> liberal elite are ignoring the plight of so many Americans
Which is a ridiculous and bizarre premise.
Because up until Trump it was the conservative elite who were most in favour of free markets/trade/regulations etc that have been allegedly responsible for a collapse in blue collar jobs.
Anyway the problem isn't the ignoring of the masses. It's that there has been a failure to communicate in a way they can understand. Free trade isn't responsible for the loss of their jobs and globalisation was always going to happen. The issue is that rather than help them transition to 'jobs of the future' politicians took the easy road and blamed foreigners.
>Anyway the problem isn't the ignoring of the masses. It's that there has been a failure to communicate in a way they can understand. Free trade isn't responsible for the loss of their jobs and globalisation was always going to happen.
By and large the people who benefit the most from free trade and immigration aren't the people who pay the price. We could have fashioned policies such that both the benefits and the pain from globalization were spread more evenly, although there would have been a cost in terms of overall growth.
This isn't a communication problem. The problem is trade policies, environmental regulations, the legal environment, and immigration policies reflect the concerns of well-educated upper-middle-class and wealthier people to the exclusion of everyone else.
There's a narrative that the blue collar class have that politics is dirty and you shouldn't get involved. Then, because those who show up to vote affect the election...
> The problem is trade policies, environmental regulations, the legal environment, and immigration policies reflect the concerns of well-educated upper-middle-class and wealthier people to the exclusion of everyone else.
Welp, if you don't show up to vote, you don't get to push your policies and concerns directly. Instead you have to organize in more indirect ways.
The gap between the upper 5% and the bottom 95% is larger now then at any time since he 1930's. Thats not an accident its a predictable consequence of the Free trade agreements that were enthusiastically promoted and enacted by the that same 5% at to top that has benefited so spectacularly from them.
>The gap between the upper 5% and the bottom 95% is larger now then at any time since he 1930's. Thats not an accident its a predictable consequence of the Free trade agreements that were enthusiastically promoted and enacted by the that same 5% at to top that has benefited so spectacularly from them.
That's an oversimplification. You have to work backwards into the Reagan era and the deregulation from the 70s before you can start really taking NAFTA into account.
If you want to throw turds at the top earners, look at the total system and don't just blame single causes. It's a very complex economic system.
Further, consider the advantages of free trade: millions (billions?) of people in China have gotten better lives.
Protectionism and mercantilism is not a great system for increasing total wealth...
> Because up until Trump it was the conservative elite who were most in favour of free markets/trade/regulations etc
NAFTA/GATT was enthusiastically passed during Bill Clinton's Presidency. And both Bush senior and junior have publicly backed Hillary Clinton in this election. The 'Liberal' refers to 'Neo-Liberal'. Both the Democratic and Republican party establishment, and most of Washington policy makers support Corporate Free trade and USA global military dominance. Neo-Liberal policy regardless of what language you use to support it has been the core of US policy for the better part of 50 years regardless of which party the President belongs to.
Which is a ridiculous and bizarre premise.
Because up until Trump it was the conservative elite who were most in favour of free markets/trade/regulations etc that have been allegedly responsible for a collapse in blue collar jobs.
Anyway the problem isn't the ignoring of the masses. It's that there has been a failure to communicate in a way they can understand. Free trade isn't responsible for the loss of their jobs and globalisation was always going to happen. The issue is that rather than help them transition to 'jobs of the future' politicians took the easy road and blamed foreigners.