this post was submitted on 11 Jan 2025
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The last time Donald Trump was president, he travelled to Youngstown, Ohio, among the most depressed of America’s rust belt cities, and promised voters the impossible.

The high-paying steel, railroad and car industry jobs that once made Youngstown a hard-living, hard-drinking blue-collar boom town were coming back, he said. “Don’t move. Don’t sell your house,” he crowed to a rapturous crowd in 2017. “We’re going to fill up those factories – or rip ”em down and build brand new ones”.

None of that happened. Indeed, within 18 months, General Motors (GM) announced that it was suspending operations at its one remaining ­manufacturing plant outside Youngstown, throwing 5,000 jobs into jeopardy in a community with little else to cling to. Trump’s reaction was to say the closure didn’t matter, because the jobs would be replaced “in, like, two minutes”.

That, too, did not happen. People moved away, marriages broke down, depression soared and, locals say, a handful of people took their own lives.

“The Democrats and the Republicans are all a den of crooks. Only one side lies about being crooks, and one doesn’t. If you’re going to be a crook, I’d rather know it than be lied to.”

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[–] foofy@lemmy.world 3 points 1 hour ago

Betras said Trump’s success was a symptom of the Democrats’ failure to address the catastrophic impact of international trade agreements on manufacturing jobs in the US – a failure he pins on Bill Clinton and Barack Obama – and its further failure, under Obama, to take any meaningful action against Wall Street or the big banks after the housing collapse of 2007-08.

Whatever else you think about the article or about Ohio voters, these are valid and accurate criticisms in my view.

[–] mysticpickle@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 hour ago
[–] UpperBroccoli@lemmy.blahaj.zone 14 points 4 hours ago

“We just want a change, a change in the weather,” a retired aluminium worker wanting to go just by his first name, Paul, said as he sat with a group of friends in a cigarette shop in Struthers, a down-at-heel overwhelmingly white Youngstown suburb once known for its thick clusters of bars, pizza parlours, strip clubs and illegal gambling joints.

Oh, change you'll get. Even less health care, workers rights and job protection. Poisoned air, water, and salted earth. Weather events like you couldn't imagine. Not to mention the fact that you may lose people in your life, members of your family or people you know thanks to the republican hate campaign.

Guess you get what you fucking deserve. Too bad about everyone else though.

[–] Jyek@sh.itjust.works 36 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

And this idiot's vote is dozens of times more powerful than that of any voter in any major city in the country.

[–] Quadhammer@lemmy.world 13 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

That guy is 200% certified dumb fuck

[–] spujb@lemmy.cafe 13 points 19 hours ago

democrat leadership will see this and think “damn! they are on to us we have to lie and scheme even harder at the expense of human dignity next time!”

[–] Crikeste@lemm.ee 16 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Where this fucking idiot was wrong was in thinking that Amerikkka has ever or will ever care about the common person. lol

Burn the whole country to the ground

[–] Sprocketfree@sh.itjust.works 7 points 17 hours ago (3 children)

Where does that get us other then ash?

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 5 points 4 hours ago

“I’m not going to vote against my best interests, I’m also going to destroy everything that in any way helps me”

Hey idk about you but im a morrowind player and id prefer vvardenfell to amerikka any day. I happen to think ash storms are relaxing. Which is why i modded more into my game.

[–] holo@lemmy.wtf 0 points 15 hours ago

When Nazi Germany burned there was a Germany after. Sometimes something's too far gone to save.

[–] Doomsider@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago (3 children)

I think at some point this is just overanalyzing things. People vote for the same team they always have. It is like asking a football fan why they root for their team. There often isn't a real answer and what they tell you is ultimately nonsensical.

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

If people just vote for “the home team”, wouldn’t the results be similar every time? Yet we have different parties winning by different amounts every year.

Going only by myself, I don’t know, I suppose you could be right ….. I moved to an area where people were politically more like me and I vote for different variations that are mostly compatible with my desires. I have voted third party in the past but aside from local offices, that just seems like a waste of my vote. I have voted for candidates from the other party when they seem to be the better choice. So I do generally vote for candidates from the same party, except when I don’t.

