I’m white, Southern and a former Republican. @ 9.36 she let her accent show through. Made me smile. Almost all my friends and family have been radicalized MAGA. TH-cam keeps me connected to sane people.
@@hdtowman I'm white, northeastern (no, not Pennsylvania, or, as it's also known, "Pennsyl-tucky") and a life-long moderate, though Democratic leaning. The Dems are better on consumer issues, which are important economic issues, while the GOP is absent in that area and even indifferent toward consumers. My overall observation is that Republicans readily criticize Democratic positions while offering no alternatives, e.g., the Affordable Care Act. The Democratic party also is not susceptible to religious zealotry, which also is crucial. And it hasn't abandoned the nation's cities, as the GOP has. (I live in the suburbs but remember my childhood in the city.) In my city in Western NY, the Republican party hasn't even put up a candidate for mayor for 30 years.
This is one of the most profound interviews that I’ve ever heard. I’m an immigrant and it’s fair to say that I’ve done well. My daughter is a project manager for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and my other daughter is a graduate student at NYU. I’m an electrician and had to start a small business because I couldn’t get a job. I spent years broke working and sometimes not getting paid enough for property owners like Trump. Both my daughters have said they wouldn’t have been able to go to their colleges without “ Family SUPPORT “ I’m going to buy this book.
If you actually listen, her accent is present throughout….sure, certain words are a little more obvious…but overall, she sounds like where she came from….
. Recently severed a 55-year relationship with a couple from my small rural hometown. We grew up together, went to college together, hunted together. They were fun, lighthearted. We were tight. Then I moved away... A few years ago they looked me up and we renewed our friendship. But they had changed. A lot. I tolerated stuff I would never put up with because of our history - then they became scary. To help me make sense of the tragic no-contact I felt forced into I wrote an analysis: Mean-Spirited Temperaments. Proud of their hurtful, hardened, callous personalities; which includes a rigid, pervasive lack of empathy. Proud of their combative attitudes; can become aggressive - exploding in vindictive, volatile rage with little or no provocation - never showing any remorse, always blaming others. Enjoys violent, anger-and-resentment stoking media entertainment. Willful indifference to their lack of self-awareness and issues. Once I finished writing this and reflected on it - I realized I would never choose them as new friends if we just met. Of course, we all know why they changed... .
I think that her personal connection is blinding her to the fact that for decades large groups of people in this country chose to vote against their economic self-interest so long as the policies hurting them were hurting women and minorities more.
Indeed. Ma and Pa maga are okay with Republicans caring ONLY about their billionaire buddies, so long as those " policies " come with a nice, big side order of racism.
Indeed. Republicans target rustics with their racist dog whistles because they know their audience. Republicans know that Ma and Pa maga will be okay with Republicans screwing them over with their policies of only helping their billionaire buddies, so long as said " policies " come with a nice big side order of racism.
I come from a lower middle class white home. I was thrown out of home when I was 21, and have worked my nuts off ever since. You get out of life, what you put in. I take nothing for granted & treat everyone with the same good respect. I have a thick skin, look forward not back and am always thankful for what I have. I could be a Palestine or Ukrainian getting blown bits etc... so feel very lucky for the small mercies in my life.
Grew up rural. Went to a state school, moved for jobs to small towns & big cities, back to rural. Nature - it's diversity & the diversity I experienced meeting folks from all walks of life... priceless. My nurse prac was surprised I would move 'back' - with access to interviews like this & comments I can learn from, I'm grateful to you all. 😊
I'm 56 and started college 13 years before her. These conversations have always been part of the Black community. Most people are not knocking on our doors. We have had no choice but to be less emotional, and more pragmatic. There are some who are emotional, no doubt. But pragmatism has been the word of the day for Black people as we have rarely had candidates that were for us or whom we could count on to deliver for us. We have always had to measure who would do the least amount of damage to us.
It's not a black thing. I've had a grand total of 2 knock on my door, in my long life. Voting of "lesser of two evils" is just a difference in the rate of descent. D fallacy currently being peddled: demographic differences in who occupies seats of power will result in improvement for those not in power. I don't believe one's demographic makes one impervious to the corruption. Our gay selectman is just as indifferent to antiquated policy damage in the running of the town, as any other who's sat in his seat.
Wow. Sarah Smarsh has nailed it. It’s anger against a “system” that rewards wealth. Not wealth creation, but existing wealth. its giving lines of credit with zero or low interest to someone who has everything, while a family with both parents working 2 jobs can’t afford a roof over their heads and care for their children. Its a system that permits a billionaire to leverage assets to acquire more assets without paying taxes. Its a system that permits the rich to commit crimes in the open that can afford lawyers to and judges to do their bidding, up to and including the supreme court. It’s congress that is more worried about cameras getting their “good side” instead of working on behalf of those who elected them. Its a system that systemically pits races against each other to divert us from seeing the manipulation for what it is. Anger is well deserved. unfortunately, we democrats really don’t address the issues with a coherent, simple message, while the 2 times impeached, 5 times indicted, 34 times convicted, and an adjudicated rapist tells lies to feed the anger machine.
You mean displaced anger? White people continue to support and vote against their self interests. That's why they've been stagnant and actually regressing, esp with their health. “If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.” ― Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson The statement above is what Donnie tapped into. It's the same ole play book bud
Politicians don’t work for us anymore because Citizens United opened the money floodgates that completely drive politicians waking minutes, hours, days and careers.
@kdfox2007 You mean displaced anger? White people continue to support and vote against their self interests. That's why they've been stagnant and actually regressing, esp with their health. “If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.” ― Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson The statement above is what Donnie tapped into. It's the same ole playbook, bud
What a fantastic scholar. I’m also from a rural, impoverished area. They way she explains this is so on point and refreshing . I haven’t even heard the term “working poor” in ages. Thank you so much! I’ll be finding her book immediately ❤
Wages are kept low by allowing increased levels of undocumented immigrants. Neither political party has done anything in the past to stop the flow. More than 12 million have been let in the past 4 years, and they are being given more money than American citizens.
There is a straight line from slavery to the plight of white rural workers. The power brokers have always (from the start of this country) been greedy. Slavery meant they could keep more money for themselves. Post slavery, workers' value are the products they produce least amount of social or economic benefit. The power brokers have been excellent users. Poor workers give power brokers (Republicans) their voters and get nothing in return.
Poorest workers in the country are the illegally present - courtesy of the Far Left. I guess why that's why "the highly educated" Ds vote D, cheap "domestic help", eh?
In many ways we are still fighting the civil war. The failure of Reconstruction. Allowing Jim Crow. The Southern Strategy which was so successful it became the Republicans national platform and spread the sedition of the south to the rest of the country.
White Trash, excellent book on exactly that. Slavery was for unpaid black slaves' labor, to avoid workers who had legal rights and mobility. Not unlike today's illegal and visa'd foreign workers.
I'm from Kansas as Sara is, and I agree with her contention that the Republican party found a way of co-opting the very people that the Democratic party once were connected to (FDR, etc). I grew up in a middle, to maybe slightly lower working class family, but back then the Democratic party was still relevant to that demographic. That's been allowed to slip though over the intervening decades. Though I still regard myself a Democrat, it's slowly lost it's broad appeal to many working class people. It's become too distracted, or watered down by issues that are important, but are not as important than class struggle with the increasing wealth inequality that's slowly but surely become more dire, and if this isn't addressed, and fast, I see no way to stop the rise of fascism. Even the real threat of global climate change can't really be properly addressed if increasing wealth disparity keeps people on the edge of poverty, because they will not have the time, resources, or the energy (!) to do much about that. It's always helped would be dictators to gain power in such circumstances. The profit motive is not the problem. The problem is when the rules are rigged to benefit the ultra rich. So much good could be achieved, so many important issues could be addressed if wealth distribution was fairer.
@@edcatt9196 I agree, though I came from a very large city in a very large state. I believe that the wealthy, privileged, class in America has always traded human lives as a commodity. Now they’ve gone international, once again, and have never truly valued human lives, other than their own. Electing the wealthy, and well connected, being that they became that way off the backs of hardworking citizens, has made them believe that they are entitled to their status, and have bought the very system that we rely on today. The first Republicans bridled against the wealthy planter class, with their enslavement of African captives, with their breeding programs to produce more slaves. The Planters were driving out the freehold farmers. When Lincoln was elected they knew that he would abolish slavery, and disempower them so they left the Union, believing that they were entitled to absolute power over the United States. They lost, but never gave up to this day. Never elect the wealthy! We are commodities to them. The whole world is! Slaves by other means is what they trade. They invented Racism to confuse, confound, and conquer. Elect civic minded individuals that share our lives. Then we will have a true representative democracy. Don’t be fooled into believing that we ordinary citizens don’t have commonality, regardless of race, and local culture. We produce the wealth of this nation. Act like it!
@@narda1072 -- Most folks with common sense know that the 2020 election had many 'problems.' Trump has lots and lots of common sense. January 6th was simply an effort to get congress to pause the elector count and do some double checking on how the election was run. More than one Democratic VP has "slowed down" the vote county for the same reasons.
@leob3447 -- Are you saying you haven't hear about what some have said? If you didn't then say you haven't heard of any attack on the 1st Amendment by a potential or previous candidate for POTUS. Then, I will start your education. Otherwise, shame on you.
"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness." ~John Kenneth Galbraith
When the Pilgrims came, they found out first hand that communal socialism did not work. Loafers took advantage of the ambitious. To discourage this poor attitude, they designated specific property for each individual to plant, cultivate, and harvest. If they did not work, they had nothing to live on. They went to work! In other words, they survived because of their own selfish desires!
@@57highland I don’t think so, but I believe they were following some biblical passages, thinking that that might be the way that Christians should share. Unfortunately, their sinful, human nature was too strong for it to be successful.
@@clutzfrmr3645 So, communal socialism might have worked, had the Pilgrims not been flawed human beings, and their flawed humanity might have been addressed, had communal socialism (suggested by their faith) been a viable system. It's a wonder they survived.
