront anything they say at Thanksgiving. Let them blow off steam. If we show compassion maybe they will see our humanity.
Are they are written for people like me? People who have/are/would suffer if we could Make America Great Again. Honestly, I’m done fine but my family just got out of abject poverty because of Civil Rights, Title IX, and reproductive rights —— all the things the people they elected are reversing in the same lifetime they were created.
I was just miffed with my first comment but now I am pissed. Please talk to them, not me. I can promise you, I’m never going to elect folks to take away their rights.
Yes, you are correct, we are not making a dent with these people, we are failing, and because of it their rage is running rampant and threatening the lives of people like you and the groups you mention. I certainly didn't mean to imply anything otherwise and I apologize if I did.
I was just questioning what the way forward to get out of this is, and I think that's what the post was asking. But you're bringing up an important point, which is that the burden to fix this is on the privileged parts of the Democratic coalition, not on you or someone like you. Or at least that we can't ask you to sympathize with them if we refuse to ask them to sympathize with you.
Personally it's hard because I don't want to make the mistakes they're making, and end up like a mirror image of them, and I'm not sure I do very well at that.
I sense a lot of valid frustration in your comment. It's true that men in general (and white men in particular) are the people whose actions and policies cause most of the harm in flyover states, and that's also true of the non-flyover states. This specific interview is about flyover states and how the people in them are often overlooked or how the diversity of people and perspectives in flyover states is flattened.
I hear you though. It's a scary, precarious time and it is hard everywhere. Every person deserves to feel safe where they live, to actually *be* safe where they live, to have all of their basic human needs met (food, housing, healthcare, child care, leisure/recreation). There is no safe place for anyone to move to and we cannot leave anyone behind.
agreed. you raise questions that i have been asking myself for years. why, oh, why do people vote against their own economic interests? it baffles me. even here in iowa, we DO have choices - diverse candidates, people with a wider vision - yet the same white men keep getting elected over and over and over again. (bangs head on keyboard!)
Greta - everyone does. People vote for people they like all the time or look like them because it makes them feel good. People think when their team wins a sport game they also are winners … like they ran a play.
The thing is when Black Politicians are horrible we don’t expect consideration and we don’t make Jesus or Captain America pictures with the faces of convicted politicians like Marion Barry or Kwame Kilpatrick, Bob Menendez.
Everyone has the same issues, but people in other communities don’t get to says “it’s those people in flyover country that’s keeping you down”. When have we ever seen that happen?
It’s constant praise for coal miners, farmers and factory workers. It should be our national anthem. Well, there are factory workers and farmers and other utilities workers in other parts of America too. They deserve respect too. No one write about them - and I’m not saying anyone should. Writes have to write what they want.
I would just like less me me me and see them for he first time ever send out an olive branch. It’s always always us listening to them.
i always appreciate hearing your perspective since i don't often hear it expressed in my community, although we are becoming more diverse by the minute and that is a joy! so keep speaking out; there's always an olive branch extended from my hand to yours. hugs, dear friend.
I subscribed because I find Lynx writing about women’s issues compelling. Also because it’s in my best interest to not be stupid or naive about my Country anymore.
I know it seems like I’m always harping on the White ladies but it’s because the blind spots are so big! I don’t know how many POC comment or write here but damn! Womanhood is not the same and not treated the same in all parts of America.
I truly appreciate you listening and so many people liking. And I do want to know you as well- that’s why I’m here.
Stupid auto correct : her name is Lyz!
Beverley, I just want to say I appreciate your comments and insights here. I think a lot of what Smarsh is writing about and who her mission field is are other white "well meaning" liberals who write off flyover places. I should have been more clear about that in the interview and that is on me. I hear what you are saying and I think you are absolutely correct.
auto-correct consistently gives me fits.
yes, the blind spots are big and that's why i read your comments with so much attention and appreciation. i have blind spots of my own so i want to be able to see more clearly and lovingly!
All of this, Beverly.
Interviews like this are exactly why my subscription money is so well spent. I admit to being guilty of believing all citizens of red states believe the same things.
we're stuck in a very red state here but we are not giving up. we will keep fighting!
This was a great read. I grew up in Boston, and recently moved to very rural TN to live out my dreams of being a feral woman in the forest. I'm a very left-leaning independent and the culture shift has been interesting. No matter where in the country you go, people are struggling, just for different reasons. When you're struggling in a major city, there's still a bus so you can get to work. Local jobs are more walkable. Low-cost services can be found. When you're struggling in the same way out where I am now, there's nothing. No bus. No where to walk to. Hardly a hospital, let alone a clinic where free resources can be accessed. I understand why folks can feel hopeless, like their whole life & experience has been overlooked by the mainstream. I keep being surprised at the folks here who share their distaste for Trump - and each time checking myself for the bias I clearly carry. "Everyone in the South/Midwest is a "Trumper" who voted for him." It's simply not true. I spend half the year in FL and while some of the politics there are getting out of hand, it's rare I chat with anyone who is on board with book banning and the "Don't Say Gay" laws. Dismissing whole states based on media click bait headlines is unfair to all of us.
We all need to approach conversations with the belief that we have more in common than not, and challenge ourselves to recognize where our "understandings" might not be as valid as we think.
Thank you Lyz and Sarah for doing this interview. Heartland is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I don't remember reading anything as empathetic and as moving as the stories of Sarah's mother and step-grandmother.
My husband and I grew up in rural Texas. I struggle with both the immense respect and love I have for the people who helped raise me and the horrific ways in which the policies crafted by their elected officials continue to rip away fundamental human rights. These policies are not the result of uneducated masses going to the polls. These choices and actions are deliberate and consistent.
Her response to your final question deserves widespread publication….”Let's talk about social media strategically targeting particular demographics who have not been directly looked at or addressed or validated — particularly in their class struggles — by the Democratic Party for a really long time.
And in that void of concern the far right faction swooped in.
I am not suggesting that the people who then “fall for” far-right messaging are stupid. I think it suggests that they're human beings who need to feel validated on some level. And I don't want to discount the white supremacy and the racist undertones and implications that a lot of this phenomenon employs. But I think that simultaneous with that truth is real pain, real lived disadvantage.
Democrats just really fumbled the ball on that. Somewhere around the Reagan era, I would say that Carter was the last person that was really talking about it.
And in the 90s we got “free trade.” By then, the farm crisis had gutted our agricultural communities. Now industry falls as well. There's a lot of resentment. There's a lot of real pain. There's a lot of real struggle.
And who spoke to that pain? Politics is an emotional business before it's a rational one.”
Thanks for this. I loved Heartland and I'm looking forward to Bone of the Bone.
Washington is reliably blue state. For those of us on the coast, flyover country starts at Snoqualmie Pass. Central and Eastern Washington's rural counties are ignored. Air and water quality in the Yakima valley, for example, are an environmental health disaster and show up as such on the state's environmental health tracking maps. I've testified on this before the state's Environmental Justice Council. There were grave nods of the head and thanks for bringing it to their attention, but, if it's not happening in Seattle's inner-city neighborhoods, they don't see it as a justice issue.
Back in 2016, I remember several get togethers with friends in the Bay Area, talking about the upcoming election... and none of my friends took Trump seriously. They thought anyone who would vote for him was an idiot. I tried to talk to them about the frustrations and the anger of a lot of voters who felt the Democrats at best ignored them or worse denigrated them -- and the general feeling that the government had abandoned them. I've seen that sort of voting shift in the UK, multiple times, and it just felt to me that the US was ready to do something similar... and then the UK voted for Brexit and I figured we were doomed to Trump... :(