Obama's Challenge in Ohio and Pennsylvania
America's greatest economic challenge for the foreseeable future will be to give American workers their first raise in real wages in four decades. Wages have been stagnant because middle class industrial jobs are gone and they're never coming back. We have to find a way to get people into careers that have the potential for wage growth. That generally means jobs that require a lot of education and training. This problem is what is preventing Obama from moving ahead in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Those are two states that have been really hard hit, and hard hit for a long time (since at least the end of the 60s) by the collapse of American industry.
Because people in those states have found themselves in such dire straits for so long, they are loath to accept Obama's message of hope and optimism. They need practical solutions because they often face truly dire circumstances. In order to break through, Obama has to be able to convince them that he can deliver and deliver big. It's not merely a matter of talking in greater detail, Obama has to show that he's tough, that he knows how to fight back, that he cares, that he's trustworthy, that he has the energy, the passion, the wherewithal to get people what they need.
He is not merely fighting against cynicism, he is fighting a generation's worth of broken dreams and unmet promises. The working people of Ohio and Pennsylvania were once the epitome of the American dream. Their middle class aspirations were fulfilled by plentiful factory jobs that promised the same ticket to middle class welfare to their children and their children's children. But that social compact was broken in the 1970s by a host of different forces that quickly shipped millions of jobs overseas, and put all blue collar jobs in jeopardy. Pretty soon GM, Ford, Chrysler, et al won't employ any blue collar workers in America. But people have been slow to awaken to this reality. The blue collar jobs are gone, but the workers remain. They have the work-ethic, but not the training or the skills necessary to compete in today's economy. America has to forge a new compact with its workers, or risk losing its middle class entirely. Obama has to find a way to reach this rightly disaffected group because he is the candidate best positioned to get them what they need, programs that will provide them with the skills necessary to compete.
Because people in those states have found themselves in such dire straits for so long, they are loath to accept Obama's message of hope and optimism. They need practical solutions because they often face truly dire circumstances. In order to break through, Obama has to be able to convince them that he can deliver and deliver big. It's not merely a matter of talking in greater detail, Obama has to show that he's tough, that he knows how to fight back, that he cares, that he's trustworthy, that he has the energy, the passion, the wherewithal to get people what they need.
He is not merely fighting against cynicism, he is fighting a generation's worth of broken dreams and unmet promises. The working people of Ohio and Pennsylvania were once the epitome of the American dream. Their middle class aspirations were fulfilled by plentiful factory jobs that promised the same ticket to middle class welfare to their children and their children's children. But that social compact was broken in the 1970s by a host of different forces that quickly shipped millions of jobs overseas, and put all blue collar jobs in jeopardy. Pretty soon GM, Ford, Chrysler, et al won't employ any blue collar workers in America. But people have been slow to awaken to this reality. The blue collar jobs are gone, but the workers remain. They have the work-ethic, but not the training or the skills necessary to compete in today's economy. America has to forge a new compact with its workers, or risk losing its middle class entirely. Obama has to find a way to reach this rightly disaffected group because he is the candidate best positioned to get them what they need, programs that will provide them with the skills necessary to compete.
posted by Tbone at
10:14 PM
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