In Once Thriving Jefferson County, Voters Look to Donald Trump For Economic Turnaround: Ohio Matters

[HughBeaumont]

. . . . . what do I DO with this?

"I can't sit here and look you in the eyes and assure you on what he's going to do," Greenberg, who is retired from a now-closed local branch of his family's jewelry business, later continues. "But his actions lead one to believe that he's going to do what should have been done 30 years ago: get millions of people back to work."

Greenberg's sentiment is a commonly held one in Jefferson County, which narrowly voted for Barack Obama in 2008, but backed Trump in November by a whopping 35 points. The area was once solidly Democratic, but has drifted Republican over the years as some say they came to no longer equate the Democratic Party with the interests of the working class. The political shift also coincided with the erosion of the steel industry in the Ohio Valley and the loss of thousands of good-paying jobs.

And before anyone chimes in with "Learn from it", learn WHAT???

That people are STILL getting away with blaming Democrats for Conservative capitalist businessmen failing them?

That I should try and "understand" people who have abandoned reason?

That cutting public education leads to faith-based decision making such as this?

Or perhaps understand why we're not touching the biggest neon elephant in the room . . . why everyone is so ashen-skin petrified of addressing the failures and distribution problems of Re-branded Feudalism in fear of undeserved venom.

"How . . . DARE you criticize Capitalism!!!! Everyone KNOWS it's either this or Totalitarian Warsaw Pact Police States and why do you HATE America, Reagan and Lady Liberty???"

[raging moderate]

1. "WHAT actions?"

We should keep asking these people, "WHAT actions? What has he done, in his whole life, to make jobs return to this country?" His companies all have their merchandise made elsewhere, their construction materials bought elsewhere, their low-level workers brought from elsewhere.

[HughBeaumont]

3. Let's not forget he has a record of stiffing contractors an arm long.

Between the 1980s and present day, he's exhibited none of the characteristics of the fake populist he presented himself as.

I just don't see how these people can defend his stiffing of working people with a straight face.

[dalton99a]

2. Places that have gone Trump by 35 points are beyond redemption

Let Trump save them.

[DetlefK]

4. +1

Their President, their problem.

[HughBeaumont]

6. Unfortunately, because of their selfishness, it's ALL of our problem.

Why do working people fall for this crap again and again?

They only like Democrats to clean up their heroes' messes; once the work is done, they vote them straight out again.

[workinclasszero]

8. Yup

Trump is bringing those millions of high wage union jobs with bennies back, any second now.

Just ignore the fact that filthy rich Trump has stiffed working class people his whole life. And the fact that his cabinet is stuffed with wall street hustlers.

And the fact that the republican party is now and will always be anti-union, anti-working class, anti-minimum wage even which they will soon kill off no doubt.

When will these brainwashed Fox news zombies/republican voters realize they have been suckered by their savior Trump?

How many times will Trump and his party bend them over and ram it home before they get the picture?

This is why the democratic party needs to move 1000% into FDR style socialism. The younger generations are already there, why aren't we?

[HughBeaumont]

27. +1,000

LONG past time. Capitalism doesn't survive without an adequate social safety net, which we don't have.

[Blue_true]

33. FDR had supermajorities in Congress. We had a shot at

that, but the purists blew that up by attacking fellow Democrats. The country is now so divided politically, that no party is likely to get a congressional supermajority with their President in office again. Our party has the best chance of getting a supermajority, but purists that rip other Democrats apart at election time make getting to a California style Democrat supermajority difficult.

[leftstreet]

41. +1

[world wide wally]

5. Just like with Obamacare.

Ask them "What is your plan"?
And when they tell you about more tax cuts for the wealthy, point out that Bush already tried that.

[LuckyLib]

31. And so did Kansas -- and look what's happening right now.

[Blue_true]

34. Kansas is in crisis again.

Legislature republican leaders and Democrats in the legislature got a bill approved that roll back Brownback's rich people tax cuts, but Brownback is going to veto it. Kansas is facing a $1.1 billion deficit over two years, which is large for a small state. Trump and republicans in Congress want to turn us into Kansas.

[agincourt]

47. Nebraska is in almost as bad of shape,

yet the governor who created the situation has high poll numbers. The R behind the name fixes all, as Bill Maher would say. Will Ohio hold Trump accountable as much as they did Obama? Probably not, I remember the Reagen eighties when everyone thought and said we were in a recovery when actually we were not. Making two 3.00 an hour jobs out of one 12.00 per hour job was considered a booming recovery. The R behind the name fixes all.