I remember reading a piece about an employer that fell into tears talking about an employee he had to lay off back in the early 1930s. Back then there were still some employers that cared about people.
Good analysis of JD Vances judgemental book. JD blamed his neighbors for their own misery then turned right around and blamed city folk for insufficient sympathy for the same people he said made their own misery. JD Vances book was weird, completely illogical. JD Vance has one mode - wagging his finger at stuff.
This was an awesome interview. Sarah speaks very wisely about a complex topic, and I totally agree with rural airwaves dominated by right wing radio. Add Christian radio, and there is only PBS left..
Yes, AFR (American Family Radio) radio is broadcast in these parts of rural Kansas. I actually supported them when they first came on the airwaves but quickly they changed. Now they're not just for the family but advertise themselves as "conservative" radio and their religious broadcasting has become Christian Nationalism with extremely slanted news sources. They will give a biased news acct and back it up with someone from an extremely rightwing group to reinforce the lie with never a counter argument. It's shameful.
I'm a 6th-generation Kansan, whose first ancestor to the state arrived in 1863. Smarsh comes close to the core there, but there is something else about the state - a tilt toward vigilante behavior, brutality, conformism, and schadenfreude present as well. People are afraid to confront authority there.
Noticed that, in people relocating to New England, deference. Not common here in the northeast. Sure has been a job to change that, when the person's management. Damaging effectivity at work, when the deference is in the workers.
A common thread through a lot if the comments, are that a lot of rural voters will vote in a specific way, fully knowing that it will detrimentally affect themselves, but, with the intent that voting that way, will more so, have a detrimental affect on others or other groups. Talk about 'cutting off your nose to spite your face'... A large percentage of Americans will consistently vote for a party that has no intention of rectifying the major issues facing the country: lacklustre results in education at the primary and secondary levels, unaffordable collegial, university & technical (trade) schools, unaffordable medical care, inequitable taxation, lack of oversight (limited 'watch dogs') in the financial sector (especially those related to non-government pension plans & savings), etc., etc. Amazing, just absolutely amazing...
Projection much? You can say the exact same thing about people in blue urban areas, have you seen san fran/oakland/seattle recently? They resemble 3rd world countries. Absolutley fng ridiculous.
you are right it is. few people are truly rational. we often don't act in our best interests, and many people, wouldn't know what their best interest is. most people are guided by pure crude emotions, primarily fear, hate, and greed.
The Biden Administration hsa been putting BROADBAND in RURAL areas through the Infrastructure bill that MAGA GOP voted AGAINST--but, has taken credit for on their Facebook pages and re-election speeches.
As much as I dislike Elon Musk as a person, his Starlink service has been a godsend to me for internet access But we shouldn't have to rely on satellite services like Starlink. The telecoms have been given millions (billions?) of $ to provide broadband access to areas like mine and they haven't done anything productive with all that money.
We’ve done that, broadband access should have rolled out way back in 2010, but we can thank Mitch McConnell for voting against that. Biden kept pushing on it and some access is being built. So much of this is cultural, not policy.
@@JohnDCrafton I agree. I also have some very bright, educated, and well connected friends who would prefer to live in rural environments, but need the access for their income. Europe it seems does better.
So if income inequality was reduced during the Trump presidency and has increased under the Biden/Harris administration are you planning to vote for Trump?
@@StumblingThroughItAllI see your premise is qualified by “if” but the President doesn’t have nearly as much influence on income inequality or the economy in general as most people seem to think. In any case while we don’t have the most recent numbers, according to the US Census Bureau “Income inequality declined in 2022 for the first time since 2007, due primarily to declines in real median household income at the middle and top income brackets” [www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/09/income-inequality.html]; however it goes on to clarify that this decline was only when calculating using pre-tax income. When using post-tax income, inequality measures are still rising. So your premise is false - income inequality hasn’t gone down by any significant amount since the Census Bureau started tracking it in 1993.
The problem I have with the MAGA gang is that they only pay attention to the siren's song of "you're a victim and I can make everything better for you", but they never actually help. Trump is a con man who Is a marketing genius. Marketing is the art of making something appeal to you so much that you think you need it. Most times it's just an illusion which will be regretted after you acquire it.
The only thing I ever heard him say he'd make better, is national medical insurance that'd cover _everyone_ , even the homeless, very very early in his campaign. Did he do that? No. What he markets is a home for anger and the concept of Burn The House Down.
Your comment is much more applicable to the Biden/Harris administration. Trump provided the lowest rate of unemployment for blacks in history, low gas prices, fewer regulations, peace in the Mideast, clamping down on Iran's terroristic activities, lowering taxes and border crossings, as well as finally moving our embassy to Jerusalem, after the failed promises of many former president s. But, because the mainline news media never mentioned it, they have kept most of the country in the dark about his accomplishments.
I moved to Kansas recently with my husband and fell in love with the community and slower way of life, but something felt off. I noticed the name "Koch" plastered on soooo many buildings. Turns out, that name is tied to the infamous Koch brothers whose father originally obtained his wealth from Nazi money!!! Today the Kochs throw their money and influence all over KS, and are heavily involved in super conservative politics. That's why I believe KS is so red. So if you ask "What's wrong with KS?". It's the Kochs, IMO!
President Lyndon B. Johnson once said, "If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you." He knew what he was talking about!
@@nannersguyaners2745 I see the statement as a reflection on the conniving. "he's better than the best" is being used by all of our politicians. Contempt is mighty cheap, and once airborne, dispersed broadly in winds.
@@buzoff4642 seems that there’s lots of contempt to go around for sure - I don’t view Johnson’s quote as being contemptuous - I view as being rueful - he said out loud what he and millions of other folks know to be true…
This brilliant young woman has both education and heart. Vance is just a Queen Bee. He says “I’ve got mine now the rest of you can rot”. That basketball star that just passed away went home and built a hospital. He was a success and never forgot the people who helped him get there but were themselves denied the opportunity he was given. Vance, on the other hand kisses up and kicks down, a despicable way to celebrate success😢
I grew up just a few miles from where Smarsh grew up. Poor and at times impoverished and at times without adequate food or healthcare that continue to take a toll on me decades later. Also went to the university of Kansas on grants and scholarships. During my career I’ve worked in New York and LA and I’ve done very well. I was determined not to stay in misery and did what it took to make it out. I have a different view on rural Kansas and recall that without my background growing up I would not have the incentive to make it out. Unfortunately, the path I took out is simply not available to those growing up there today. Just my observation but much of the anger is directed at those who have destroyed their hope. Education is out of reach, inequality is rampant and is only getting worse and efforts to improve things are only making things worse. The destruction of hope is what is creating the anger.
"the path I took out is simply not available to those growing up there today" That's pretty much the case for all but the shrinking number of wealthier communities. What's new is the the language around "disproportionately affects [demographic]" numbers and "the odds" of those "making it out" of poverty. Like somehow the goal is equal distribution of poverty, and opportunity to test "the odds". Ridiculous, that a) billionaires don't have to compete for their "opportunity", and the public's told to accomodate the billionaires offshoring living wage production of our consumables, the goal is now equal demographic distribution of the despair of poverty. Ridiculous!
You are wrong about their anger being directed at the people who took their hope. Since when did LGBT people take their hope. Since when did trans children, and woke liberals take their hope, or poor powerless immigrants. They are being used as cudgels by the actual ruling class like the Koch Brothers who pay massive amounts of money is lobbying to influence their favorite politicians.
Very good interview. I agree that 'the real picture is more complex', but when one group is constantly being lied to, especially in the context of falsely spreading fear, it is very difficult to try to change the mind of many. A democrat could go from door-to-door, but if the owner(s) keeps slamming the door in the face of the representative before a discussion could be initiated (because of the fear/lies), very little will change, unfortunately. I read a few stories like this over the last few years. Up north for example, news networks cannot spread lies like some news networks do over here. Hence, you see much more diverse political views in rural areas (that is, a group not highjacked by a right-wing political party). Case point, during the 1993 election, the Conservative Party went from 156 seats to 2 (a complete wiped out); even Prime Minister Campbell lost her seat (this is extremely rare). The party did not even have an official status in Ottawa since the minimum, at the time, was five seats. People were fed up with policies of the Conservative Party and this complete political beat down would not have happened without people living in rural areas. I wish this could be seen in the US (a person like Trump would never even be considered for the head of a party, even less becoming Prime Minister).
The "peasant class" is intentionally kept in the dark. That's what, "No Child Left Behind" was for. Granted, the Bushes probably didn't intend it that way, but their cohorts did.
@@JohnDCrafton You mean the “libertarian”, pro-abortion, pro-immigration, pro-universal health care Pierre Poilievre who is following the same center-right policies as any other head of the Conservative Party would do? Indeed, he attacks Trudeau using similar rhetoric as Trump, but he has not claimed that legal immigrants from Haiti are “eating the dogs” and are “eating the cats” (see pro-immigration above).
Class consciousness is definitely important, and the elites from both major parties do not want Americans to think about it. They don't want a concious working class, they want everyone to identify as the amorphous 'middle class', even though many working people don't receive a truly middle class income. It was unions and rather progressive policies of FDR that helped build the strong middle class, which has now been dismantled over 40+ years of Neoliberalism and policies that favor the bosses and investors over the workers.
Sarah Smarsh says here that "we don't talk about class very much in America". This is true, partly because America as a purported "classless" society is woven into our national origin-story and American Exceptionalism mythology, to the point where we can't even talk about American class structures without people thinking we are being elitist and looking down our noses at them. Nancy Isenberg's book on class in America should be required reading (if I typed the title of it here, TH-cam wouldn't post this comment) .
