Why did Trump win? New research by Democrats offers a worrisome answer

...and one they all share. Governor W. J. Lepetomane: "We've got to protect our phony, baloney jobs!"

You could have another layer of governmental suck inserted most anywhere. And another, kinda fractal-like. Suck into infinity.

 

Yes, I did. Where do you live? I'm in Minnetonka.

Okay.

Jobs don't exist in isolation. Cities can't exist without an economic reason for being. Just ask all the jerkwater towns dotted across the Dakotas, whose reason for existing pretty much vanished with steam locomotives.

A regional perspective would look and see what a region's competitive advantages and disadvantages are, and build on the former while seeing about fixing the latter.

There was a great story last month about Janesville, a town in Wisconsin near where I grew up that hit the skids when the largest employer in town, a GM plant, closed. It wasn't just the plant workers: it was all the people who had jobs selling stuff to the plant workers.

That plant isn't coming back. Absent another sugar daddy corporation parachuting in with 3,000 high-paying manufacturing jobs, that economic model is broken. So what do you do?

Well, Janesville has pretty good schools. It's got decent geography, partway between Madison and Chicago. it's near road and rail lines.

Viewed regionally, Janesville could become a hub for the smaller communities around it. Perhaps a satellite campus of the UW system. Maybe expand the offerings at the city's technical college. Perhaps part of a high-speed rail network connecting Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago, so that Janesville could become, partly, a bedroom community for the others. Form partnerships with businesses and local governments. Look at how it fits in to the REGION, and plan accordingly. Then provide job training to the residents to fit into this plan.

Well, here's the reality: if all you have is an eight-grade education, you're chances of doing well are low. That has nothing to do with politics; it's reality. Even a high-school degree just doesn't cut it anymore.

So how do we address that? Whine about it and wish things were different? Or figure out how to help people adapt to the new reality?

Trump LIED to people, promising them things that there is no way to deliver on. That isn't a solution: that's preying on the vulnerable.

More training is one of the only ways to deal with that reality. Though I'll talk about some other trends further down.

Do you have other ideas?

I disagree with you in some ways. Call centers, for instance. About 40% of my company's business is setting up call centers (the software/hardware side of things). More and more companies are finding that outsourcing to India just isn't that useful. The management difficulties and cultural differences are troublesome, and it turns out people prefer talking to someone familiar. We have clients who set up separate call centers in Minnesota and, say, Georgia, so that people in the South can talk to someone with a Southern accent, and people in the North can talk to people with a weird Minnesotan accent.

So the companies we know, if they still use India, they use it as a bridge -- providing overflow or third-shift coverage.

So I actually think call centers could be a poster child for the sort of business that could revitalize a depressed area -- the sort of job that rewards personal attributes more than formal education, and that can be done from any geographic area with minimal infrastructure investment -- basically, you just need a reasonably robust power and communications grid, which isn't a hard thing for most towns to come up with.

So I think we agree on a lot. The problem is globalization, and our task is how to grapple with that reality. Demagogues like Trump are preying on the vulnerable.

I think the Internet is making the world smaller, which ought to be good for rural areas. An increasing number of jobs can be done from anywhere, and not just tech jobs. On the one hand, that could make those jobs vulnerable to outsourcing. On the other hand, I think we're in the middle of a "outsourcing service jobs to India was a bad idea" shift. Companies are coming to realize the value of familiarity.

Another example: server farms. All they need are a reliable power supply and a T3 data connection. Other than that, they can be built anywhere, and rural areas are attractive because of cheap land, among other things. And the data connection is something that can be built as part of the project, if need be.

Green energy is another thing that should benefit rural areas, because they tend to need lots of space. Wind farms, industrial-scale solar plants, biomass plants -- all require lots of space to gather the energy or, in the case of biomass, lots of acreage on which to grow fuel.

So I see a lot of tools in the toolbox that could be used to help turn around distressed areas.

Agreed. There are counties where the county seat is basically kept afloat by the county government and the school district.

At some point you have to ask if such counties still have a reason to exist, or whether we should be encouraging them to consolidate or move elsewhere. But as long as those jobs are real, and not just kept alive as a sort of faux welfare, I don't have a problem with it. Government is a legitimate part of the economy, and I have no objection to using it as part of economic growth efforts.

 

On Tax reform:

JUDY WOODRUFF: Where do you see the benefits falling, what income?

MICK MULVANEY: Middle class. Middle class and business, writ large, both large business and small business.

In fact, it should be one of the largest reductions on small business, what we call S Corporations, in the history of S Corporations. So, we’re trying to drive the economic benefit here to the taxpayers in the middle, the folks who are in the middle class, who are paying the taxes, and the places where they work.

Later, related to Executive Orders and the impact on the first 100 days and the future economy:

MICK MULVANEY: A lot of the stuff that was entirely in our control, I think we have actually exceed our own expectations.

You can talk about the number of bills that the president has signed. I think there’s been at least 13, more than any president since World War II, the number of executives orders that we have issued. Again, it’s not just number of these things, but what they have done.

