I think that the proverbial chickens are coming home to roost due to very deep seated bigotry of big city leftists from the East and West Coast.
“What bigotry?!” I hear you cry with great indignation!
An example of this bigotry that you might not be aware you have:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_purge
I realize this was 50 odd years ago, and it is TV, but my point is this is a major symptom of a huge underlying issue.
---quote-- The "rural purge" of American television networks (in particular CBS) was a series of cancellations in the early 1970s of still-popular rural-themed shows with demographically skewed audiences, the majority of which occurred at the end of the 1970–71 television season. In addition to rural-themed shows such as Mayberry R.F.D., The Beverly Hillbillies, and Green Acres, the cancellations ended several highly rated variety shows that had been on CBS since the beginning of television broadcasting. CBS saw a dramatic change in direction with the shift, moving away from shows with rural themes and toward more appeal to urban and suburban audiences. ---end quote
Understand many of these shows were very popular & profitable. Some were very profitable to the networks, so this was not about money, it was pure unadulterated bigotry, and against the direct economic interest of the companies involved.
Network executives PERSONALLY wanted to stop providing TV that a large fraction of rural Americans loved and watched regularly, and brought in good advertising revenue. That was very arguably negligence against the firms they worked for.
Why did they do that??
Personal prejudice, and a desire to not feel humiliated by other people in the TV industry.
As in— “snicker” — he is the exec at CBS managing “HEE HAW!” — “snicker”.
Again the “rural purge” was a SYMPTOM of the central issue not the central issue.
I am 100% sure if you are an American and you pay any attention whatever to US media, you are aware of this prejudice/bigotry, even if you think it is “reasonable” or “justified” or think that people from “flyover” America are “Deplorable”, stupid, uneducated, racist, inbred, and so on.
The prejudice exists — you know it does. If you are a US coastal left-winger almost certainly you have this prejudice, even if you are unaware of it.
Other direct examples:
https://gawker.com/dumb-hicks-are-americas-greatest-threat-1743373893
(Self-explanatory)
Or from the movie “silence of the lambs”:
Dr. Lector speaking to Agent Starling.
--quote-- You know what you look like to me with your good bag and your cheap shoes? You look like a rube. A well scrubbed, hustling rube with a little taste. Good nutrition has given you some length of bone, but you’re not more than one generation from poor white trash, are you Agent Starling? And that accent you’re trying so desperately to shed – pure West Virginia. What was your father, dear? Was he a coal miner? Did he stink of the lamp? And oh, how quickly the boys found you. All those tedious, sticky fumblings, in the back seats of cars, while you could only dream of getting out. Getting anywhere. Getting all the way to the F.B.I. --end quote
The “hick” or “rube” or “redneck” or hillbilly” stupidity, and backwardness and ignorance of rural Americans is a constant refrain in American mainstream media.
Further, that an American from the rural mid-west who is religious and conservative, and votes that way is a “deplorable“, but an immigrant conservative Muslim deserves every consideration, even where he practices things like female circumcision, or honor killing of female relatives, as long as he votes democratic.
That is hyperbole — a bit — but not all that far from truth.
That is also a total BS double standard.
Now imagine if you will that you are such a rural American, and your family, and and relatives have been discriminated against like that for many generations, and in the the past oh 50–60 odd years you and people of your American rural ethnic group, have been being screwed over by one National party consistently for those 50–60 plus years on several issues that matter to you, but that mostly do not matter as much if at all to city folk. I will not go over the issues as it is more a case of death by 1000 cuts than one simple issue. This alienated rural voters, they got angry and deserted that party in droves.
To the point that by the 2016 election by counties this is what the vote looked like.
That other party controlling the majority of state governments and much of the the rural areas of deep blue states compare contrast to the 1976 election 40 years before.
1976 United States presidential election - Wikipedia
The rural vs city dichotomy is not very visible at all in 1976 both major parties controlled vast swaths of rural areas.
Here is the thing, the modern phenomena of one party being dominant in rural politics and taking advantage of the unequal power of rural voters in the Electoral College, is — in my opinion — 100% the fault of the big city party — because of the anti-rural bigotry and generations long attacks on the interests of rural voters.
I think — but do not know yet - that just like 2016 rural voters will hand the Democratic party it’s ass again in another smackdown.
I might be wrong on who wins the election - but the rural - big city dichotomy between the parties cannot go away till the bigotry goes.
The fault is not them being mean, or “deplorable” — the problem is the self-righteous elitist bigoted attitude of the Democratic elite that alienates American voters who systemically have the most power.
As a famous Comedian I am fond of says, “you can’t fix stupid”
edit: reference article from a comment
https://www.vox.com/2016/4/21/11451378/smug-american-liberalism
EDIT:
Date now 5th of November. While neither the presidential election nor control of the senate are not officially resolved, litigation is starting, it is crystal clear the Democratic vision of an easy victory was nonsense. They lost ground in the House.
Substantial allegations and evidence of Democratic cheating exists.
https://nypost.com/2020/11/04/trump-campaign-lays-out-legal-actions-in-pa-over-vote-counting/
https://www.foxnews.com/us/protesters-gather-at-arizona-voting-center-amid-vote-counting
Both screenshots are from “fivethirtyeight