I grew up not far from Sarah in rural Kansas and have lived and worked here my whole life. I was struck about how my cousins went all in for the Republicans and I witnessed the hatred of Democrats at a party at nearby lake. I really thought that they would be moderate but boy I was wrong. Still trying to wrap my head around it. Perhaps the era of Rush Limbaugh did something. My last job was in Wichita and I thought that now I would get a more balanced work force there but I was wrong. Mostly rightwing Democrat hating extremists. Always voting against their self interests (as in the book Sarah held up). Even the pastor from my conservative home church makes fun of the Democrats (while ignoring the hate Trump puts out especially to immigrants) in his "pastors thoughts" a couple times a week.
You are so right. Living in the 4 State area, surounded by, MO, KS,AR, and OK Republicans; has made me a shut in. When socializing with friends that were like family all I hear are constant insults about Democrats, such hatred and vitrol would have never imagined would come from these people. They know I switched parties in the first Reagan Adm. and cannot fathom the rage that I fear may be directed at me since am the only Democrat they know. I just keep quiet, since am afraid of enraging them further. Your description of the party at the lake reminds me of the climate here. But will leave my house and be heard on election day,
Sarah Smarsh has nailed it in this interview, imho. I was raised white working poor. My husband who was raised upper middle class is often shocked at how we talk about our cruel and abusive white bosses.
Amanpour may need to make her comment section a subscription service as more and more the trolls infestation is growing. It's getting more difficult to find intelligent, reasoned, humble, and life experience based comments any more. Folks bring silliness, immaturity, and nonsense to what should be enlightened conversation.
@@christophergraves6725 Marshcreek is saying comments like yours lack intelligence, reasoned, humble nor reflect life experience. In other words, in this case, non-sense.
@@jimrutzler730 true, making amends with them never works anyway, but I don't think there's anything for me to be angry about. The aims of the Americans are theirs, I'm the misfit.
I'm 67 and every time poor and middle class problems were brought up we were told the country couldn't afford the solution. (We can't afford not to do the just actions) also paying attention to the problem is not the same as addressing it. Some were even convinced that if the rich do better we all do better, forgetting about greed and power which cause are struggles
“mediocre people who have billions of dollars and little moral compass”, sums up the muskie man for me. and there are others-what a perilous moment we find ourselves in 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
While what she says is true, as a person living in a very white rural area, it's extremely difficult to feel any pity or sympathy for people who consistently spout right-wing talking points that have no basis in fact, and because these people refuse to invest the time to learn the truth, to learn facts about our current situation as a country.
Her college experience really resonates with me. I was a first generation college graduate, and it was so weird to me going to class with people who would go on European vacations with their parents for the summer or visit their family's vacation house in Hawaii. These people thought that they were "normal" and didn't understand how much they had compared to actual regular people. They had no concept of what life is like for average people.
Excellent interview. I feel as if we’ve used up our rotten apples for the clown at the fair. It’s time to look at actual positions on actual policies and perspective. Before the clown wins the stuffed animal.
I recently told a friend about my take on JD Vance’s book,which I read when it came out-it was very much like hers. I said he seemed to have contempt for the people where he came from.
I left a town of 210 people in rural Kansas. It was filled with racists and misogynists who believed the “real” misogynists and racists are someone else, and can’t we all just think they are good people… who support domestic violence perpetrators and blame their victims… who said there are two kinds of Black people… who said wealth shouldn’t be re-distributed via taxes while they uplift their Homestead Act heritages…. No matter. Sarah said it’s the Democrats fault rural Americas are filled with rage. Seems like a “you made me do it” thing on her part.
@@keithwiebe1787 If I misread her, why did she say nothing about how Republicans have advanced policies that have been crushing family farms (Reagan’s farm crisis and Trump’s tariffs for examples) and closing rural schools and hospitals or destroying them through privatization? How does that stuff make rural people feel heard and validated? Why did Sarah imply only Democrats were invalidating/ignoring rural peeps in light of this while completely omitting Republican invalidating and ignoring? Republicans ARE validating rural peeps is why. Not economically though. So, how? What are Republicans offering such that Sarah said nothing about it? What can’t she admit such that she blame-shifts instead?
Here's the thing about 'Getting out.' I 'got out' most of my childhood I dreamed of 'getting out.' Two weeks out of high school I was gone and never went back. The difference between Ms Smarsh, Vance and myself is, she went back or stayed, and is trying to describe the place and people she knows best. I got out, but never have I ever tried to say I represented the people and place I left. Vance got out and pimped his childhood, his community and his people. That's why he seems so creepy. At his core he's false. What's worrisome is how the dark money has gotten the working class people, the middle of the country, almost completely inoculated to their own interests. They see a billionaire who's lied to them from the moment he showed up on their TVs and instead scoffing, they worry about immigrants, liberals, outrageous stories, none true, of what's going on in the NorthEast and the Pacific Coast. (The way to catch a liar is to ask them some baseline questions, Do you have a dog? What's your sports team? What kind of work do you do? Do you have any children? Then ask them about the MAGA stuff. They will always spout the MAGA stuff differently. Ask them if they really believe it and they will look you in the eye and say that they do. But they've just said these things differently from the real stuff. They know it's false.) What the Democrats have not done is to work these areas of the country. They've made some inroads, but mostly Arizona goes a bit Blue because of demographics, not because Democrats knocked on doors and talked with people. (I talked to a very conservative guy and we got around to guns. I'm okay with him having a gun, he's a responsible person. But we agree that people with criminal convictions, history of abuse and threats, and people who are mentally unstable shouldn't be allowed to have guns.That it's okay to register guns to make sure the violent people are getting them. That goes directly against the NRA Gun Lobby. Most reasonable people who are old style conservatives have no problem with this. ) I heard someone say that one reason Texas isn't Blue is there's 12 or 24 separate media markets in Texas, that's a lot of ad buys, a lot of organization, a lot of doors to knock on. The thing the Democrats are missing is they need to have some states that used to be Red be blue. I see a large pick up truck in store parking lot here in California -- I don't park my Tesla next to them. We shouldn't give up on the Red states. Even if we stomp Trump in this election we should start making inroads. Show Americans the hole in our federal budget and in their pay, and in their being unemployed that is directly the result of most of the economic growth of the United States going into the pockets of a tiny group of people, Life long Republicans could've voted for Eisenhower, thought 'those racist Democrats down south are an embarrassment, and retire without signing up for Social Security, if they had a good pension. They could still draw a line back to Lincoln. Nixon was Law & Order, toxic patriotism.... but he was also the EPA, FTC, consumer protections and had plans for a health care bill more liberal than Obama's. What Lee Atwater did for Reagan was the big tent: racism, paranoia, ignorance. The famous recording where he's saying 'you don't say n** you say, 'safety,' you don't say n** you say welfare cheaters....' and then laughing about it. Demographically the core of the Republican Party was never large and is shrinking, so they bring in more and more fringe, they try to frighten anyone they can. What Trump has done for them is to scare more people, get more people to go along with utter nonsense. If he ever got real, he would disappear in a puff of smoke. He will never get real, but if the Democrats just start communicating with people and start changing things in their interest instead of what the lobbyists tell them to do, they'll win every election and have both houses. (In my liberal progressive California we have corrupt toxic utilities that own the legislature. They set fire to the state, kill 79 people -- plead guilty to 79 counts of manslaughter, and then get to raise electricity rates to pay for the things they used to do (clear branches and fire hazards.) Regulatory Capture. ) I look forward to reading Sarah Smarsh's book. We have the wealthiest country in the history of the world, and more and more of us have just been left behind -- and blamed for it. That's not right. We should all have equity in this country, we all contributed to it.
The historical root of individualism and carefully examining one's religious beliefs and then affirming them or changing them in light of personal experience, reflection and study is Protestant Christianity. This trend of seeing the truth for oneself expanded more broadly from there. Freedom of speech, the value of rational inquiry and freedom of religion as well as limited government were all pioneered by small Protestant Christian sects in the 16-17th Centuries in England and the American colonies that led John Locke to write his defense of natural rights based in natural law in his *Second Treatise on Civil Government.* Also take a look at Locke's "Letter Concerning Toleration" and John Milton's *Areopagitica.* The U.S. Constitution itself is based on these religious sects' covenants that became colonial charters and early laws in the colonies that then became state constitutions that served as models for the U.S. Constitution. See political scientist Donald Lutz's *The Origins of American Constitutionalism.* lsupress.org/9780807115060/the-origins-of-american-constitutionalism/
Billionaire church pastors want low taxes on the money they fleece from their congregation, so they convince the flock that the party of bigotry is the one for them.
Thinking for oneself and realizing what is objectively true were pioneered in early modern times by Christian Fundamentalists such as John Milton and John Locke. Take a look at Milton's *Areopagitica* and Locke's "Letter Concerning Toleration." If materialistic atheism were the case, then rationality and pursuit of an objective truth would be impossible since the mind would only have evolved to recognize what enhances survival if it had evolved at all since materialism cannot account for consciousness. See David Chalmers on the "Hard Problem" of consciousness for materialists.
I'm a Senior from Kansas, I've ordered the book today. I don't understand how some from Our state ( Red ) vote for who they vote for, my hope is that someday we'll start to be more in to what's going on in our own town, ie. School board, city business, our county, business and our state elections. We need to have our elected officials more accountable, they represent US the constituents, and today we don't get that in todays political environment.
As a 60 year old white American who has been transferred during sales career coast to coast can tell you this much. Rural America has some of the dumbest, most bigoted losers in numbers and percentage in Western Cilvilization. I wouldn't fund anything for rural areas if I were a Democrat.
I heard an author say you need to understand my family. And she is right and that was the topic that she was asked to discuss. However, I never heard her say that she has a responsibility to understand why others are struggling also. The focus was that she was not being heard rather than we are not being heard. She sort of mentions it when she says her energy is more focused on the top puppet masters, but this requires empathy for all; this means you need to believe black people when they say their lives are in constant physical danger from discrimination. It means you need to believe LBGTQ that their existential right to exist is importantly to defend. It means that you must accept atheists as neighbors and infringe on them. It is a two way street. If you want poor rural, white America to be seen they must also bear witness and see others. That is the missing part; both parties need to work on their flaws, their misgivings. I am glad the she is sharing her personal story. Allow others like black people to share their stories and stop trying to ban their books.
