Among the biggest job losers over the last four years are Michigan (238,800 jobs lost); Ohio (237,400 lost); North Carolina (104,300 lost); Pennsylvania (74,800 lost); and West Virginia (1,200 lost). So why are these the so-called "battleground" states that could turn either way in the coming election?
You'd think Democrats would have it made in places like these. After all, the jobs haven't just disappeared by magic. Paychecks aren't dropping for no reason. Big corporations have sent jobs abroad -- to Mexico, India, and China. Big-box retailers like Wal-Mart have sucked the life out of main streets, killing off small businesses and substituting dead-end jobs. These states are littered with empty factories and dying towns, the direct consequence of a Wall Street culture mostly interested in making a fast buck. If any population anywhere in America had reason to carry a grudge against the big businesses and Wall Streeters who bankroll the Republican Party and who now, in effect, run much of Washington, it should be the people in these "battleground" states.
So why is the race so close there? It can't be entirely John Kerry's fault. In 2000, Al Gore also had close calls in these states. In fact, Democrats have been losing ground in these places for as many years as working families in them have been losing ground. So what's going on?
Here's my theory. Economic anxiety related to job insecurity and lousy paychecks makes people angry. No surprise, there. The question is what happens to this anger, how it's channeled. Republicans have been masterful at deflecting the anger -- onto gays, immigrants, feminists, anti-war and anti-gun activists, Hollywood, environmentalists, supporters of abortion rights, and anyone else on the liberal side of the spectrum. Listen to right-wing talk radio and yell television and just about all you hear is anger and indignation at these so-called "liberal elites."
What about the Democrats? Have they directed the anger to where it really belongs -- toward America's business and financial elites, who have failed to take any responsibility for what's been happening? Of course not. For years now, Democrats have been too busy courting "swing" voters in upscale suburbs. But the real battle is in the battleground states, where too many families are hurting.
Until Democrats explain what's really going on and why, and what can be done about it, they'll have a hard time being heard.
Robert B. Reich is co-founder of The American Prospect.
