“Red” America is an illusion: Jonathan Rodden on how postindustrial towns go for Democrats; and this is why Democrats lose in “rural” postindustrial America. “Hillbilly Elegy” made J.D. Vance the voice of the Rust Belt — but does he want that job? The places in America most exposed to a trade war: Export-related jobs are everywhere, which means many of America’s cities have a lot to gain — and a lot to lose. Who benefits from Bannon’s economic nationalism? Daniel Drezner on the minimum winning coalition of Donald Trump's foreign economic policy. Rick Perlstein: “I asked my student why he voted for Trump. The answer was thoughtful, smart, and terrifying”. Trump is already betraying the white working class.
Thomas Edsall on the peculiar populism of Donald Trump: All wars have unintended consequences, including culture wars (and a response). Trump inflicts pain with purpose: The president is not the champion of the denizens of the “real America” — he is their avenger. “I’ve arrived at the conclusion that by and large Trump supporter don’t really give a shit about what he does. The whole thing runs on spite”. Journalists need to stop giving bigoted Trump supporters a free pass.