My family were early settlers in Kansas, coming down river from Ohio, farmers for several generations and generational Republicans. I'm not sure why, exactly. Grandpa was Grand Poobah of the Atcihson GOP in the 60s. Party affiliation seems to be genetically coded into some families. My mother still says she's a "registered Republican" but hasn't voted for one since Nixon.
She's 100% correct particularly calling out Trump derangement syndrome of the Democrats and their journalistic tools like Michele Martin and honestly identifies the truth. Inequality has GOT TO END.
I understand; Being judged, and yet dismissed is very very difficult. Eugenics was a false promise, and Steve Bannon targeting these people for the right wing, and Rush Limbaugh seducing them has been a betrayal!
I wish she had drilled down on the issue of class, because it's the key to all Americans being able to recognize themselves in people very, seemingly, different from themselves. Class is what helps me understand that I have more in common with a Hatian woman in Pennsylvania than I have in common with DJT, Musk, Bezos, Gates, Crow, Koch, . . . and I'm a 67 year old white man.
I grew up around wheat farmers in eastern Washington in the 70s and early 80s and never met a poor one, as matter of fact you could make 2,500 driving wheat truck the month of harvest and that would pay a years tuition of college… we’re all dumber for listening to this🙄
The way the political dynamic is today with tight elections, the only motivation to get pull people to your side in the decreasing of number swing states, and motivate people to get out to vote. That is they way it has become. Like I always say. It wasn't always this way and I am 64 years old.
When do Republicans actually solve any problems? All i hear is fearmongering. No solutions, just grievances and convenient scapegoats to blame every problem on. Nothing is their responsibility. They can use America First as a slogan without any action behind it. In fact, they actively work against the people in this country who need the most help.
It's pretty dishonest to pretend that Democrats "stopped talking about solving problems." That's just not true. And in your comment, I don't see any mention or criticism of conservatives. Convenient.
Always be wary of people like this who use anecdotal personal stories to establish a truth that is contrary to everything you are seeing and then fail to explain why people behave in ways contrary to the ideals and beliefs ascribed to them. She insists these people are not stupid and that they are more angry at the people at the top hoarding the wealth, not the people of different color who are amongst them but then fails to explain why they don’t express that anger against the wealthy, real estate tycoon instead of the people of color he reviles. This is the same kind of ennobling of archaic beliefs and stances that the Hillbilly Elegy book attempted and people had the knee-jerk reaction of attributing wisdom to.
They're angry at the situation they're in and simultaneously being fed very effective propaganda from right wing media that tells them where to direct that anger. A lot of the smartest people I know fall for this BS because they trust the media they consume, because it has been targeted to match their other midwestern views so as to be intertwined with the reality they live every day.
@@buzoff4642 It is precisely because I talk to people that I know her generalization doesn’t compute. Have you talked to people? It takes a lot of persistent dialog and exhaustive exploration to uncover the true motives of people. If you stay with them long enough without reviling them for their positions or denouncing them for their beliefs, they will eventually admit that the talking points that they borrow from their favorite talk radio and right wing outlets are not their convictions and therefore, do not survive scrutiny. They will confess in due time that their primal fears of the loss of their way of life and the radical change in the composition of the society is what motivates them into their support for a man they can’t help but back since he is the only deliverance they see. Talking to people is all I do because in a democracy, there is no other way. You have to convince your fellow men that your way of envisioning the nation is better than theirs and hope that they will vote like you. I have been doing it for 9 years since I first noticed the inexplicable adulation I saw in a section of our populace for one of the most despicable men I have ever witnessed. I spend an obscene amount of time in the right wing fever swamps of conspiracy and doom trying to have rational conversations with those that would readily spit in my face because they have a vote too and all I can do is hope to make them think differently. How long have you talked to people and how many have you heard? What have you gleaned from your conversations that leads you believe that I speak from a position of ignorance or hubris?
The Democrats, at least since the rise of Bill and Hilary Clinton, determined that the way to maintain their party's power and influence was to moveto the right to capture disaffected Republicans (risking disaffection by those liberal forces that actually generated enthusiasm in the past). The party has maintained that strategy ever since, turning away from labor, civil rights, economic justice, environmental concerns, human rights...... until they ended up just to the left of ever more extreme conservative Republicans. How long have liberals, stuck with the Democrats, pined for a genuine liberal party to support?
Poverty and contempt aren't bubbles, though given how little action on it, you certainly can see how people would feel they were in one. "NO BODY SEES ME!" screamed a homeless lady at us, on a visit to NYC.
“Bone-of-My-Bone”, has a great edge for how potent your thoughtful rage and anger , the descriptive “poor”, is now going to be forced to come before The Supreme Court as Chief Justice John G Roberts freely has used as the same breath as the most bizarre word “meek”. Wow, is The Supreme Court “a mess” , as such bad guardians of language.
If i remember correctly a few years ago there was fellow named Heath Schuler a democratic representative from western North Carolina that managed to win in a red rural republican area. He called himself a Roosevelt Democrat. He was pro gun, favored traditional marriage was pretty much pro life lastly wasn't hostile to religion in schools. These are issues important to many rural voters. He finally lost his seat when Republicans redistricted his area in order to win.
I’m white, Southern and a former Republican. @ 9.36 she let her accent show through. Made me smile. Almost all my friends and family have been radicalized MAGA. TH-cam keeps me connected to sane people.
Sorry to hear that. I lost a friend to that, when she moved to Louisiana. My sister lost her in-laws to it, when they moved to Tennessee.
@@hdtowman I'm white, northeastern (no, not Pennsylvania, or, as it's also known, "Pennsyl-tucky") and a life-long moderate, though Democratic leaning. The Dems are better on consumer issues, which are important economic issues, while the GOP is absent in that area and even indifferent toward consumers.
My overall observation is that Republicans readily criticize Democratic positions while offering no alternatives, e.g., the Affordable Care Act. The Democratic party also is not susceptible to religious zealotry, which also is crucial. And it hasn't abandoned the nation's cities, as the GOP has. (I live in the suburbs but remember my childhood in the city.) In my city in Western NY, the Republican party hasn't even put up a candidate for mayor for 30 years.
💛💙Pro-Democracy sings loudly ... 💙YOU ARE WELCOME HERE ! 💯💥💫 Terrific guest and You Tube comments.
This is one of the most profound interviews that I’ve ever heard. I’m an immigrant and it’s fair to say that I’ve done well. My daughter is a project manager for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and my other daughter is a graduate student at NYU. I’m an electrician and had to start a small business because I couldn’t get a job. I spent years broke working and sometimes not getting paid enough for property owners like Trump. Both my daughters have said they wouldn’t have been able to go to their colleges without “ Family SUPPORT “ I’m going to buy this book.
If you actually listen, her accent is present throughout….sure, certain words are a little more obvious…but overall, she sounds like where she came from….
.
Recently severed a 55-year relationship with a couple from my small rural hometown.
We grew up together, went to college together, hunted together. They were fun, lighthearted. We were tight.
Then I moved away...
A few years ago they looked me up and we renewed our friendship. But they had changed. A lot.
I tolerated stuff I would never put up with because of our history - then they became scary.
To help me make sense of the tragic no-contact I felt forced into I wrote an analysis:
Mean-Spirited Temperaments.
Proud of their hurtful, hardened, callous personalities;
which includes a rigid, pervasive lack of empathy.
Proud of their combative attitudes; can become aggressive -
exploding in vindictive, volatile rage with little or no provocation -
never showing any remorse, always blaming others.
Enjoys violent, anger-and-resentment stoking media entertainment.
Willful indifference to their lack of self-awareness and issues.
Once I finished writing this and reflected on it - I realized I would never choose them
as new friends if we just met. Of course, we all know why they changed...
.
You described Fox News
insightful your writing 🙏
We sure do, FOX NEWS, Trump, and the right-wing and far-right media eco system.
The Trump Effect 😡
Rupert, selling papers
I think that her personal connection is blinding her to the fact that for decades large groups of people in this country chose to vote against their economic self-interest so long as the policies hurting them were hurting women and minorities more.
Indeed. Ma and Pa maga are okay with Republicans caring ONLY about their billionaire buddies, so long as those " policies " come with a nice, big side order of racism.
True. See Bush v Gore and Bush v Kerry
It's still the case.
That's the character of my rural family.
Indeed. Republicans target rustics with their racist dog whistles because they know their audience. Republicans know that Ma and Pa maga will be okay with Republicans screwing them over with their policies of only helping their billionaire buddies, so long as said " policies " come with a nice big side order of racism.
I come from a lower middle class white home. I was thrown out of home when I was 21, and have worked my nuts off ever since. You get out of life, what you put in. I take nothing for granted & treat everyone with the same good respect. I have a thick skin, look forward not back and am always thankful for what I have. I could be a Palestine or Ukrainian getting blown bits etc... so feel very lucky for the small mercies in my life.
Grew up rural. Went to a state school, moved for jobs to small towns & big cities, back to rural. Nature - it's diversity & the diversity I experienced meeting folks from all walks of life... priceless. My nurse prac was surprised I would move 'back' - with access to interviews like this & comments I can learn from, I'm grateful to you all. 😊
I'm 56 and started college 13 years before her. These conversations have always been part of the Black community. Most people are not knocking on our doors. We have had no choice but to be less emotional, and more pragmatic. There are some who are emotional, no doubt. But pragmatism has been the word of the day for Black people as we have rarely had candidates that were for us or whom we could count on to deliver for us. We have always had to measure who would do the least amount of damage to us.
Good point
It's not a black thing. I've had a grand total of 2 knock on my door, in my long life.
Voting of "lesser of two evils" is just a difference in the rate of descent.
D fallacy currently being peddled: demographic differences in who occupies seats of power will result in improvement for those not in power. I don't believe one's demographic makes one impervious to the corruption. Our gay selectman is just as indifferent to antiquated policy damage in the running of the town, as any other who's sat in his seat.
