Bloomberg: “The geography of electorally important places in need of revitalization is hardly limited to Aliquippa or western Pennsylvania. It encompasses large swaths of the Rust Belt, none more vital to the elections than the triumvirate of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. These states proved decisive in 2016, when right-wing populist candidate Trump led them to a surprise victory over Hillary Clinton. They were decisive again in 2020, when Biden’s left-wing populism helped bring them back into the Democratic fold. If Trump or Biden wins again in November, he will almost certainly win the White House.”
“Today, that prospect looks uncertain for Biden, who is behind Trump in many head-to-head polls. But Biden’s difficulties overshadow his radical shift in strategy for how Democrats try to help long-neglected regions like steel country Pennsylvania. Biden made a radical break with the laissez-faire approach to trade and industrial policy taken by the last two Democratic presidents, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Instead, he embraced the populist ideals championed by Democrats on his left, such as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, by having the federal government play a direct role in shaping the economy.”
