Trying Again
Today, I am STARTING ON GOOGLE and not in FireFox, the usual browser I do most things with. So, the post SHOULD post uneventfully.
BRIEF synopsis of yesterdays initial reply about comments related to the election. Very abbreviated.... as I am rather tired of having politics be my focus.... since I cannot really do a damn thing about them anyhow:
- IMO, the slide of a portion of the blue collar folks in the "Blue Wall" states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, (and Ohio)... began in the utterly horrendous Reagan era. Reagan did more to destroy the livelihood of the middle class in the "Blue Wall" than just about anyone. He busted unions which lead to the sharp, SHARP decline in Steel and Automobile jobs in the "Blue Wall". Unfortunately, Reagan.... who was equally as incoherent in communication as DJT is now.... had some sort of sinister "pied piper" ability to (with his SOUND BITES) get all manner of middle class folks to adore and love him.... all the while he screwed them over.
- Again, my postulate is that for a helluva lot of blue collar folks, SOUND BITES are all they focus on (because perhaps of day-to-day life being too hectic, or lack of focus, or in terms of only mild interest in examining the machinations of politics). So, Reagan's SOUND BITES started to cleave away some of the blue collar folks because his SOUND BITES sounded funny, cutesy, patriotic, etc. even though his policies decimated the middle class.
- But, the Democrats did not do a whole helluva lot better, especially in the 90s. Bill Clinton, who may have done a variety of good things.... sure screwed over a lot of the declining middle class in the "Blue Wall" during his tenure by supporting NAFTA and GATT. He STARTED the Democratic Party's change to basically IGNORING the blue collar folks broadly, but especially in the "Blue Wall" states. With NAFTA and GATT, a lot of blue collar folks slid further down the economic ladder and as a result felt declining loyalty to the Democratic Party.
- The ignoring for the most part, the blue collar "Blue Wall" folks by the Democratic Party... who HAD BEEN traditionally the biggest, most ardent parts of the Democratic Party in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.... THAT IS THE ROOT CAUSE FOR WHAT WE HAVE TODAY.
- The ONLY victories the Democratic Party has had in the 2000s have been Obama and Biden. Obama was able to win because HE had tremendous charisma, and a message of INCLUSION FOR EVERYONE that drew a lot of the blue collar folks back temporarily. Gore, Hillary Clinton, and Harris.... all WONDERFUL political leaders... LOST.... not because of any failing of their work or ability.... but because each of them accepted and anticipated blue collar support without courting the blue collar folks to help them feel included. Biden (barely) squeezed out a win, because of his association with Obama AND Biden's own very pro support of blue collar folks that was very evident from his work from the 1970s.
Now to more normal, and for me, more enjoyable things:
- My running shoes are shot. But, I hate them anyhow. They are the newest model of the brand I have ran in for all my running. But this latest design has a purposeful "high heel" design that is suppossed to train runners to "run on their front foot" and not their heels (a "trendy" new concept). But, I hate it. This design makes me feel like I am falling forward all the time, and I believe it has been ultimately the reason for my tripping and falling. So, I tossed them aside after ~1,500 miles and pulled older, earlier model shoes that had ~1,600 miles and tried to run with them. They have a more flat foot & heel design. And, it felt SO MUCH BETTER, even though these shoes were shot-to-hell also. So.... I have now searched and found a model of the shoe that is NOT the current model, but the previous model. My own earlier model shoe was of a variety TWO model cycles ago. I am hoping this new pair of shoes of the in-between model is of the flat foot & heel design..... I will see after they arrive and I can try them on.
- My time last week at the Retiree's Cigar Group was WONDERFUL! I indulged in an Arturo Fuente Robusto cigar and it was delightfully creamy, smooth, and flavorful. I think it was perhaps the best cigar I have ever had. Do not get me wrong.... it was NOT a pipe, and any pipe would surpass its beauty. But, it was very nice. And the camaraderie was very relaxing and enjoyable.
5 Comments:
A solid, balanced analysis of political history, Professor. And you're spot on with Reagan and especially Trump with his ability to dazzle with the soundbites that trash elitism appeal to voters' base impulses. I would almost call him an evil genius. (And isn't Trump trashing "the elites" just the biggest GIGGLE? The guy who got handed everything from his father, including dubious moral character? But I digress...)
Glad to hear you enjoyed your cigar group visit. Your almost poetic descriptions of the cigar
enjoyment reminded me of how you would rhapsodize about the flame melding to the tobacco, all of the delicious flavor profiles, the memories associated with your pipes and their origins. I'll be honest...your blog and love of the pipe-leaf did much to help me on my own pipe-smoking path. So, thank you. I may not be habitual nor proficient at the practice but all told, it *has* improved my life in many ways. I've met many fine people(through the internet, if nothing else). Carry ON, Professor!
Professor, I think you are overestimating “white collar” voters and underestimating “blue collar” voters. In my experience, white collar voters are equally likely to be manipulated by sound bites. Jut look at protests on so many college campuses. The “debate” is often simplistic and juvenile in a way that doesn’t reflect well on either side of the debates, and doesn’t reflect well on colleges as places of refined thinking.
What doomed the Harris/Walz ticket was not that blue collar voters got suckered into supporting Trump because of sound bites. Harris lost the election because Democratic voter turnout in 2024 was down from 2020. That drop included white collar voters as well as blue collar voters. As the NYT reported, "The drop-off spanned demographics and economics. It was clear in counties with the highest job growth rates, counties with the most job losses and counties with the highest percentage of college-educated voters." Ultimately, sound bites notwithstanding, Harris lost the election because fewer Democrats -- white collar and blue collar alike -- voted in 2024 than in 2020.
I completely agree with you about white collar folks and their focus on sound bites as well. I was really focusing on the Blue Wall though. It Harris had gotten MI, PA, and WI….. she would have won. And I think the loss of blue collar democrats has been a lot greater overall than the loss of white collar democrats…… because the blue collar folks have been tremendously IGNORED and “presumed” by the Democratic Party since the 1990s especially.
Yes, I think that somehow, Reagan was the turning point, and not just in the USA. Conservatives, here anyway, were tolerable before then. In fact, I usually voted Conservative. Somehow, it evolved into a meaner, more rightwing movement. I went in the opposite direction, edging a little farther left. In part I think my shift was due to becoming an atheist and with it more of an humanist.
Excellent explanation! It makes me sad that so many people have been fooled by Trump and that it will affect ALL of us. I don't want to live in that world! So happy that you enjoyed your cigar group and cigar. That's wonderful.
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