When Tim Russert, Buffalo's favorite son, drew his last breath, the nation briefly looked at that most American-working class of regions and its impact on the life of the now-legendary NBC newsman. And then we looked away, focusing on the man, his accomplishments, his bonhomie, as Route 290 receded into the hazy distance of our rear-view mirrors as we collectively continued down the information superhighway(The Corsair pops a can of domestic suds). Forbes informs us that Buffalo -- and old manufacturing cities throughout this great Republic -- is itself dying. And with those cities dies the American Dream that a high-school educated working man or woman with a Protestant ethic and a desire to have a family could have the car, the house with a white picket fence, and decent schooling for their children. From Forbes:
"According to an article in Forbes' new issue, New York state's second largest city qualifies for the publication's list because of its declining population and slow economic growth. The article says old manufacturing cities such as Buffalo are in rougher shape than ever and still looking for something to replace their factories and mills.
"Buffalo is the only city in New York to make the list. Ohio leads the way with four -- Youngstown, Dayton, Canton and Cleveland -- followed by Michigan with two, Detroit and Flint.
"Also making the list are Charleston, W.Va.; Springfield, Mass., and Scranton, Pa."
Which candidate speaks for these cities -- these Congressional districts -- which figured so prominently in the primary process in both parties? The ethereal Senator Barack Obama, who represents change and internationalism, has not yet -- and quite possibly never will -- reached this audience. Obama would do well to pick a running mate that can connect with this important and imperiled voting bloc or his fortunes in November are dim indeed.
And the old warhorse Senator John McCain, who admits to some economic naivete, with his heiress wife and complicated real estate holdings and his Establishmentarian love of NAFTA-like trade deals has little to offer those voters. Aside from his military record, McCain is, in many ways, as alien to the struggling blue-collar as Obama. He could only appeal to those dying electoral districts in a head-to-head confrontation with Obama in the general election with appeals to their lowest instincts, as his present media strategy suggests. As Karl Rove hinted, "Obama's the guy at the country club with the beautiful date, holding a martini and a cigarette that stands against the wall and makes snide comments about everyone who passes by.”
And yet to reduce McCain's campaign strategy to get the working-class voter to race is not entirely accurate either. The Republicans have been running Presidential campaigns on "He's-not-one-of-us" for decades (Remember the Kerry French connection?) It has been thus far a successful strategy. That, and gay marriage -- again: appealing to the basest instincts -- clinched Ohio, which was already feeling the sting of off shoring on the American economy in 2004.
It is curious that McCain lost the Republican Michigan primary in 2008, a state which he won as the underdog in 2000. That was then, this is now.
Little has been made of race in this election. The cable TV newsers have apparently bought in to the Pat Buchanan narrative that it is fear of the different -- those treacherous psychological waters, navigated by only the most expert of demagogues -- which motivated Senator Hillary Clinton's significant victory margins in those dying counties in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio. And the Obama campaigns reluctance to dwell on significant instances of racism is understandable but it plays into that Buchanan narrative. The Buchanans, though, are partly correct even though their motives are suspect. But -- and here's the rub -- clearly race played a part in the equation as well. Up to 19 percent of "The Scranton Daughter's" vote in the Pennsylvania primary -- a state not unacquainted with dying towns -- admitted that race played a factor in their decision in the quiet of the booth. The will and innovation needed to resuscitate those dying towns is tremendous. It is so much easier to appeal to the fighting instincts of the terminally ill ("For everyone here in Ohio and across America who's ever been counted out but refused to be knocked out") than to diagnose and remedy the problem, which is our dependence on foreign oil and the off shoring of the manufacturing industry. It is not an easy sell to the working class, but we must build green industries to replace the disintegrating manufacturing economy.
The smooth Mitt Romney offered bromides to the Michigan economy in order to eke out his victory. It didn't hurt that he, through his father and his childhood, is a known quantity in Great Lake State. Again, the appeal to tribe: you know me, Romney almost seemed to be saying, my father was Governor. The negative aspect of tribalism, of course, is the "He's-Not-One-Of-Us" campaign that the Republicans are so good at bringing off. And one, unfortunately, that is plays acutely against the first African-American nominee for President from a major party. Therein lies the tragedy.
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