Interesting idea. I watch american football but i never got into it until later. And i find it interesting that i have no teams i prefer exactly. I just like to see the different plays and stuff. I do always vote left. But ive never considered democrats my team. Just the most closely aligned i guess. I would vote 3rd party if i felt it made a difference and there was a candidate i liked that i felt could win.

[–] Kitathalla@lemy.lol 5 points 19 hours ago

Post-hoc explanations. They're super common once you start looking into people's everyday actions.

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 91 points 1 day ago (15 children)

If you’re going to be a crook, I’d rather know it than be lied to.

Of all dumb reasons for voting for Trump, this one takes the cake.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 20 points 1 day ago

"I might be forcibly sodomized to death in a dark closet, but at least I'll know who's doing it by their voice!"

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[–] sndmn@lemmy.ca 74 points 1 day ago (1 children)

These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know… morons.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Except no one's laughing about that in this case.

[–] sndmn@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 day ago

Putin sure is, as is Winnie the Xi.

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 38 points 1 day ago (1 children)

This is the state of the American electorate. Just a total lack of critical thinking.

[–] Lexam@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago

It's by design and their goal is to make it worse.

[–] T00l_shed@lemmy.world 84 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Look, I know things are hard, but that's a really narrow take. At the very very least the democrats would not tear down what social services you could still claim. This is like shooting yourself in the foot, and being like "fuck that hurt, maybe it will be better next time?" Instead of "oh shit, better not shoot myself in the foot again".

[–] henfredemars@infosec.pub 46 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I rather shoot myself in the foot so that I know for certain my foot will be horrifically mutilated.

[–] dyathinkhesaurus@lemmy.world 24 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Or, "maybe if I shoot myself in the other foot, it'll be better this time"

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

No, the analogy is “maybe I’ll shoot myself in the same foot again, but with 12 gauge”

After shooting yourself the first time, you may have recovered enough to walk normally. Imagine being so frustrated with that so you make sure you can never walk again

[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] EmpathicVagrant@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

One round is the first foot, crippling but you can still get around.

This is definitely the other foot, planned and understood it would likely hurt - now completely unable to walk.

[–] IphtashuFitz@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

The pain in the second foot will make me forget about the pain in the first foot.

[–] henfredemars@infosec.pub 32 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Only one side lies about being crooks, and one doesn’t.

And which is which? I can't tell which the speaker wants me to think. I think that says more about the speaker than it does about me. I can't tell if they're trying to shoot themselves in the foot on purpose.

[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 37 points 1 day ago (6 children)

I assume they mean the Democrats are lying about not being crooks, but given that the article is about Trump breaking promises, that makes him the liar and obvious crook. Which means he's the preferable candidate somehow?

I guess it's just comfortable lies vs. difficult truths. Times change, if you don't change with them you'll be left behind in a ghost of a town.

[–] jonne@infosec.pub 36 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Yeah, the electorate also punished Carter for being straight with Americans about oil dependence and energy security. And instead of following the path of energy transition, they went with Reagan who promised Americans everything while undermining the middle class.

A lot of voters are basically like children that want to be lied to.

[–] samus12345@lemm.ee 1 points 2 hours ago

A lot of voters are basically like children that want to be lied to.

Exactly this. Trump won both times by lying about helping the working class. So did Obama. Promise Americans that you care about the working class and will help them, and the "swing voter" dumbasses are more likely to vote for you regardless of your past record.

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago

This is a great analogy for people to think about: we’re all recognizing Carter as one of the great ones, someone who lived a life of helping people, someone whose heart was always in the right place, someone with a higher sense of morals and ethics than most of todays politicians. All of that’s true, but it’s also true he was voted out of a second term. He told some uncomfortable truths, he was not photogenic, he did not just say what people wanted to hear. And we voted him out. Hindsight makes it easy to see that we voted for the face-eating leopard party all along

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