The current division we experience in almost every facet of the United States has not come suddenly overnight with Trump’s election. It has been brewing in our society for the past 16 years. George W. Bush, and Barack Obama have both had extremely different, and divisive terms in their own rights.
Under Bush, his opposition considered him an idiot who pursued unjustified conflict, which spawned a larger section of fringe groups on both the right and left. From 9/11 conspiracy theorists on the far right, such as Alex Jones, to the profoundly anti-war left which led to Barack Obama’s election. Obama’s promise and platform to pull out of Iraq endeared him to many voters tired of our involvement overseas.
Culturally, Obama’s presidency was an enormous shift in tone from that of Bush. Obama’s rhetoric was measured, as opposed to the emotionally driven speaking style of Bush. He took more negotiative measures with Iran, attempted to repair relations with Cuba and passed healthcare reform in the U.S. These actions drew huge criticism from both the center and far right. His withdrawal from Iraq proved to be short lived. As ISIL emerged as a power in the region, Obama was forced to redeploy troops. This left him in the bad graces of the far left.
The changes in our culture, and our propensity for extremism were brought to a peak in the 2016 presidential election. Two provocatively different sides emerged, in the form of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. Both are considered outsiders by their supporters, untouched by supposed “Wall Street” corruption. Both candidates tapped into urges and emotions rather than present policy plans, which hit home for the young, uneducated and those left out of economic recovery. While Sanders did not win his nomination, he successfully took enough votership and trust from Hillary Clinton, to allow for a Trump presidency.
However, let there be no mistake. The populist presidency faced by the U.S. today is overall a result of the inefficiency of politicians to address the factor which has caused the most division in the U.S.: Globalization. The economic effects caused by globalization have left out Middle America from the economic recovery in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The citizens between the coasts, are dealing with growing poverty, unemployment, and the Opioid crisis. They grew attached to Trump’s promises to bring jobs back, and negotiate with businesses to bring manufacturing back to the United States, as well as Sanders promises to socialize education.
Anyone who knows the first thing about economics, and the way that businesses work, will know that these promises are impossible to fulfill. People find any excuse they can to blame technology and immigration for the growing strife of Middle America. However, the fault lies in our failure to adjust the education system of the U.S. to cope with globalization, technology, and all of the economic repercussions these processes bring. Technological growth, and specialization allow for more progress to be made in the development of the U.S. economy. However, this does not mean there aren't any negative effects that need to be addressed.
The workforce of the future must be prepared for the vast shifts towards the service and technology sector. This is the only way to solve the income disparity experienced by unskilled workers in Middle America, and those with higher education. Technological literacy, and basic coding must become a hallmark in our schools, as well as more focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Focusing on education is only one step towards opening the Midwest to innovation. Large cities should make their environments more conducive to startup activity. Low property values and business friendly tax laws have already lowered some barriers to entry in cities like Austin, Las Vegas, Reno, Raleigh and Cleveland. More cities in the Midwest must adopt these practices, but hopes for more manufacturing jobs prevent governments from focusing on the future.
Fears of technology, globalization and immigration stem from a lack of education on the subjects. The benefits caused by these economic factors are experienced primarily on the coasts, and therefore do not speak to the needs of those in Middle America. Without a tangible benefit, the uneducated only respond to emotion and hollow promises. Instead of feeding and spurning these fears forward, our politicians must provide real solutions for citizens.
This begins with bipartisanship, and respect between both parties. Under President Trump, it is no question that partisan divide has been brought to the forefront of politics. It is up to us as citizens, to put aside petty differences and focus on how we can bring positive change to the people who need it in our country. It is up to us to vote with educated, strong conviction, and not with despair and fear.