In the wake of the Republican presidential debate at Oakland University, the Los Angeles Times sent one of their politics reporters on a little trip east to Macomb County to check in on the politics of Michigan’s famous bellwether county of the past.
It’s been a little while since we’ve received the national news treatment, but the story hasn’t changed much, from the broader perspective of a reporter who covers national politics.
The Times story carried this headline: “Swing county in Michigan isn’t sold on batting for Obama”
That was followed by a story summary: “Obama swept Macomb County — long a measure of the national mood — by more than 8 points in 2008. But voters here aren’t happy with the president’s economic policies, as their state has the third-highest unemployment rate in the nation.”
The story was also accompanied by a nice color chart that shows Macomb’s voting history, going back to 1960 when we emerged as the most Democratic suburban county in America. Of course, the Times piece focuses extensively on our heritage as the home of the Reagan Democrats.
Here’s a portion of the story:
“Macomb County’s mercurial ‘Reagan Democrats’ have long served as a barometer of the national mood. Their abandonment of their own party to support Ronald Reagan helped usher in GOP rule nationally. Three decades later, Barack Obama pulled them back into the fold, sweeping the county by more than 8 points and winning Michigan by the largest margin for a Democrat since 1964.
“The size of that win — particularly in a white, blue-collar swing county like Macomb — might have been enough to convince Republicans that Michigan wasn’t worth the effort in 2012. But as Obama seeks a second term, the Democratic loyalty demonstrated three years ago appears tenuous.
“Unemployment, which peaked at 14.1 percent in summer 2009, is still the third-highest in the nation at 11.1 percent. After declining for 19 months straight, it climbed a full point between April and August.
“Though Obama helped rescue two Michigan-based auto companies — a move his advisors credited with saving 1 million jobs — his economic policies draw little praise from independent and Democratic-leaning voters in Macomb County.”
You can read the rest of the story here.
Can Macomb still be considered a bell weather? After all, Macomb county has been in an economic down turn longer than the rest of the country and has had higher unemployment, for longer period, than the rest of the country.
Macomb County voters need to consider the economic landscape of this county had anti-auto bail out GOP candidates or McCain had been in charge in 2009. The result on this county would have been devastating. As far as the GOP candidates saying there should have been a private sector solution, there were no private sector solutions, the government was the very last resort.
http://www.economyincrisis.com
Macomb County median household income has dropped 25% between 2000-2009.
American workers are now forced to compete directly with Mexican workers who, on average, make just $3 per hour. Their American counterparts make $18 per hour. Why would any manufacturer want to produce here in America and pay $18-20 per hour when the same product can be produced right across the border in Mexico for just $3 per hour and then shipped back to the U.S. duty and restriction free?
We had a small trade surplus with Mexico in 1993 before signing onto NAFTA. By 2007, 14 years after signing NAFTA, that surplus turned into a $91 billion deficit with Mexico. The combined deficit with Canada and Mexico together increased to $190 billion – an astounding 691 percent increase.
Since NAFTA was implemented, 300,000 American family farms have been put out of business. Overall, net farm incomes are down 13 percent.
Obviously NAFTA has not been very beneficial to the us. In all reality, the trade pact has been an abject failure.
The cruel reality of NAFTA is that it does not benefit the American worker. In fact, it encourages our jobs to leave the country in pursuit of lower wage rates, non-existent environmental standards and trade without restrictions. In fact, if a company does not transfer production overseas quickly it will be put out of business. Your elected Federal level politicians did this to us. During a 1992 Presidential Debate, Ross Perot described a "huge sucking sound" as the jobs left the US, as President Bush and Bill Clinton smiled and giggled. (linked below – watch it and pay attention to his projected timeline when our income would be effected according to the "experts).
In Mexico
* The minimum wage to $3 per hour
* They have no child labor laws
* They expand the work week
* They reduce health and work place safety laws
* Banned unions
* Reduced or no protection for the environment
The nation’s continued participation in NAFTA results in fewer manufacturing jobs and an influx of foreign produced goods. Our citizens lose good jobs while Mexico reaps the benefits of this trade bloc.
http://youtu.be/Rkgx1C_S6ls