Exactly. Blacks have by and large been logical with voting. Whites can be irrational and emotional and take the rest of us down with them.
WOW as a white jazz musician is saw the a lot, pragmatism that is.
@@DamascusHarris Did either party consistently do less damage than the other?
Wow. Sarah Smarsh has nailed it. It’s anger against a “system” that rewards wealth. Not wealth creation, but existing wealth. its giving lines of credit with zero or low interest to someone who has everything, while a family with both parents working 2 jobs can’t afford a roof over their heads and care for their children. Its a system that permits a billionaire to leverage assets to acquire more assets without paying taxes. Its a system that permits the rich to commit crimes in the open that can afford lawyers to and judges to do their bidding, up to and including the supreme court. It’s congress that is more worried about cameras getting their “good side” instead of working on behalf of those who elected them. Its a system that systemically pits races against each other to divert us from seeing the manipulation for what it is. Anger is well deserved. unfortunately, we democrats really don’t address the issues with a coherent, simple message, while the 2 times impeached, 5 times indicted, 34 times convicted, and an adjudicated rapist tells lies to feed the anger machine.
💯💯💯💯💯🙌
You mean displaced anger? White people continue to support and vote against their self interests. That's why they've been stagnant and actually regressing, esp with their health.
“If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.”
― Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson
The statement above is what Donnie tapped into. It's the same ole play book bud
Well said, my friend.
Politicians don’t work for us anymore because Citizens United opened the money floodgates that completely drive politicians waking minutes, hours, days and careers.
@kdfox2007 You mean displaced anger? White people continue to support and vote against their self interests. That's why they've been stagnant and actually regressing, esp with their health.
“If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.”
― Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson
The statement above is what Donnie tapped into. It's the same ole playbook, bud
What a fantastic scholar. I’m also from a rural, impoverished area. They way she explains this is so on point and refreshing . I haven’t even heard the term “working poor” in ages.
Thank you so much! I’ll be finding her book immediately ❤
Wages are kept low by allowing increased levels of undocumented immigrants. Neither political party has done anything in the past to stop the flow. More than 12 million have been let in the past 4 years, and they are being given more money than American citizens.
@@clutzfrmr3645 Where is the evidence for this?
There is a straight line from slavery to the plight of white rural workers. The power brokers have always (from the start of this country) been greedy. Slavery meant they could keep more money for themselves. Post slavery, workers' value are the products they produce least amount of social or economic benefit. The power brokers have been excellent users. Poor workers give power brokers (Republicans) their voters and get nothing in return.
Poorest workers in the country are the illegally present - courtesy of the Far Left.
I guess why that's why "the highly educated" Ds vote D, cheap "domestic help", eh?
In many ways we are still fighting the civil war. The failure of Reconstruction. Allowing Jim Crow. The Southern Strategy which was so successful it became the Republicans national platform and spread the sedition of the south to the rest of the country.
exactly
White Trash, excellent book on exactly that. Slavery was for unpaid black slaves' labor, to avoid workers who had legal rights and mobility. Not unlike today's illegal and visa'd foreign workers.
And those wealthy white land owners then convinced the poor white working people that black and brown people were the cause of their problems
I'm from Kansas as Sara is, and I agree with her contention that the Republican party found a way of co-opting the very people that the Democratic party once were connected to (FDR, etc). I grew up in a middle, to maybe slightly lower working class family, but back then the Democratic party was still relevant to that demographic. That's been allowed to slip though over the intervening decades. Though I still regard myself a Democrat, it's slowly lost it's broad appeal to many working class people. It's become too distracted, or watered down by issues that are important, but are not as important than class struggle with the increasing wealth inequality that's slowly but surely become more dire, and if this isn't addressed, and fast, I see no way to stop the rise of fascism. Even the real threat of global climate change can't really be properly addressed if increasing wealth disparity keeps people on the edge of poverty, because they will not have the time, resources, or the energy (!) to do much about that. It's always helped would be dictators to gain power in such circumstances. The profit motive is not the problem. The problem is when the rules are rigged to benefit the ultra rich. So much good could be achieved, so many important issues could be addressed if wealth distribution was fairer.
Gad. Important Democrats are calling for the 1st Amendment to go away and you are worried about "Fascism" from the GOP?
@@edcatt9196 I agree, though I came from a very large city in a very large state. I believe that the wealthy, privileged, class in America has always traded human lives as a commodity. Now they’ve gone international, once again, and have never truly valued human lives, other than their own. Electing the wealthy, and well connected, being that they became that way off the backs of hardworking citizens, has made them believe that they are entitled to their status, and have bought the very system that we rely on today. The first Republicans bridled against the wealthy planter class, with their enslavement of African captives, with their breeding programs to produce more slaves. The Planters were driving out the freehold farmers. When Lincoln was elected they knew that he would abolish slavery, and disempower them so they left the Union, believing that they were entitled to absolute power over the United States. They lost, but never gave up to this day. Never elect the wealthy! We are commodities to them. The whole world is! Slaves by other means is what they trade. They invented Racism to confuse, confound, and conquer. Elect civic minded individuals that share our lives. Then we will have a true representative democracy. Don’t be fooled into believing that we ordinary citizens don’t have commonality, regardless of race, and local culture. We produce the wealth of this nation. Act like it!
@@GilmerJohn yes i am worried about trump because he showed is who he is especially on jan 6th
@@narda1072 -- Most folks with common sense know that the 2020 election had many 'problems.' Trump has lots and lots of common sense. January 6th was simply an effort to get congress to pause the elector count and do some double checking on how the election was run.
More than one Democratic VP has "slowed down" the vote county for the same reasons.
@leob3447 -- Are you saying you haven't hear about what some have said? If you didn't then say you haven't heard of any attack on the 1st Amendment by a potential or previous candidate for POTUS. Then, I will start your education. Otherwise, shame on you.
Thank you ! Appreciate the window of understanding she's providing . . .
"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness."
~John Kenneth Galbraith
How are they selfish?
When the Pilgrims came, they found out first hand that communal socialism did not work. Loafers took advantage of the ambitious. To discourage this poor attitude, they designated specific property for each individual to plant, cultivate, and harvest. If they did not work, they had nothing to live on. They went to work! In other words, they survived because of their own selfish desires!
@@clutzfrmr3645 The Pilgrims didn't come from a background of communal socialism in England, did they?
@@57highland I don’t think so, but I believe they were following some biblical passages, thinking that that might be the way that Christians should share. Unfortunately, their sinful, human nature was too strong for it to be successful.
@@clutzfrmr3645 So, communal socialism might have worked, had the Pilgrims not been flawed human beings, and their flawed humanity might have been addressed, had communal socialism (suggested by their faith) been a viable system.
It's a wonder they survived.
Heartland is a great book, Sarah is tough as can be, glad to see she's still at it !
This woman is brilliant, especially her decription of the status of classes and politicians in America today. She hits the nail on the head everytime,
We are in class warfare. And the political narratives are doing a fine job of deflecting.
Great interview with Sarah Smarsh… thank you👏👏👏👏👏
I remember reading a piece about an employer that fell into tears talking about an employee he had to lay off back in the early 1930s. Back then there were still some employers that cared about people.
Good analysis of JD Vances judgemental book. JD blamed his neighbors for their own misery then turned right around and blamed city folk for insufficient sympathy for the same people he said made their own misery. JD Vances book was weird, completely illogical. JD Vance has one mode - wagging his finger at stuff.
I haven’t decided if I want to read his book or not. Maybe if it comes to the library but I won’t spend any money on him.
Didn't JD grow up in the 'burbs? He was firmly in the middle class. He was a generation away from "hillbilly" on his mother's side.
It's confusing to come from conservatives in the rust belt and understand that deeply genocidal nation they comprise.
@@bobwallace9753yes. His parents had plenty of money. Not rich, but a combined income of $160,000 in 1990s Ohio is pretty damn good.
@@kathiestickel9247 Im a maybe too - used bookstore perhaps.. but not racing to get JD;s book -- but Sarahs sounds good - cant wait to read it
This was an awesome interview. Sarah speaks very wisely about a complex topic, and I totally agree with rural airwaves dominated by right wing radio. Add Christian radio, and there is only PBS left..
Yes, AFR (American Family Radio) radio is broadcast in these parts of rural Kansas. I actually supported them when they first came on the airwaves but quickly they changed. Now they're not just for the family but advertise themselves as "conservative" radio and their religious broadcasting has become Christian Nationalism with extremely slanted news sources. They will give a biased news acct and back it up with someone from an extremely rightwing group to reinforce the lie with never a counter argument. It's shameful.
I'm a 6th-generation Kansan, whose first ancestor to the state arrived in 1863. Smarsh comes close to the core there, but there is something else about the state - a tilt toward vigilante behavior, brutality, conformism, and schadenfreude present as well. People are afraid to confront authority there.
Mike Brown, GOP chair replaced "Donut Boy", advocates buying guns and revolution. NEVER held accountable
remarks of Mike Brown, GOP chair of KS about guns, revolution, and the coming civil war
What exactly are you referring to?
Noticed that, in people relocating to New England, deference. Not common here in the northeast. Sure has been a job to change that, when the person's management. Damaging effectivity at work, when the deference is in the workers.
@@christophergraves6725 They're talking about the culture of Kansas.
Though, vigilante and deference are opposites.
A common thread through a lot if the comments, are that a lot of rural voters will vote in a specific way, fully knowing that it will detrimentally affect themselves, but, with the intent that voting that way, will more so, have a detrimental affect on others or other groups.
Talk about 'cutting off your nose to spite your face'...
A large percentage of Americans will consistently vote for a party that has no intention of rectifying the major issues facing the country: lacklustre results in education at the primary and secondary levels, unaffordable collegial, university & technical (trade) schools, unaffordable medical care, inequitable taxation, lack of oversight (limited 'watch dogs') in the financial sector (especially those related to non-government pension plans & savings), etc., etc.
Amazing, just absolutely amazing...