By passing this legislation, we have undone a lot of the regulatory regime that the previous administration put in. We have undone a lot of damage they did with our executive orders. So, we have actually been able to reduce role of government in your life a great deal in the first 100 days.

We take that as a huge success. I think President Trump is the first president since the 1880s to have a Supreme Court justice in the first 100 days. Yes, we have not gotten health care done. Yes, we’re just starting tax reform today.

But keep in mind those are things we had to work with Congress, and Congress turned out to be a lot more broken than we thought it was. In fact, one of the reasons we think the Democrats have not responded on our funding proposals for this year is that they don’t want to give it to us within the first 100 days.

So, that’s how poisonous the atmosphere is that we’re working in, that they sort of agreed in principle. They want to say yes, but they won’t say yes until after the 100 days to deny that to the president. That’s just absurd. And the folks back home pay the price for that, which is unfortunate.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/mulvaney-trump-tax-plan-benefits-middle-class-places-work/

 

Yes, that is known as "a lie." They have "undone" pretty much jack.

 

This is a good post. I'm a pretty middle-of-the-road moderate independent and I've voted both parties and all over the ticket over the years. Over the past eight years one thing that really stood out was that Democrats were developing a really screwed-up sense of priorities (maybe worry more about the economy or reforming welfare, and less about which bathroom people should use?) It was also increasingly unsettling watching the party focus so much on identity politics and divisiveness, while acting like it should be shameful to be white, Christian, or American. I guess I was a #nothillary voter, because I felt like she would just be Obama 2.0, and things really needed a redirect and not four (or eight) more years of the same.

 

I see you're still making excuses for Clinton Ray. President Trump as described by millions of liberals as a dictator, which is the most bald face lie going since at every turn he is blocked. So your Trump lying his ass off comment, your ears obviously were plugged when Clinton spoke. The latest book Shattered examples her dismal failure....again

 

I feel like you are engaging in double standard.

Who made a big deal about transgender bathroom use? Not Democrats.

The Obama administration issued some guidance on the matter, which is what government does. It was done without fanfare or drama, part of what federal departments often do: providing guidance on how a particular issue intersects with a particular law, in this case Title IX, which prohibits gender-based discrimination in education programs receiving federal funds.
http://www.snopes.com/obama-transgender-bathrooms/

Transgender students are covered by Title IX. This issue came up often enough that the government felt it needed to issue guidelines on it, so schools would know what did and didn't violate Title IX.

You seem to think they should have just not done anything, even though this sort of thing is their JOB, and failing to do anything would just perpetuate uncertainty and confusion.

And then social conservatives freaked the hell out and turned it into a national issue.

So who was "focusing" on this? Certainly not the federal government.

 

I certainly agree that Trump made promises he can't keep, and indeed much of what we're talking about is not the purview of the federal government, or at least shouldn't be, but people want to believe that the president, especially their president (from their party) can fix everything for them. It's pretty silly. I'm with you as far as taking initiative locally to work out our economic problems where possible and not rely on government hundreds of miles away to handle everything for us.

I've been saying that we should look to Germany's education and training system for a good example to follow here. They seem to have better integration between education and private enterprise to guide students along an educational path that is in congruence with what they like and what they are apt to do on the one hand, and what employers need on the other. I'm exposed to this a little bit due to my work with German documentation coming from schools there. Students begin to specialize in their secondary (middle to high school) education and continue from there as needed to get their qualifications and go to work. I'd like to see our state and local governments coordinate this sort of thing, perhaps with some impetus and coordination and support at the national level. We'd be looking at a major overhaul of the education system, perhaps, but then I think it needs just that, and this could benefit anyone, anywhere. Get students heading into every industry that needs them and stop businesses needing to turn to immigrants, H1 visas and foreign labor markets to fill their needs.

I like that server farm idea... That's something I would consider being involved in, having the affinity for computers that I do. Even started out my higher education in tech before switching to liberal arts and foreign languages.

Oh, and I live a ways east of St. Cloud.

 

while government is a legitimate part of the economy, it is faux welfare in counties with only government jobs since their salaries are taxpayer funded as welfare is.

free market capitalism means living wage jobs can be brought to Americans in areas left behind by the rich, because wealth is created and not redistributed in such a market.

no one should be encouraged to move through government force or market consequence, part of being in a free country means having good choices.

 

Fine, don't be a fan. But don't spread discredited lies about him. You can dislike a guy without having to engage in conspiracy theories.

 

Hehe. Trump tries to operate like a dictator, but yes, he is blocked in his efforts. As long as our system remains intact, we are more or less safe from the Trumps of the world.

 

Ah, yes. I'm the one with the rose-colored glasses. Meanwhile, you manifestly fail to answer my question.

 

The Freedom Caucus standing up to Ryan is going to be dangerous for the right. I like that they are, don't get me wrong, but that is a divide in the republican legislature that could hurt them in achieving their agenda.

And the f-35 avionics weren't approved by Trump. Thats been happening since early last year.