[Initech]

7. If they think Trump is the solution, they are going to be sorely disappointed.

When a small handful of people have more money than half the world combined, things are going to get worse before they get better. And voting republican is only going to empower the uber wealthy. Just look at Trump's cabinet.

[HughBeaumont]

9. We're heading towards a two class dystopia because we're religion-poisoned.

That doesn't necessarily mean we're poisoned because we believe in God or whoever one worships - it means we're poisoned because we keep treating failed/dying ideas AS religions are treated; infallible and beyond question.

When you have a nation of several million voters that treat questioning capitalism with the same venom as if you were advocating child murder . . . . that's a problem. Capitalism has GLARING distribution flaws, and all the "well, actually"s in the world isn't changing that.

[Initech]

11. Driving up the west coast this year I have definitely seen that.

These are the people who literally have signs posted on their farm houses saying "pray for rain", and were pressuring Jerry Brown to build a dam, but they also voted to make America great again. Yeah doesn't exactly work that way.

[Blue_true]

35. The extreme rich are sowing seeds for their own destruction.

It is impossible to destitute 90% of people in the world without consequences. I don't buy the argument that things will get worse before they get better unless a fundamental mindset happens among the rich and politicians that do their bidding, unless that change happens, we will have French Revolution level violence and post French Revolution level anarchy.

[Doremus]

44. The uber wealthy have built or are in the process of building fortresses for themselves.

I read an article recently about it but don't have the link handy.

[Progressive dog]

10. I don't think rants about the economic system that

both huge majorities of Republicans and Democrats support helps our cause.

[HughBeaumont]

12. And continuing the destruction with no solution both sides will agree on DOES?

Whether huge majorities support something doesn't make said approach infallible.

Ignoring the problems doesn't make the problems go away.

[Progressive dog]

14. Those are two of the poorest thought out

opinions, I have ever heard of.

[HughBeaumont]

15. Absolutely. Let's continue a self-destructing system of economics.

Let's stay the course straight on to dystopia.

That's what is great about religions - someone else does the thinking for you.

[Progressive dog]

18. Dystopia, that says it all

The rights that we have as individuals include the right to enjoy the products of our work. That means that we have a right to own property. In fact that ownership of property is protected in the US Constitution.
This right has a scientific basis. Homo sapiens are the result of evolution starting several billion years ago. Mutations to DNA selected by "Survival of the fittest" is the claim of science.
We have evolved (along with almost every other species) to take care of ourselves first. We are born to compete. In order to have a democracy, we must have rewards for succeeding. Free enterprise (capitalism) does that. No other economic/political system that has been tried does it as well or has reached as high a standard of living.
I have no clue why you chose to bring up religion, so I can't respond to that.

[HughBeaumont]

19. Capitalism the way conservative America conducts it IS a religion.

In that if you question it's completely obvious flaws, you get dismissed straight out as a paranoid conspiracy theorist that puts humanity over profit (like it's a BAD thing).

You seriously think the hardest-working of our population is enjoying the fruits of it's labor? You're seriously going to tell me that with a straight face? The middle/working/poor classes are experiencing stagnating wages in the face of ever-growing necessity costs.

Inherited wealth is usually rewarded with more influence, more wealth, more power. That also means more consumption of the national largesse to make that happen. That wealth transfers to their heirs and stays there. That right there is a systemic bottleneck.

Our wealthy over time took the worst tenets of Hayek, Rothbard and Friedman and created a winner-take-everything monster that's leaving much of the world in it's dust. They ended up getting so wealthy that there was nothing left for them to purchase BUT the government. Our system of capitalism is ruining the progress and future of an entire generation. I really don't see how indebting a generation is great for business.

This reasoning that humans are inherently rugged individualists by science (one person's "rugged individualist" is another person's conqueror) sounds very . . . . libertarian.

[Progressive dog]

20. Of course there are flaws to

free enterprise. You have to learn to read and understand. It is dishonest (or worse) to respond to things that were not said. That sounds almost----Trumpian or perhaps Putinian.

[Blue_true]

36. I won't argue with you about capitalism producing the highest standard of living.

The fact is no system has been as prolific as capitalism at raising standards of living. One can also argue that there was no greater civilization than the Roman Empire. But the Roman Empire failed and so will capitalism if adjustments are not introduced. The Roman Empire failed because other competing empires became as technologically capable and because the Romans destitute do large swaths of the areas that they ruled to service the decadent elite in Rome.

