set me thinking about how bad the US will have it in the next couple of years
From George Washington until ww2, the US could afford high wages because it was consistently protectionist; they only started lowering tariffs after most of the world's industry was obliterated by ww2, and they only agreed to keep open because of VERs, Smithsonian Agreement and Plaza Accord etc.
Trump supporters are mainly former middle class whites involved in agriculture, mining, construction, and low tech manufacturing who are extremely discontent at being pushed down into minimum wage and welfare because US industry is not competitive with the rest of the world and Hispanic immigrants can do their jobs at half the wage. In the case of minimum wage hikes and progressive tax increases I'm sure that US industry is so depressed they will simply respond with layoffs.
The Democrats' red line on environmentalism, immigration etc and import policy will only further undercut the Trump country sectors and enrage them even more. and it's not like they can find other jobs with that terrible education system. if dems try to take legal action on the MAGA leadership it will only create martyrs for their cause to rally behind.
Biden has a choice of either enraging the red states or enraging the blue states. More violence and government retaliation will do well to damage US reputation and stability, but the only politically uncontroversial thing Biden can do is continue flogging the Chinese bogeyman so we should be prepared for more of that.
The problem is reminiscent of India: previously they built up the IT and medical industries instead of gradually moving up the value chain. It benefited a tiny educated minority (casteism?) while the rest of the country remained peasant deadweight dragging down the economy with crime and voting for unproductive agricultural subsidies. And right now Modi and co is learning how difficult it is to reform the economy in a "diverse democracy".
I wonder how much longer modi will be able to distract the populace with hindu supremacy and the yellow peril+muslim strawman.