What's the matter with Kansas? Yes???? @SailorGerry
You got to remember these are "People of the Land"
@@LibertyWines check out the GOP leadership DUI's, especially "Donut Boy".
Projection much? You can say the exact same thing about people in blue urban areas, have you seen san fran/oakland/seattle recently? They resemble 3rd world countries. Absolutley fng ridiculous.
you are right it is. few people are truly rational. we often don't act in our best interests, and many people, wouldn't know what their best interest is. most people are guided by pure crude emotions, primarily fear, hate, and greed.
Rural, small town, and farm, policy need to be discussed if we are to have an attractive, American future. How about start with internet access.
The Biden Administration hsa been putting BROADBAND in RURAL areas through the Infrastructure bill that MAGA GOP voted AGAINST--but, has taken credit for on their Facebook pages and re-election speeches.
As much as I dislike Elon Musk as a person, his Starlink service has been a godsend to me for internet access
But we shouldn't have to rely on satellite services like Starlink. The telecoms have been given millions (billions?) of $ to provide broadband access to areas like mine and they haven't done anything productive with all that money.
We’ve done that, broadband access should have rolled out way back in 2010, but we can thank Mitch McConnell for voting against that.
Biden kept pushing on it and some access is being built.
So much of this is cultural, not policy.
True that! These people are still left in the dark in the 21st Century! That's criminal politics.
@@JohnDCrafton I agree. I also have some very bright, educated, and well connected friends who would prefer to live in rural environments, but need the access for their income. Europe it seems does better.
Just a Great interview and interviewer ! I grew up in central KS and can attest to this juxtaposition
Great interview, thank you.
I wasn't aware of this author. Thank you for platforming her work.
Read her book "Heartland" first. It's great.
Being curious about any segement of America is critical to understanding. We all wish to be seen, heard, understood. Just bought her book.
Amazing and insightful interview. Impressive story telling, and needs to be heard.
Vote for political leaders that will work on reducing wealth inequality. (I.e. tax the rich). Or we will continue to languish and devolve as a nation
So if income inequality was reduced during the Trump presidency and has increased under the Biden/Harris administration are you planning to vote for Trump?
"Envy never comes to the ball dressed as envy; it comes dressed as high moral standards or distaste for materialism.” Martin Amis
If it doesn't rain for a week, do you throw out your umbrella? @@StumblingThroughItAll
@@StumblingThroughItAllI see your premise is qualified by “if” but the President doesn’t have nearly as much influence on income inequality or the economy in general as most people seem to think. In any case while we don’t have the most recent numbers, according to the US Census Bureau “Income inequality declined in 2022 for the first time since 2007, due primarily to declines in real median household income at the middle and top income brackets” [www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/09/income-inequality.html]; however it goes on to clarify that this decline was only when calculating using pre-tax income. When using post-tax income, inequality measures are still rising. So your premise is false - income inequality hasn’t gone down by any significant amount since the Census Bureau started tracking it in 1993.
@@Mkundera Greed never goes to the ball, it's a "fund raiser".
I "Smarshed" the like button on this video! 🙂
Good punny respnse ... and now to smarch the 💙Blue vote ballot ! 💙
Recognition of ourselves as an identity is absolutely critical to success democracy. This is a core issue! Thank you Ms. Smarsh and Michele Martin!
Thank you!
The problem I have with the MAGA gang is that they only pay attention to the siren's song of "you're a victim and I can make everything better for you", but they never actually help. Trump is a con man who Is a marketing genius. Marketing is the art of making something appeal to you so much that you think you need it. Most times it's just an illusion which will be regretted after you acquire it.
The only thing I ever heard him say he'd make better, is national medical insurance that'd cover _everyone_ , even the homeless, very very early in his campaign. Did he do that? No.
What he markets is a home for anger and the concept of Burn The House Down.
Well phrased and succinct. Thank you!
Your comment is much more applicable to the Biden/Harris administration. Trump provided the lowest rate of unemployment for blacks in history, low gas prices, fewer regulations, peace in the Mideast, clamping down on Iran's terroristic activities, lowering taxes and border crossings, as well as finally moving our embassy to Jerusalem, after the failed promises of many former president s. But, because the mainline news media never mentioned it, they have kept most of the country in the dark about his accomplishments.
I moved to Kansas recently with my husband and fell in love with the community and slower way of life, but something felt off. I noticed the name "Koch" plastered on soooo many buildings. Turns out, that name is tied to the infamous Koch brothers whose father originally obtained his wealth from Nazi money!!! Today the Kochs throw their money and influence all over KS, and are heavily involved in super conservative politics. That's why I believe KS is so red. So if you ask "What's wrong with KS?". It's the Kochs, IMO!
You'll laugh at your current ignorance of the situation in the future if you keep your eyes open.
@@earlysda False. She's right.
Yes, I know many people who have worked for the Kochs (for usually less than 10 years on average). They have done more harm than can be imagenable.
F the KochHeads.
@@keithwiebe1787 keith, If you wish to believe falsehoods, that is your right.
President Lyndon B. Johnson once said, "If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you." He knew what he was talking about!
And that contempt, such as "basket of deplorables", does have repercussions.
@@buzoff4642 do you disagree with President Johnson’s insight?
@@nannersguyaners2745 I see the statement as a reflection on the conniving.
"he's better than the best" is being used by all of our politicians. Contempt is mighty cheap, and once airborne, dispersed broadly in winds.
@@buzoff4642 seems that there’s lots of contempt to go around for sure - I don’t view Johnson’s quote as being contemptuous - I view as being rueful - he said out loud what he and millions of other folks know to be true…
@@buzoff4642and she was right about maga.
This brilliant young woman has both education and heart. Vance is just a Queen Bee. He says “I’ve got mine now the rest of you can rot”. That basketball star that just passed away went home and built a hospital. He was a success and never forgot the people who helped him get there but were themselves denied the opportunity he was given. Vance, on the other hand kisses up and kicks down, a despicable way to celebrate success😢
I grew up just a few miles from where Smarsh grew up. Poor and at times impoverished and at times without adequate food or healthcare that continue to take a toll on me decades later. Also went to the university of Kansas on grants and scholarships. During my career I’ve worked in New York and LA and I’ve done very well. I was determined not to stay in misery and did what it took to make it out. I have a different view on rural Kansas and recall that without my background growing up I would not have the incentive to make it out. Unfortunately, the path I took out is simply not available to those growing up there today. Just my observation but much of the anger is directed at those who have destroyed their hope. Education is out of reach, inequality is rampant and is only getting worse and efforts to improve things are only making things worse. The destruction of hope is what is creating the anger.
"the path I took out is simply not available to those growing up there today"
That's pretty much the case for all but the shrinking number of wealthier communities.
What's new is the the language around "disproportionately affects [demographic]" numbers and "the odds" of those "making it out" of poverty. Like somehow the goal is equal distribution of poverty, and opportunity to test "the odds". Ridiculous, that a) billionaires don't have to compete for their "opportunity", and the public's told to accomodate the billionaires offshoring living wage production of our consumables, the goal is now equal demographic distribution of the despair of poverty. Ridiculous!
You are wrong about their anger being directed at the people who took their hope. Since when did LGBT people take their hope. Since when did trans children, and woke liberals take their hope, or poor powerless immigrants. They are being used as cudgels by the actual ruling class like the Koch Brothers who pay massive amounts of money is lobbying to influence their favorite politicians.
Very good interview. I agree that 'the real picture is more complex', but when one group is constantly being lied to, especially in the context of falsely spreading fear, it is very difficult to try to change the mind of many. A democrat could go from door-to-door, but if the owner(s) keeps slamming the door in the face of the representative before a discussion could be initiated (because of the fear/lies), very little will change, unfortunately. I read a few stories like this over the last few years.
Up north for example, news networks cannot spread lies like some news networks do over here. Hence, you see much more diverse political views in rural areas (that is, a group not highjacked by a right-wing political party). Case point, during the 1993 election, the Conservative Party went from 156 seats to 2 (a complete wiped out); even Prime Minister Campbell lost her seat (this is extremely rare). The party did not even have an official status in Ottawa since the minimum, at the time, was five seats. People were fed up with policies of the Conservative Party and this complete political beat down would not have happened without people living in rural areas. I wish this could be seen in the US (a person like Trump would never even be considered for the head of a party, even less becoming Prime Minister).
No? Isn't there someone up north being called "Canada's Trump"?
@@JohnDCrafton Yes they do, his name is Pierre Poilievre the Conservative Party leader.
The "peasant class" is intentionally kept in the dark. That's what, "No Child Left Behind" was for. Granted, the Bushes probably didn't intend it that way, but their cohorts did.
@@JohnDCrafton You mean the “libertarian”, pro-abortion, pro-immigration, pro-universal health care Pierre Poilievre who is following the same center-right policies as any other head of the Conservative Party would do? Indeed, he attacks Trudeau using similar rhetoric as Trump, but he has not claimed that legal immigrants from Haiti are “eating the dogs” and are “eating the cats” (see pro-immigration above).
@@makestank4800 Not really. Read the Aug. 26 Vox article about him.
Class consciousness is definitely important, and the elites from both major parties do not want Americans to think about it. They don't want a concious working class, they want everyone to identify as the amorphous 'middle class', even though many working people don't receive a truly middle class income. It was unions and rather progressive policies of FDR that helped build the strong middle class, which has now been dismantled over 40+ years of Neoliberalism and policies that favor the bosses and investors over the workers.
Sarah Smarsh says here that "we don't talk about class very much in America". This is true, partly because America as a purported "classless" society is woven into our national origin-story and American Exceptionalism mythology, to the point where we can't even talk about American class structures without people thinking we are being elitist and looking down our noses at them. Nancy Isenberg's book on class in America should be required reading (if I typed the title of it here, TH-cam wouldn't post this comment) .
Thanks Sarah. It's dim in western KS.