 

This is just a way the Democratic Party leadership is telling Obama to shut up and stop sucking all the oxygen out of the Democratic Party so they can develop new leaders.

As for the Democratic Party being "people friendly," the tactic of the Democratic Party has been to curse, insult and ridicule as many voters as possible: Christians, white people, blue collar, anyone who has traditional morality or values, all senior citizens, people who have more than 5% body fat, gun owners, anyone who opposes men in women's restrooms, business owners, anyone who thinks the USA should have borders, anyone who does not supports unlimited money for unlimited federal agencies, anyone who opposes paying more taxes, anyone in corporate management - and overall about 85% of the voters. The head of the DNC just declared that no one who is pro-life is welcome in the Democratic Party as well.

Other than angry malcontent low income blacks and Latinos, along with rich old white liberals and university profs who campaign for anarchy in the classroom, there really is no one left for the Democratic Party to openly hate and tell to go to hell.

 

Obama beat Clinton in 2008 by claiming she and her campaign were racists. Then he beat McCain by telling America that McCain was going to give them 4 more years of Bush. Clinton's biggest downfall besides corruption, pandering to minorities, and shoving whites aside was her platform of running on four more years of Obama. Nobody wants that, Obama won because he was popular among people, him, not his policies. People hated his policies. You saw firsthand what happened when a white girl ran on his platform. The economic situation that happened under Obama won't happen under Trump, he'll continue to bring this economy up and throughout all the lies and insults the left make up about him, he'll power through these 4 years and win reelection because of his policies.

People hated Obama's policies but they liked Obama and that's why Obama won, and by that same logic, people might hate Trump but they like Trump's policies and that's why Trump won. That's why so many Obama voters voted for Trump. A democrat can't, and won't win on policy alone.

 

Um, where did I make an excuse? Just because I don't hate Clinton with the unreasoning passion of a million suns, I'm making excuses?

Er ... what does that have to do with Clinton?

Not at all. I've put it several ways before. Two of the best examples are this:

• Clinton lies like a politician; Trump lies like a five-year-old.
• You traded Clinton's wheelbarrow of lies for Trump's supertanker.

Clinton was flawed. By any objective measure, Trump is MORE flawed. As he demonstrates every. Single. Day.

Which, again, is irrelevant to a discussion about lies.

 

Trump and genius do not belong in the same sentence.

 

He is not lying at all. The Executive Orders he has signed already will have a pretty good impact on the economy. Here is a list, again, of the executive Orders put into effect:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/executive-orders

 

Not me... That was all too typical for a democrat to say about a Trump supporter because she and the rest of the left were in desperation mode and calling us all uneducated, etc because she knew her corrupt ride was coming to an end and like her brethren, she couldn't and still doesn't accept it. That was just a failed last ditch effort at making America think Trump supporters were crazy.

 

Wow, so you think suns hate? LOL!!!

Actually I see from your answers that follow the same excuses many of your democrat leaders say, "it was the Russians, it was nothing but racist voting for Trump, it was wiki leaks, blah blah blah. It was because she and the democrats continue their message of hate, and they totally ignore so many Americans. It's all about fighting Trump, and no solutions for people without jobs, and millions with healthcare deductibles of $12,000, which is like having no insurance at all.

 

I'm in love.

That said, I don't have a problem with the federal government getting involved on the planning and funding end, if it's the sort of problem that isn't being well addressed by local entities.

Yeah, the German system is interesting (spent a year living in Germany as a small kid. Had an interest in it ever since). My worry about that is that it can be TOO determinative -- you have to sort of choose your fate at a pretty young age. As well, Germany has a system of apprenticeships (wherein young workers have to serve apprenticeships for a certain amount of time, and not just in the fields you'd think). I don't know enough about it to tell if it's a good idea or not, though the Germans like it.

Here's an old map of Google data centers:
http://royal.pingdom.com/2008/04/11/map-of-all-google-data-center-locations/

Note their criteria for location: large areas of land, large amounts of cheap electricity, preferably from renewable sources, and proximity to rivers and lakes.

Minnesota is tailor-made for this. Especially because the biggest issue with server farms is keeping things cool, so our climate is a bonus, too. Build a wind farm or biomass plant, attach it to a lake- or river-side server farm, and we're golden.

Cool; I'll try to remember that with my aging brain. My wife has a bunch of relatives in North Branch and environs.

 

Unless connected by the words "is not a".

 

I hoping the Dem Party are as deaf and dumb to mainstream American citizens next election as they were the last.

With the party now in the hands of Obamamites Perez and his Black Muslim sidekick, things can only go further Left in the wilderness.

 

I already addressed that list, in detail. Trump has ordered reviews of this or that. He has not actually made many changes in how things are done.

I wish I were Trump. All I have to do to keep my supporters happy is sign 600 executive orders promising to look into maybe someday doing something, and they will act as if I have already actually done it. Easy peasy!

 

Well, okay. That came out wrong.

Uh, since I literally said NONE of those things, that's a really weird thing to say.