America in Red and Blue
[Note: I wrote this for Kentucky, but the lesson applies across the country.]
It’s hard not to be impressed when you look at the post-election map of Kentucky, with its sweeping “Red Wave.” The Republican take-over of rural and small-town Kentucky is apparently complete. The same holds true across the country.
Clearly there is a deep disconnect between the “red” — conservative and rural — and the “blue” — liberal and urban — parts of the state, as well as the nation. This divergence is reflected across the country, as election maps of the nation shows the urban areas to be solidly “blue” and the rural areas solidly “red.”
One of the confounding aspects of this disconnect is that many of the people in the conservative “red” parts of the state and the nation, refuse to vote for Democrats because they believe that the Democrats embrace policies that are bad for the economy.
We’ve all heard that Republicans are better for the economy than Democrats. Conservatives say that Democratic policies like raising the minimum wage, supporting unions, embracing diversity, and opposing discrimination, are bad for business. These policies, Republicans tell us, burden American business and make it hard for them to compete in the world economy.
But look again at those red v. blue maps. Those blue urban areas dominate the American economy. According to a post-election study by the Brookings Institute, the blue counties that voted for Joe Biden represent fully 70% of the nation’s economic output, and the red counties only 30%. That red versus blue map not only shows Democrats versus Republicans, it also shows economic success versus economic struggles.
Blue America is the engine of the American economy. Virtually every Fortune 500 company, and nearly all manufacturing, is in or near Blue America. Government statistics show that the majority of the nation’s tax revenues come from Blue America, and the majority of the social welfare funds to go Red America.
Blue America is also part of the world economy. The world economy is multicultural, diverse, and tolerant. And so is blue America, which is precisely why it is economically successful. The world economy is also largely knowledge based, and so is the economy of Blue America.
The modern economy has largely by-passed Red America. It is easy to understand — and to sympathize — with the frustrations of the people in these areas. Red America is struggling economically. Most factories left long ago, wages are declining, and young people are moving away.
What’s baffling is the response to these economic woes. Politicians in Red America focus on cultural issues like abortion, the Second Amendment, and opposition to gay rights, which is now packaged as “religious freedom.” In the past election many successful Republican politicians in Kentucky ran campaign ads that said basically two things. First they claimed to be “conservative” and would fight “Washington and Frankfort liberals.” And second they asserted that they were “proudly pro-life and pro-Second Amendment.”
The vast majority of the people of Kentucky have made their choice. Republicans have gained a veto-proof “super” majority in both chambers, with 30 Republicans in the 38-member state Senate, and 75 Republicans in the State Legislature. They will soon get to work on their agenda. From what we heard on the campaign trail they will pass legislation to ban abortion, hoping that the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v Wade. They will enact legislation expanding gun rights, broadening concealed weapon rights and allowing open carry across the state. And Republicans are already talking about “religious freedom” bills to ensure business can refuse to serve patrons they disagree with. It is almost certain that they will cut funding to education. And they will undoubtedly restrict welfare and social service programs. Not a single one of these policies will help rural America deal with its economic struggles.
So, while Red America focuses on “God, guns and gays,” Blue America will get back to business. And in Blue America, business is good.
