By admin 
After Trump won that election, Nate, a retired federal government worker and military veteran in Pennsylvania, told a Guardian reporter that he had been a Democrat for 39 years. But he voted for Trump because he felt frustrated with Democratic leaders. “Obama created jobs, but minimum wage jobs,” he said. “You can’t support a family on a minimum wage. Our manufacturing plants are gone, the coal industry is gone from my area, and Hillary [Clinton] would just shut it down the rest of the way.”
While you can argue with some of the details of what Nate said — for example, the growth of poorer-paid service jobs and the decline of American factories started in the 1980s — it reflects something bigger: For many Americans, the Obama years coincided with a decreasing quality of life.
It’s worth noting that, as president, Joe Biden had a number of economic policies that improved the quality of life for many Americans: the Inflation Reduction Act, the expanded child tax credit, expanded unemployment benefits, and increased money for state and local governments. He also supported workers’ right to join unions and nominated Lina Khan to run the Federal Trade Commission, where she cracked down on shady practices by large corporations. But this was too little, too late. These policies still weren’t big enough to deal with the problems many Americans have been living with since the beginning of the Great Recession. And, thanks to the conservative majority on the Supreme Court, Biden was unable to fully deliver on some of his promises, like the student loan debt relief plan.
When Kamala Harris replaced Biden as the 2024 Democratic nominee, she advocated for more affordable housing and creating a “care economy.” But in her messaging, she distanced herself from parts of Biden’s positive economic legacy and instead cozied up to big business. This erased some of the progress I believe Biden made in convincing Americans that Democrats were interested in improving their lives. To a number of economically struggling voters, it looked like Harris wasn’t interested in their problems.
Trump’s rise didn’t only happen because Americans were angry with Democrats and their economic policies. I’d argue that the recession — and the inadequate response by the government — helped create the conditions that allowed millions of Americans to get radicalized online. In the wake of the recession, people lost their in-person communities when they lost their jobs, homes, and businesses. They found themselves increasingly isolated and hustling to make ends meet. When they turned to the internet to connect or find news, many discovered online communities filled with conspiracy theories and disinformation (a trend that got worse during the COVID-19 lockdowns).
These online spaces helped mobilize support for Trump. A growing number of Americans falsely believe that vaccines are dangerous, that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, or that Democratic politicians and Hollywood elites are running a child sex trafficking ring. It’s hard for Democrats to campaign effectively when so many people disagree about basic facts and what the truth really is.
We’re still living in the country the Great Recession made. If Democrats want to win elections, they need to start campaigning (and delivering) on big economic policies like family leave, well-funded public schools, and a higher minimum wage. These policies would give all Americans a stake in our society (and they’re popular, with many progressive ballot measures winning this year even in red states). Democrats also need to focus on rebuilding in-person communities that offer alternatives to disinformation-filled online spaces. Until those two things happen, even Taylor Swift and Beyoncé can’t guarantee victory.