Good article
The predominant narrative coming out of the 2016 presidential post-election analysis is: The flyover states have spoken.
A flyover state is the huge region between the coasts. As opposed to the eastern seaboard, northern post-industrial states and Pacific Ocean states. They’re overwhelmingly Republican, stanchly conservative, regressive right wing, evangelical Christian and working class, well, the loudest, most ill-informed of them are. The term wasn’t commonly used in a political manner until recently with the emergence of the Tea Party and the election of Obama.
A visit to Wichita, Kan., isn’t on the bucket list of many Americans. Whereas most travelers fly over Fayetteville, Ark., and Springfield, Mo. They’re not destination spots. The flyover state gripe has nothing to do with the tourist industry of Oklahoma or Nebraska or Iowa. This is about their perceived feelings of abandonment and disrespect from their government. Never mind they’ve elected local, state and national representatives that should reflect their values and interests.
Forsetti’s Justice writes:
“Government has not done enough to help them in many cases but their local and state governments are almost completely Republican and so too are their Representatives and Senators. Instead of holding them accountable, they vote them in over and over and over again.”
America is held hostage by flyover states
What an idiotic article. As time goes by, the rewriting of history continues, and gets more outrageous. One of the generally accepted truths of history is that you learn more from a defeat, than a victory. This is true when applied to warfare, and even business. The quality and style of American cars has changed dramatically in response to challenges from foreign models. The Ford Focus for example owes much of its design to the Aston Martin's that have become so recognizable.
Yet, the problem occurs when someone is unwilling to learn from either a defeat, or a victory. Again using my car analogy from above, the British Car industry faced with the same challenges from foreign made cars looked at the stylish designs from Germany and Italy, and the reliability of the Japanese Cars, and decided what they needed to compete was a car that met none of those attributes. It wasn't stylish, and it was as unreliable as the previous cars made by the British car makers. As a result, the British makers went bust.
In this election, as in Brexit, and the Arab Spring before it, the wave crashing around the globe is one of Nationalism. Nationalism isn't bad in and of itself, but it can turn ugly. The problem is that there is always a politician who is making those noises. The wave is now crashing ashore in Germany and France.
The Democrats ran as Globalists, and lost. The Republicans who ran as Globalists, lost. Yet, now the history is being re-written to make it seem that the losers, were actually victorious. Denigrating those in "fly over" country as if they really should just get used to the idea that they don't matter.
As Calexit gains steam, we are being told that California is so vital to the nation that we can't afford to lose it. Many long articles about how fortunate we are to have California, and how if we lose that state, we will be diminished to the point where we would wish we had the economic or military power of Haiti.
It is a old song. You'll miss me when I'm gone. The song Cups that ran the course as Viral on You Tube had that as the refrain. "You're going to miss me when I'm gone." Perhaps, but more often than not, they aren't missed.
How many of us sit around consumed by thoughts of a first girlfriend or boyfriend? Not many. Mostly we grow up, and move on. There are a few who are unable to go on, but a vast majority of us learn to get along just fine without that first love in our lives. I can, with some difficulty, remember her name, and how she looked. I would certainly not trade my life to date for a life with her.
But California, and the Democrats are singing the same song. You're going to miss us when you get a load of what you're really getting now. That message hasn't resonated, so now they're back to insulting anyone who disagrees with them. You don't like us, so you don't matter.
Again, we're back to teenaged social norms as if they have any application to the rest of life. The Democrats are out there sounding like that rejected teenaged boy. "You didn't rejecte me, you screwed up. One day, you'll realize just how much you lost." In reality, both of them will get over it in time, unless they are Democrats who seem unwilling to grow up.
The sad truth is this. Democrats want to be elected to represent the people. But they don't want to represent the people who actually elect them. In 2006 the Democrats took control of Congress. They had control for the next four years. In that time, they had Democratic people representing the areas which are now denounced as Conservative and didn't matter and will never matter in this article. They lost those areas because the Democrats from there, were told to shut up and vote with the Coastal regions. If their constituents didn't like it, tough shit.
John Barrow represented this area in Georgia. He did so through 2014. He held on longer than most of the Democrats representing the rural areas because he tried to vote the way that the people in the area wanted. Representing the voters is the literal job description of an elected official. But the Democratic power base is not in the rural areas, it's in the areas along the coasts, not in flyover country. So John Barrow got screwed out of a seat in Congress.
When Rural Democrats argued that they faced electoral defeat if the Party did some things, the party snorted and said that they were better off without the Blue Dog democrats. Who cares if some rural folks reject us, we know what is best for them.
Then in 2010 the Democrats lost the House, and Senate. Instead of learning, the Democrats doubled down on the attitudes that had seen them defeated.
When I was promoted and given command of a team in my squad, I told my Dad that I was a Team Leader. I was very proud, understandably. My Dad told me that every once in a while, I needed to look over my shoulder and check to make sure that the troops were following where I was leading. It took a while to figure that out. I mean to really understand it. But that lesson served me well. My troops would not commit suicide just because I jumped up and said follow me. The Democratic Party has not learned this lesson. When the people stop following them, they don't look at the way they were leading, and wonder what they did wrong. They blame the followers for not following.
The Democratic Party Leadership pointed into the valley of death, and saw the cannons to the left, and right. They knew that it would be disaster for the people in the Rural areas, and ordered them to charge. When you read the poem of the Charge of the Light Brigade, you are not struck with the majesty of the glorious charge. But the stupidity of the orders that sent them to their certain doom.
Every election, the coastal Democrats announce that victory will be theirs and order the charge into the Valley. The loyal Democrats salute, and charge to their doom.
Failing to learn a lesson from a defeat is bad. Failing to learn the lesson from subsequent defeats is intolerable. In 2014 the Democrats in Georgia ran children, and grandchildren of famous Democrats thinking that the family names would be enough to grant victory. Nope. well, never mind, we'll do it again in 2016 and this time it will work.
Now, we're blaming the folks in Flyover Country for being too stupid to realize where their interests lie. Instead of shouting at them, try talking, and listening to them. Then figure out how you can represent them, and if perhaps the coastal regions are too far left for the rest of the nation.
Only a fool would look at the election of 2016 and see any victory for Democrats. Only the heir to the throne of the kingdom of fools would look at the rest of the nation, and blame them for voting against you when you hold them in such contempt. You hate them, and make no secret of the fact that you despise them. Then you want to know why they voted against you. You can't imagine why the people you despise don't support you.
We may, or may not miss California when they are gone. But the Democrats obviously miss the rural voters now that they are gone.
