Josh Boak at the Associated Press complains that the towns that Trump is visiting “don’t look much like the US”:
Trump has largely eschewed the big metropolises for smaller cities. He has been to Tampa, Nashville, Cleveland and Houston — where the arenas could accommodate his crowds. But he’s primarily been jet-setting to smaller places such as Elko, Nevada (population 20,078). Or, Mosinee, Wisconsin (population 4,023). Or, Belgrade, Montana (population 7,874).
The places he is visiting are smaller, poorer, and whiter than the country is as a whole.
I thought it was interesting that he failed to mention three cities that look very little like the United States from the standpoint of race, age, education, and income: New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
I suspect that it might surprise Mr. Boak and most Americans that statistically the “most normal” city is New Haven, CT but I find that suspicious since it’s a college town. How “normal” would it be without Yale? The second most normal is the Tampa-St. Pete-Clearwater metro area and the most normal state is Illinois. Meanwhile the least normal state is California.
Normal, or average towns do not have millions of Federal dollars rolling in annually. Pushing up real estate prices and turning the electorate Blue, as they know which side the bread is buttered on.
Nebraska is a reliably Red state and it’s capital, Lincoln, reliably Blue. It’s the seat of Government and home to the states largest university.
not hard to figure.
With a country as big and diverse as ours, I think “normal” as a standard has all the same problems as using averages. Regional comparisons are probably better.
The very argument for federalism.
An AP story is going to be repeated hundreds or thousands of times by newspapers all over the country or on their web sites. It would be nice if the author defined what he meant. The greater problem is that opinion-makers are concentrated so heavily in Los Angeles, New York, and Washinton, DC—three very atypical places. And yet they think they’re the standard to which the entire country is held.
‘…complains that the towns that Trump is visiting “don’t look much like the US†”
Yes, he gives away his arrogance, lack of self awareness and self centeredness right in the title. The very definition of elitism and problem with self proclaimed “elites.”
I read the piece. She doesn’t actually suggest that he should visit NYC or anywhere else. She just notes that he is visiting places that are poorer and whiter. i am not seeing a value judgement here. I guess it is not politically correct to describe the places Trump visits.
“Normal, or average towns do not have millions of Federal dollars rolling in annually.”
Actually, they do. Rural areas receive about as many federal dollars as cities. They also tend to pay in a lot less in taxes.
Steve
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Houston is the fourth largest city in the US. Trump didn’t rent the largest arena because he couldn’t fill it.