Capitalism faces never before threats to it's existentence. Intelligent machines and systems that eliminate human workers have no boundaries that will stop the elimination of jobs and concentration of wealth into the hands of people and companies that can afford to buy the machines. What is being seen in old industrial parts of the country is a warning beacon of what should happen to countries worldwide as intelligent machines and systems eliminate jobs - the challenge that the system of capitalism and the rich that benefit most from it is how to share gains to insure social peace. So survival of the fittest apply until new factors get introduced.

[Progressive dog]

42. The Roman Empire was based on a

slave economy.
As to automation threatening capitalism, capitalists can't sell stuff no one can afford. That should be obvious and only require common sense. Why anyone would fear increases in productivity is beyond my comprehension.

[haele]

13. The disconnect in small towns is that businessmen in small towns want a robust economy.

Which means that the local Chamber of Commerce wants to make a lot of jobs in their regions. Because more of the right types of jobs means more profits for smaller businesses.

The problem is, local businessmen who get into politics usually get into politics because either they don't think they can make enough money staying local, or their local business is really not sustainable for a variety of reasons (usually because they cut corners and treat their business like an ATM), and they want to get out before the debt collectors start calling. This includes doctors...I've seen more doctors with a history of failing practices (because of being more concerned about profit than provision of health care) going into politics on the "Conservative" side of politics.
Once these "businessmen" get to the Statehouse or D.C., they don't care about jobs, they care about profits.

These small towns are typically screwed. The politicians who actually are concerned about governing - which includes, along with sustainable environment and infrastructure, protection of resources, promoting a healthy, robust economy with balanced employment - are typically educators or professionals who work with some form of innovation that includes sustainability - like scientists. People who are curious and problem solvers by nature. The type of people the GOP calls "liberal elites", who are uppity snowflakes.

Haele

[Botany]

16. I know the area well

The coal mining, coal fired power plants, and the steel jobs are either all
gone or will soon be all gone but the politicians (both sides), the hate talkers
on TV, Radio, and internet, and their pastors keep telling the locals that it is all
the fault of the liberals and the EPA and the people eat that shit up w/a spoon.
At one time Steubenville, OH had some of the worst air quality in America
along with the lung problems that the poor air brough along but the locals
instead of seeing a toxic cloud in their air would get in your face and say,
"Boy, that smells like money to me."

Same thing in W.V. too.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2016/oct/12/west-virginia-donald-trump-supporters-mcdowell-county-poverty-video

[Orsino]

17. Trump will never, ever give a damn about Jefferson County.

He will break their faith, and when that happens, we should be reacy with as much understanding as is needed to win as many votes as we think are winning.

[HughBeaumont]

26. Yeah, this is what I NEVER got . . . .

What was EVER going to cure the economic wants of flyover country? A business/industry isn't going to go where it's not economically viable.

The problem I see in "reaching out" is that I think there needs to be a factoid-terse economic message that we need to convey. What that is, I don't know . . . because, again, knowing how hyper-capitalists are, what do we TELL them?

[Blue_true]

38. We can't just win those people's votes.

We must immediately craft economic programs that meet the unique needs of their area, but also reflect our values of environment protection and job hiring and promotion fairness regardless of race, sex or ethnicity. That town went for Obama in 2008, so calling them backward racists is wrong, their fear seems to be largely economic. They have politicians visit, promise help but then promote national level economic growth that end up bypassing them.

[NickB79]

21. Sounds like those stupid fuckers across the border in Wisconsin

The few times I've driven from the Twin Cities into Wisconsin, it's like you traveled into a 3rd-world country about 20 miles in. The towns are more decrepit, the roads are worse, the people just look more haggard and depressed.

It's fucking scary how different our two states are.

[HughBeaumont]

24. Same with Northeast Ohio (Cleveland/Akron) or Central Ohio (Columbus) into the "Sea of Tea".

i.e. - all of the dark red, depressed, drug/alcohol-addled, poorly educated counties that continue to drag SlowHio into a foot-shooting Republican-controlled abyss. It's like they prefer their state of being. I ventured down to central/near-Southern Ohio for a wedding recently. It's absolutely amazing the more run-down, historically and economically frozen the town is, the more churches and Trump signs (some even had 12 to a yard) you see. What can you do but shake your head? You could give these people a million dollars apiece and they'd still never vote for a Democrat.

[geek tragedy]

22. hope Trump fails and that their resultant suffering encourages his supporters to stay home

in upcoming elections

[Blue_true]

39. Hate radio and Fox News will convince them that

Democrats caused Trump to fail. They will likely show up to vote and cut their own throats deeper. They never blame the right people because they are brainwashed.

[geek tragedy]

40. declining fortunes would demoralize them.