I grew up not far from Sarah in rural Kansas and have lived and worked here my whole life. I was struck about how my cousins went all in for the Republicans and I witnessed the hatred of Democrats at a party at nearby lake. I really thought that they would be moderate but boy I was wrong. Still trying to wrap my head around it. Perhaps the era of Rush Limbaugh did something. My last job was in Wichita and I thought that now I would get a more balanced work force there but I was wrong. Mostly rightwing Democrat hating extremists. Always voting against their self interests (as in the book Sarah held up). Even the pastor from my conservative home church makes fun of the Democrats (while ignoring the hate Trump puts out especially to immigrants) in his "pastors thoughts" a couple times a week.
You are so right. Living in the 4 State area, surounded by, MO, KS,AR, and OK Republicans; has made me a shut in. When socializing with friends that were like family all I hear are constant insults about Democrats, such hatred and vitrol would have never imagined would come from these people. They know I switched parties in the first Reagan Adm. and cannot fathom the rage that I fear may be directed at me since am the only Democrat they know. I just keep quiet, since am afraid of enraging them further. Your description of the party at the lake reminds me of the climate here. But will leave my house and be heard on election day,
Wichita has plenty of racism at the core of it’s right wing lean. Shocking really.
Love Sarah!
Yes. Talk to people. In their currency. Everyone loves a funny story to explain yourself. And then ... your turn to listen. And ask. Thank You.
Sarah Smarsh has nailed it in this interview, imho. I was raised white working poor. My husband who was raised upper middle class is often shocked at how we talk about our cruel and abusive white bosses.
Amanpour may need to make her comment section a subscription service as more and more the trolls infestation is growing. It's getting more difficult to find intelligent, reasoned, humble, and life experience based comments any more. Folks bring silliness, immaturity, and nonsense to what should be enlightened conversation.
NOooo! They're the ones with all the money.
In other words, you want to censor those with whom you disagree instead of engaging them in a discussion of differences of views.
@@christophergraves6725 Marshcreek is saying comments like yours lack intelligence, reasoned, humble nor reflect life experience.
In other words, in this case, non-sense.
In other words I only want to see comments that roughly correspond to my own
@@short-leggedturtle1315 Loads of meaningless posts. Comments on interviewer or interviewee appearance, for instance. This isn't facebook.
My rural relatives never wanted to be anything but the death of others. They wouldn't share- they own what they earned and peace isn't their thing.
I witness. That what you describe exists. Should it?
Anger and hate has never solved anything. I repeat, never.
@@jimrutzler730 true, making amends with them never works anyway, but I don't think there's anything for me to be angry about. The aims of the Americans are theirs, I'm the misfit.
😪 That's what their peer groups teach each other.
I dont think your family's stingy genes are because of rural lifestyle. My rural family and neighbors are generous to the extreme.
I'm 67 and every time poor and middle class problems were brought up we were told the country couldn't afford the solution. (We can't afford not to do the just actions) also paying attention to the problem is not the same as addressing it. Some were even convinced that if the rich do better we all do better, forgetting about greed and power which cause are struggles
“mediocre people who have billions of dollars and little moral compass”, sums up the muskie man for me. and there are others-what a perilous moment we find ourselves in 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
She's smart and an acute observer. Great stuff.
Smart women. Keep talking.
While what she says is true, as a person living in a very white rural area, it's extremely difficult to feel any pity or sympathy for people who consistently spout right-wing talking points that have no basis in fact, and because these people refuse to invest the time to learn the truth, to learn facts about our current situation as a country.
Very insightful. Thank you.
Her college experience really resonates with me. I was a first generation college graduate, and it was so weird to me going to class with people who would go on European vacations with their parents for the summer or visit their family's vacation house in Hawaii. These people thought that they were "normal" and didn't understand how much they had compared to actual regular people. They had no concept of what life is like for average people.
Excellent interview. I feel as if we’ve used up our rotten apples for the clown at the fair. It’s time to look at actual positions on actual policies and perspective. Before the clown wins the stuffed animal.
Novel. And long overdue.
What a great conversation!
Interesting interview. I’m looking forward to reading her book, as I agree with her views, and definitely her “rage”.
Brilliant interview !
I recently told a friend about my take on JD Vance’s book,which I read when it came out-it was very much like hers. I said he seemed to have contempt for the people where he came from.
I left a town of 210 people in rural Kansas. It was filled with racists and misogynists who believed the “real” misogynists and racists are someone else, and can’t we all just think they are good people… who support domestic violence perpetrators and blame their victims… who said there are two kinds of Black people… who said wealth shouldn’t be re-distributed via taxes while they uplift their Homestead Act heritages…. No matter. Sarah said it’s the Democrats fault rural Americas are filled with rage. Seems like a “you made me do it” thing on her part.
My thoughts exactly
Actually, didn't she say that the people that really make her mad are the greedy corporate 1%ers?
I think you misread her. You can ask her but she actually thought about getting into politics as a Democrat.
@@keithwiebe1787 If I misread her, why did she say nothing about how Republicans have advanced policies that have been crushing family farms (Reagan’s farm crisis and Trump’s tariffs for examples) and closing rural schools and hospitals or destroying them through privatization? How does that stuff make rural people feel heard and validated? Why did Sarah imply only Democrats were invalidating/ignoring rural peeps in light of this while completely omitting Republican invalidating and ignoring? Republicans ARE validating rural peeps is why. Not economically though. So, how? What are Republicans offering such that Sarah said nothing about it? What can’t she admit such that she blame-shifts instead?
Here's the thing about 'Getting out.' I 'got out' most of my childhood I dreamed of 'getting out.' Two weeks out of high school I was gone and never went back. The difference between Ms Smarsh, Vance and myself is, she went back or stayed, and is trying to describe the place and people she knows best. I got out, but never have I ever tried to say I represented the people and place I left. Vance got out and pimped his childhood, his community and his people. That's why he seems so creepy. At his core he's false.
What's worrisome is how the dark money has gotten the working class people, the middle of the country, almost completely inoculated to their own interests. They see a billionaire who's lied to them from the moment he showed up on their TVs and instead scoffing, they worry about immigrants, liberals, outrageous stories, none true, of what's going on in the NorthEast and the Pacific Coast. (The way to catch a liar is to ask them some baseline questions, Do you have a dog? What's your sports team? What kind of work do you do? Do you have any children? Then ask them about the MAGA stuff. They will always spout the MAGA stuff differently. Ask them if they really believe it and they will look you in the eye and say that they do. But they've just said these things differently from the real stuff. They know it's false.)
What the Democrats have not done is to work these areas of the country. They've made some inroads, but mostly Arizona goes a bit Blue because of demographics, not because Democrats knocked on doors and talked with people.
(I talked to a very conservative guy and we got around to guns. I'm okay with him having a gun, he's a responsible person. But we agree that people with criminal convictions, history of abuse and threats, and people who are mentally unstable shouldn't be allowed to have guns.That it's okay to register guns to make sure the violent people are getting them. That goes directly against the NRA Gun Lobby. Most reasonable people who are old style conservatives have no problem with this. )
I heard someone say that one reason Texas isn't Blue is there's 12 or 24 separate media markets in Texas, that's a lot of ad buys, a lot of organization, a lot of doors to knock on. The thing the Democrats are missing is they need to have some states that used to be Red be blue. I see a large pick up truck in store parking lot here in California -- I don't park my Tesla next to them. We shouldn't give up on the Red states. Even if we stomp Trump in this election we should start making inroads. Show Americans the hole in our federal budget and in their pay, and in their being unemployed that is directly the result of most of the economic growth of the United States going into the pockets of a tiny group of people,
Life long Republicans could've voted for Eisenhower, thought 'those racist Democrats down south are an embarrassment, and retire without signing up for Social Security, if they had a good pension. They could still draw a line back to Lincoln. Nixon was Law & Order, toxic patriotism.... but he was also the EPA, FTC, consumer protections and had plans for a health care bill more liberal than Obama's. What Lee Atwater did for Reagan was the big tent: racism, paranoia, ignorance. The famous recording where he's saying 'you don't say n** you say, 'safety,' you don't say n** you say welfare cheaters....' and then laughing about it. Demographically the core of the Republican Party was never large and is shrinking, so they bring in more and more fringe, they try to frighten anyone they can. What Trump has done for them is to scare more people, get more people to go along with utter nonsense. If he ever got real, he would disappear in a puff of smoke. He will never get real, but if the Democrats just start communicating with people and start changing things in their interest instead of what the lobbyists tell them to do, they'll win every election and have both houses. (In my liberal progressive California we have corrupt toxic utilities that own the legislature. They set fire to the state, kill 79 people -- plead guilty to 79 counts of manslaughter, and then get to raise electricity rates to pay for the things they used to do (clear branches and fire hazards.) Regulatory Capture. )
I look forward to reading Sarah Smarsh's book. We have the wealthiest country in the history of the world, and more and more of us have just been left behind -- and blamed for it. That's not right. We should all have equity in this country, we all contributed to it.
Some powerful ideas here. You should be a policy or campaign advisor.
Slick Willie Clinton sold the last Democrats down the river. Mission accomplished. Mission accomplished. Follow the money.
Thanks to Reagan demorats. . We are ruled by the south. Mission accomplished.
The Democrats are now Republicans. Pretty simple.
We need to discuss rural policy. It should be central to any political discussion.
Thank you for introducing this writer, I’m anxious to hear her voice.
I can hardly wait to buy and read this book!
Your book is on order. This is a book of revelations!
wow - so bright. Both of you!
So well said. Lovely.
Religion, specifically Christian Fundamentalism. That is how they did it. If you let someone think for you, you are not thinking for yourself.
The historical root of individualism and carefully examining one's religious beliefs and then affirming them or changing them in light of personal experience, reflection and study is Protestant Christianity. This trend of seeing the truth for oneself expanded more broadly from there. Freedom of speech, the value of rational inquiry and freedom of religion as well as limited government were all pioneered by small Protestant Christian sects in the 16-17th Centuries in England and the American colonies that led John Locke to write his defense of natural rights based in natural law in his *Second Treatise on Civil Government.* Also take a look at Locke's "Letter Concerning Toleration" and John Milton's *Areopagitica.* The U.S. Constitution itself is based on these religious sects' covenants that became colonial charters and early laws in the colonies that then became state constitutions that served as models for the U.S. Constitution. See political scientist Donald Lutz's *The Origins of American Constitutionalism.* lsupress.org/9780807115060/the-origins-of-american-constitutionalism/
Billionaire church pastors want low taxes on the money they fleece from their congregation, so they convince the flock that the party of bigotry is the one for them.
