… Before the presidential election, I wrote an article pointing out that the homogeneity of “red” America is an illusion: Small and medium-size postindustrial U.S. towns routinely vote for Democrats — sometimes by very large margins. Few had noticed, because the largely rural counties in which these towns are located […] Read more »
The Biggest Losers in Trump’s Potential Trade War
If Donald Trump’s aggressive moves on the international economy spark a trade war, the American communities that will lose the most in absolute terms are the giant metropolitan areas, largely along the two coasts, that are most deeply integrated into global markets. But in proportional terms, the biggest losers from […] Read more »
Where Were Trump’s Votes? Where the Jobs Weren’t
Did the white working class vote its economic interests? … Yes, the economy has added millions of jobs since President Obama took office. Even manufacturing employment has recovered some of its losses. Still, less-educated white voters had a solid economic rationale for voting against the status quo — nearly all […] Read more »
Life Expectancy Lower for Trump Voters
Throughout the 2016 campaign President-elect Donald Trump reached out to voters who felt the system didn’t work for them. They were crucial to his November victory. But the challenges those voters face is about more than just economics and government policy, it cuts all the way to the physical health […] Read more »
Americans Expect Economic Improvement in a Deeply Divided Country
After the bruising 2016 campaign, Americans are broadly optimistic that Donald Trump’s election will invigorate the economy but fearful that it will further divide the nation along lines of class, race and party. While a solid three-fifths of American adults indicated that as a result of the election they expect […] Read more »
As American as Apple Pie? The Rural Vote’s Disproportionate Slice of Power
… The Democratic candidate for president has now won the popular vote in six of the last seven elections. But in part because the system empowers rural states, for the second time in that span, the candidate who garnered the most votes will not be president. … “If you’re talking […] Read more »