As I process my emotions from the last 24 hours, I find it helpful to reflect on the past 4, 8, 12—even 30 years. I think back to the despair I felt during the Bush years, and the shame of telling my daughter that someone like Trump had been elected. But I also remember the joy and excitement when Barack Obama won. Through all of it, there’s been a common thread: Republicans have leaned hard to the right, while Democrats drifted to the center. Barack’s biggest achievement was being honest and simply being.
Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan underscores one thing very clearly: vast parts of America feel we’re not on the right path. While I believe Trump’s policies take us even further off course, he does recognize—at least rhetorically—how broken things have become. If you’re living in rural poverty and being crushed by healthcare costs and predatory credit policies, you might not care that his promises actually make things worse for you. What resonates is that he’s openly railing against the system. He’s whining about it from the viewpoint of an entitled billionaire while you’re worried about putting dinner on the table, but at least he’s whining about the same system.
Most Trump supporters don’t seem to connect his promises with a future outcome. When we see interviews with his supporters, their understanding of his policies often feels detached from what those policies actually deliver. But people aren’t voting for policies—they’re voting against the status quo. Democrats, meanwhile, are defending that very status quo, pointing to unemployment numbers and stock market gains. But if you don’t feel safe or secure, do you really care that the stock market is up?
This disconnect isn’t surprising when you consider the financial pressures people face today. Since 1980, the cost of living has risen dramatically, often far beyond wage growth. Housing, for example, has become significantly less affordable: a $100,000 home in 1967 would cost about $1,081,000 today, a staggering 981% increase. Meanwhile, wages haven’t even begun to keep pace with these kinds of expenses. For instance, real wages for low-wage workers have only grown by 17% since 1979, while high-wage earners saw a 46% increase in the same period. But for everyday Americans, that wage growth is a far cry from what’s needed to meet rising costs.
Education expenses tell a similar story. College tuition and fees have skyrocketed, increasing over 1,500% since the 1970s. What was once seen as a path to a secure middle-class life now feels out of reach for many—and only adds to the financial struggles families face. Given these realities, is it any wonder that people feel desperate enough to vote against the system?
Yes, the issues we’re facing—healthcare, economic inequality, immigration—may have Republican fingerprints on them, but they’re still realproblems. Even if current immigration challenges stem from Trump blocking a bipartisan legislative effort, the problems persist.
Pointing to statistics showing how great life is for the wealthy won’t sway most voters. We have to acknowledge this and reflect. A friend sent me a T-shirt today saying, “That wasn’t very data-driven of you,” in reference to the election results. It stings, but we need to look in the mirror. This country just re-hired the fox to guard the henhouse, but at least the fox acknowledged that life isn’t so great for those inside.
Now is the time to buckle down, lean in, and fight to rebuild our country. We need to track statistics that really matter to the majority, not just the wealthy. Let’s measure and care about things like the average monthly food budget, the cost of basic housing, food, clothing, transportation, and healthcare relative to wages. That should be our new metric for success.
We need to focus on policies that truly impact the average citizen.
Ben
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