They're not persuadeable, but we can demoralize them and break their spirit

[Blue_true]

23. The new economy is obsoleting lots of old industrial cities.

People in those places voting republican won't help their cause at all.

[Vinca]

25. Maybe the steel industry would have been viable if Trump hadn't used imported steel.

It's as if they invited the fox into the hen house and provided him with a lounge chair. Trump and his family have been the worst offenders when it comes to outsourcing and we still haven't heard a peep about where they might produce their clothing, jewelry and accessory lines in the United States. I recall reading an article recently about Ivanka's new deal with a manufacturer in a Baltic country. If they're going to vote for the orange idiot, they should follow up with their demands and not wait for whatever the hell might trickle down from on high.

[HughBeaumont]

29. The fact that voters chose to remain wilfully ignorant on his offshore hypocrisy . . .

. . . just leads me to believe that "Republican" is the default American position and that, to them, all our side seems to be good for is cleaning up Republican-created economic and foreign messes.

Another thing I don't get is how this guy and his family are using his usurped position to sell merchandise, stay locked at Mar-a-Lago and act like a Caesar. It's like his voters and family don't even take this job, this responsibility seriously . . . this was all a whim to get back at "teh dirty commies" and "Preznit Hussein".

[Vinca]

32. I think it's just an out and out scam.

The sons are traveling around the world pimping the Trump name and we're underwriting all kinds of travel-related expenses even for them. We're paying for security at multiple residences and keeping them in the style they're apparently accustomed to. The icing on the cake is they pay no taxes and so contribute nothing. I try not to hate, but I really despise them.

[LonePirate]

28. Another boring article where voters blame faraway Dems instead of all the Repubs running the state.

These people need to stop voting Republican for every office in the state capital if they want to see improvement in their lives.

[HughBeaumont]

30. Our state legislature has been under near-constant Repub control for two decades.

Don't know if Jefferson County sells mirrors or not . . .

[Blue_true]

45. Rush Limbaugh, Hannity, et al tell them that

their lives would be better if they are allowed to keep their guns and religion and keep the evil EPA out. They never look at the local, state and federal level republicans that they elect to screw them blind.

[gratuitous]

43. You're right

Who's telling the people in Jefferson County that all their troubles are caused by Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and Barack Obama? Republicans in the area, joined by the good folks at Fox, Rush Limbaugh, and a bunch of other intellectual Lilliputians with Brobdingnagian bullhorns.

Let's try this: How about some Democrats of high stature drop by Jefferson County from time to time, and tell them what the Democratic platform is? I'm pretty sure none of the usual people filling the locals' heads with information are bothering to do that, and if they are, they're probably not presenting it in a very palatable manner. The big, international concerns have abandoned Jefferson County? Do the locals think those big companies are run by liberals? Did the big companies blow town because they couldn't make a go of it anymore, or because they could take advantage of cheaper labor elsewhere? And who paved the way for that? Did people in other parts of the country voluntarily say, "I'll gladly work for a dollar an hour less," or did the elected officials there artificially depress wages? Who's in charge in low wage areas like South Carolina and Mississippi? Workers in Jefferson County aren't competing with workers in the Deep South, they're competing with Robber Barons who have bought themselves state legislatures in furtherance of their rapacious profiteering.

There's another narrative that these people could be hearing. Let's see what we can do to make them hear it.

[mrsv]

37. Obama

had a jobs bill and the republicans stopped everything he tried to put through...I don't feel sorry for any of these assholes...they should educate themselves on how government works instead of watching Fox News like their fucking president...but they will learn soon enough because this time they will be left with absolutely nothing...and this time they will lose even their precious guns...lol

[Blue_true]

46. Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity will give them lectures

about how evil Democrats stopped Trump and eventhough Trump leads incompetently, they will vote to try to reelect him and send their useless republican congressperson back to Washington. Meanwhile, the real causes of the economic malaise of the middleclass do not get addressed.

[Fast Walker 52]

48. yeah, indeed

[Bear Creek]

49. See it

They have been told at church republicans are good and democrats are evil. They do not see that it is the republican policies that have kept them down. On NPR they went to a county in KY where President Johnson started war on poverty and they voted for trumpery. The same thing was said that the coal jobs were gone due to automation and that was in 1963. Retraining for other jobs was needed but the republicans cut that. They are so far gone that you cant even talk to them. All news is fake. Beliefs in lies is the truth. Sorry but the only way for them to wake up is experiencing the horrible things that the GOP wants to do. It is like they are under a spell, a good word is thrall.