Aye
Thinking for oneself and realizing what is objectively true were pioneered in early modern times by Christian Fundamentalists such as John Milton and John Locke. Take a look at Milton's *Areopagitica* and Locke's "Letter Concerning Toleration." If materialistic atheism were the case, then rationality and pursuit of an objective truth would be impossible since the mind would only have evolved to recognize what enhances survival if it had evolved at all since materialism cannot account for consciousness. See David Chalmers on the "Hard Problem" of consciousness for materialists.
I enjoyed that. Thank you.
Great insights!
Beginning the journey!!
Awesome interview!
I'm a Senior from Kansas, I've ordered the book today. I don't understand how some from Our state ( Red ) vote for who they vote for, my hope is that someday we'll start to be more in to what's going on in our own town, ie. School board, city business, our county, business and our state elections. We need to have our elected officials more accountable, they represent US the constituents, and today we don't get that in todays political environment.
yes. finally somebody talking about the REAL problem. This is the reason many do not feel this existing system works for them.
Wow she is stunning 😍
And brilliant!
NO ONE HAS EVER KNOCKED ON MY DOOR and asked for my VOTE.
I read and VOTE!
This isn't Facebook.
Awesome!!! ❤️
Appalachia is not the Midwest
These ladies are blinded by their bigotry of rural America.
lol, this is largely true. However, Ohio is considered part of the Midwest (as far as I know)
As a 60 year old white American who has been transferred during sales career coast to coast can tell you this much. Rural America has some of the dumbest, most bigoted losers in numbers and percentage in Western Cilvilization. I wouldn't fund anything for rural areas if I were a Democrat.
I heard an author say you need to understand my family. And she is right and that was the topic that she was asked to discuss. However, I never heard her say that she has a responsibility to understand why others are struggling also. The focus was that she was not being heard rather than we are not being heard. She sort of mentions it when she says her energy is more focused on the top puppet masters, but this requires empathy for all; this means you need to believe black people when they say their lives are in constant physical danger from discrimination. It means you need to believe LBGTQ that their existential right to exist is importantly to defend. It means that you must accept atheists as neighbors and infringe on them. It is a two way street. If you want poor rural, white America to be seen they must also bear witness and see others. That is the missing part; both parties need to work on their flaws, their misgivings. I am glad the she is sharing her personal story. Allow others like black people to share their stories and stop trying to ban their books.
I think Bernard Shaw said that “all men live in quiet desperation”. This is true of the many who have come and gone rather than the few.
Not trying to be a nudge but I think you mean Thoreau: The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.
@@johnfulmer4058 I corrected my typos. Something I recall from a long, long time ago. 🤷♂️
My family were early settlers in Kansas, coming down river from Ohio, farmers for several generations and generational Republicans. I'm not sure why, exactly. Grandpa was Grand Poobah of the Atcihson GOP in the 60s. Party affiliation seems to be genetically coded into some families. My mother still says she's a "registered Republican" but hasn't voted for one since Nixon.
I just learned that some residents here get their Power from the Power Grid in Kansas. The Morning Brew clued me into the Cuba power grid crisis.
Excellent show
Fabulous TY
Thank you from Russell, KS!
She's 100% correct particularly calling out Trump derangement syndrome of the Democrats and their journalistic tools like Michele Martin and honestly identifies the truth. Inequality has GOT TO END.
I understand; Being judged, and yet dismissed is very very difficult. Eugenics was a false promise, and Steve Bannon targeting these people for the right wing, and Rush Limbaugh seducing them has been a betrayal!
🧡Love🧡this🧡video🧡
I wish she had drilled down on the issue of class, because it's the key to all Americans being able to recognize themselves in people very, seemingly, different from themselves. Class is what helps me understand that I have more in common with a Hatian woman in Pennsylvania than I have in common with DJT, Musk, Bezos, Gates, Crow, Koch, . . . and I'm a 67 year old white man.
Yeah being called fly over country does not help.
ever driven western KS?
*flyover
It's more of a matter of "fly in for the funeral" nomadic employment market. Quite the blow to all, globalizing, gutting economic stability.
Maybe if people in those small towns decided to allow something interesting to happen, more people would want to be there.
@@whyukraine Loads of people have interesting things happening in Gaza and Ukraine, and the only people who want to be there for that are journalists.
She is an absolutely powerful writer.
I grew up around wheat farmers in eastern Washington in the 70s and early 80s and never met a poor one, as matter of fact you could make 2,500 driving wheat truck the month of harvest and that would pay a years tuition of college… we’re all dumber for listening to this🙄
WOW! I heard all of this very clearly. Thank you! We are that family economically but from CA so we did get the Demo’s talking to us…
No Dems in Canada. Instead, here in CA, we have Liberals and NDP and the Green Party.
I would agree the Democrats stopped fighting in rural areas and stopped talking about solving problems.
The way the political dynamic is today with tight elections, the only motivation to get pull people to your side in the decreasing of number swing states, and motivate people to get out to vote. That is they way it has become. Like I always say. It wasn't always this way and I am 64 years old.
When do Republicans solve problems instead of fearmongering and looking for a convenient scapegoat?
When do Republicans actually solve any problems? All i hear is fearmongering. No solutions, just grievances and convenient scapegoats to blame every problem on. Nothing is their responsibility. They can use America First as a slogan without any action behind it. In fact, they actively work against the people in this country who need the most help.
Where is the Republicans' responsibility? I haven't heard any actual policy that would help Americans. All they have is fearmongering and hatred.
It's pretty dishonest to pretend that Democrats "stopped talking about solving problems." That's just not true. And in your comment, I don't see any mention or criticism of conservatives. Convenient.
Always be wary of people like this who use anecdotal personal stories to establish a truth that is contrary to everything you are seeing and then fail to explain why people behave in ways contrary to the ideals and beliefs ascribed to them.
She insists these people are not stupid and that they are more angry at the people at the top hoarding the wealth, not the people of different color who are amongst them but then fails to explain why they don’t express that anger against the wealthy, real estate tycoon instead of the people of color he reviles. This is the same kind of ennobling of archaic beliefs and stances that the Hillbilly Elegy book attempted and people had the knee-jerk reaction of attributing wisdom to.
What you are witnessing is the Dunning-Kruger Effect in action. In a nutshell, there are those who are too stupid to realize that they are stupid.
@@alltradejack what you said is so insightful that it gives me hope for the future
They're angry at the situation they're in and simultaneously being fed very effective propaganda from right wing media that tells them where to direct that anger. A lot of the smartest people I know fall for this BS because they trust the media they consume, because it has been targeted to match their other midwestern views so as to be intertwined with the reality they live every day.
Maybe you need to get off that high horse and talk to a few people.
@@buzoff4642 It is precisely because I talk to people that I know her generalization doesn’t compute. Have you talked to people? It takes a lot of persistent dialog and exhaustive exploration to uncover the true motives of people. If you stay with them long enough without reviling them for their positions or denouncing them for their beliefs, they will eventually admit that the talking points that they borrow from their favorite talk radio and right wing outlets are not their convictions and therefore, do not survive scrutiny. They will confess in due time that their primal fears of the loss of their way of life and the radical change in the composition of the society is what motivates them into their support for a man they can’t help but back since he is the only deliverance they see.
Talking to people is all I do because in a democracy, there is no other way. You have to convince your fellow men that your way of envisioning the nation is better than theirs and hope that they will vote like you. I have been doing it for 9 years since I first noticed the inexplicable adulation I saw in a section of our populace for one of the most despicable men I have ever witnessed. I spend an obscene amount of time in the right wing fever swamps of conspiracy and doom trying to have rational conversations with those that would readily spit in my face because they have a vote too and all I can do is hope to make them think differently. How long have you talked to people and how many have you heard? What have you gleaned from your conversations that leads you believe that I speak from a position of ignorance or hubris?
The Democrats, at least since the rise of Bill and Hilary Clinton, determined that the way to maintain their party's power and influence was to moveto the right to capture disaffected Republicans (risking disaffection by those liberal forces that actually generated enthusiasm in the past). The party has maintained that strategy ever since, turning away from labor, civil rights, economic justice, environmental concerns, human rights...... until they ended up just to the left of ever more extreme conservative Republicans. How long have liberals, stuck with the Democrats, pined for a genuine liberal party to support?
Fascinating to delve into this bubble and observe their struggle interpreting a different bubble.
Poverty and contempt aren't bubbles, though given how little action on it, you certainly can see how people would feel they were in one.
"NO BODY SEES ME!" screamed a homeless lady at us, on a visit to NYC.
Class in America or anywhere else in the world is money. That is class distinction everywhere, how much money you have, not borrowed.
it is not complicated. The right is always - The Weakest Link.
“Bone-of-My-Bone”, has a great edge for how potent your thoughtful rage and anger , the descriptive “poor”, is now going to be forced to come before The Supreme Court as Chief Justice John G Roberts freely has used as the same breath as the most bizarre word “meek”. Wow, is The Supreme Court “a mess” , as such bad guardians of language.
We need a collective mindful healing in truth, for growth in the long run.
Growth of what?
If i remember correctly a few years ago there was fellow named Heath Schuler a democratic representative from western North Carolina that managed to win in a red rural republican area. He called himself a Roosevelt Democrat. He was pro gun, favored traditional marriage was pretty much pro life lastly wasn't hostile to religion in schools. These are issues important to many rural voters. He finally lost his seat when Republicans redistricted his area in order to win.
Remember that Kansas has had it's share of Democrat Governors and currently has one.
Thanks