Home town stupid

This week, Trump and Pence held a political rally in my hometown, Elkhart, Indiana.

Elkhart, a manufacturing center for the recreational vehicle industry, was hit hard by the great recession. President Obama made Elkhart an example of how his policies could help the economic recovery. He visited the town four times during his administration and steered stimulus money directly to Elkhart. Did it work?

That's the unemployment rate in Elkhart. It hit a high of 20% at the height of the recession and during the Obama years steadily fell to less than 3% at the end of the Obama Administration.

Thanks, Obama.

Elkhart was also lifted out of the recession by a large wave of Mexican immigrants who came to town because of the manufacturing capacity. These immigrants became part of the community and brought millions of dollars with them.

And yet, most of the population supports President Trump, who has attacked the very immigrants who helped Elkhart and is sabotaging the healthcare on which many residents depend. Republicans' only legislative achievement, the tax cut for the rich, won't help Elkhart one bit. Trump also pushes policies that hurt working men and women and will start reversing those unemployment numbers.

The ingratitude is galling to me and the lack of perspective frustrating. Democratic policies helped the town recover and they've turned their backs to support a guy who doesn't give a damn about them and is actively attacking their neighbors.

Then there's this.

Yes, I remember how Republicans separated the President's personal life and his job during Democratic administrations. They completely ignored Clinton's consensual affair with a non-porn star. They did such a good job they even ignored fictional issues with the President's personal life, like, say, whether or not he was born in the United States.

The hypocrisy is stunning, but not surprising.