Ben Davis writes:

Why were Democrats unable to counter the idea that Trump was an economic savant? And why did most Americans vote for someone they believe will harm the country but help their own pocketbooks? The answer is the ongoing decimation of working-class institutions and civil society, started by neoliberalism, accelerated by the rise of the internet as a medium of interaction and put into overdrive during the isolation of Covid. The vehicles for building solidarity with others and for caring about strangers have been decimated. In crass terms, people have become more selfish.

Union membership, for example, still makes voters significantly more Democratic than would otherwise be expected based on demographics alone. Even this year, Harris won union members easily while losing the popular vote overall. Unions and civil society organizations also provide a baseline of political education: members know their interests and which policies will help or harm them. Without this, Americans’ views are shaped by the algorithm.

Perhaps most emblematic of this is at the heart of Trump’s campaign: his embrace of extremely online tech billionaires, crypto currency and online influencers. If the archetype of Trump’s win in 2016 was the left-behind post-industrial Rust belt manufacturing worker – or, perhaps more accurately, the car dealership or McDonald’s franchise owner in a left-behind post-industrial Rust belt town – this year it is the crypto scammer, the dropshipper, the app-based day trader, the online engagement farmer.

That embrace was Trump’s message, and at the core of his gains, especially with young men. Without civil society and without strong unions, people believe the only path to success is getting one over on someone else. And who is better at that than Trump? [Continue reading…]