General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWas the economy in the Midwest in such a shambles when Obama left....?
...that Trump voters had no choice but to vote for change, any type of change? They were voting out of desperation?
That is the impression I get when I listen to some of the talking heads on cable news. They were hanging on by their fingernails under the Obama economy?
Are they doing a lot better now under the Trump economy? Do they feel more secure? Do they feel better about the future for their families?
Are they more optimistic for America?
If so, then we are living in an alternate universe.
Ohiogal
(31,657 posts)Obama saved their jobs, even though a lot of them might disagree.
The plant closure can't really be blamed 100% on Trump but I think his policies contributed to the circumstances.
True Blue American
(17,972 posts)For moving off shore needs to be stopped.
Ask Sherrod Brown. He told Trump that when Trump asked what he could do in a phone call.
llmart
(15,499 posts)but he did crow during his campaigning about the wonderful relationship he had with GM and how they would keep the GM plants open because of the wonderful relationship he had. They fell for it hook, line and sinker.
Ohio will sink even further if they don't wise up that Republicans have never done a thing for the middle class worker.
Ohiogal
(31,657 posts)What a crock!
When he said that, he probably never even spoke to anyone remotely affiliated with GM. But the morons fall for his outright lying.
llmart
(15,499 posts)when he says he's going to have "the best, bigliest, yugeist health insurance plan they'll ever see in their lifetimes" and then guts the ACA.
Once a moron, always a moron.
I'm almost glad my parents and their parents, who settled in the Greater Cleveland area in the 1800's didn't live to see how Ohioans vote against their best interest. They were all staunch Democrats and pro-union. Many others made that area of Ohio the epitome of higher education with their wonderful colleges and universities and cultural activities, etc. etc. The state that gave us 8 presidents. The state that used to make teaching of Civics mandatory. The state of CWRU and University Circle and the Cleveland Orchestra.
True Blue American
(17,972 posts)Has been in shambles since the GW Bush recession. It was in trouble before that. But totally collapsed then.
Pockets have greatly rebounded, thanks to local leaders. Some have not.
c-rational
(2,581 posts)courtesy of another DU poster. The forces of ruin for much of the midwest (read industrial America) were planted decades earlier. And recent posts appear to debunk this notion that voters in 2016 voted the way they did out of economic anxiety, rather it was deep seated racism, although i will say that most of America never recovered fully from the 2008 financial crisis - Wall Street did well at the expense of Main Street.
True Blue American
(17,972 posts)But a good deal of anger and fear. You have to live among the people to understand how they feel.
You have to have observed what has happened over the last 40 years.
I heard an unsusual observation yesterday from one who has seen it, been involved.
The talk of Trustbusters sounds good but most of these companies are multinational. You can not bust them up. Think about that.
33taw
(2,420 posts)He targeted small to medium sized counties where he could make gains in the rural communities. He won by a slim margin because he showed up for them. I think Trump basically played moneyball. He didnt need grand slams, he needed a bunch of base hits to advance the runner. Washington only cares about the farmers during elections, then it drops off. Obama also targeted some of these counties and won them, Clinton was not a strong presence in WI. Motivating the rural voters also means appealing to their gun stance. Tell em they can keep their guns and thats all that matters. Trump still shows up in a bunch of small town airports in WI, still havent seen a single of the 16 or so candidates in the top half of the state except Klobachar did show up in the western part of the state.
Johnny2X2X
(18,732 posts)The working people of this country very clearly got left behind because Cons changes the rules so that workers no longer get a fair share of the wealth that they created.
As productivity increased, real compensation decreased. All the gains if their labor went to the top 1%.
Being able to communicate this in a sound byte is the key to winning in 2020.
I dont think people understand fully what they stole. They stole the workers retirements, schools, roads, health care, and security. Workers create the wealth, all of it. The American Dream was built on workers getting a fair share of the fruits of their labor.
As a country, there is more wealth than ever. American workers should be able to have 1 income supporting their household. They should have a home and 2 cars in the garage. They should have ample retirements. Free college. Free health care. The best infrastructure in the world. All of these things were earned by the people, but were stolen from us.