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Amazing African Sweet Potato Stew
Sarah G. (original recipe)
Are Trump voters stupid?
In the most recent poll as of this writing, Kamala Harris is leading Donald Trump in Wisconsin by 0.1%. Since my last post was responding to KH's first interview since Biden's bow-out, I thought I would tackle a fun question that she dodged in her Fox News interview during her last-minute media blitz before Election Day.
The question was: when you describe Trump, you paint the picture of a horrible person. So why do roughly half of Americans support such a horrible human being? The interviewer suggested perhaps they are stupid. KH wasn't touching this question, but I will.
Essentially, Trump voters are a coalition and there are several reasons why some Americans might support such a horrible man. Yes, Bret, some Trump voters are stupid. To be fair, so are some KH voters. Maybe more Trump voters, but surely not all of them.
For instance, Trump pandered hardcore to Evangelicals. They might not like him as a person but he delivered for them on Roe v. Wade. These voters, like many of us left of the Democratic party, are basically over a barrel when it comes to supporting a mainstream party that will deliver Supreme Court nominees sympathetic to our worldviews. To some extent, both major parties can be modeled as coalitions of single-issue voters. They don't care if Trump is terrible, they care about their one issue, and Trump delivered the end of Roe and tax cuts to the wealthy and says hurray to guns. In America, this will buy you a lot of votes. Maybe not enough to win, but enough to give us a scare.
In this and other cases, the "stupid" Trump voter faction probably overlaps with other categories of Trump voters. For instance, some stupid Trump voters prefer Trump's image to KH's image. Really what they are saying is that they don't relate to Democrats because they feel the party is elitist and out-of-touch, and Trump is kind of the anti-Democrat while still representing an American success story (a pretty weak narrative but compelling to some). Basically, some people identify as Republicans, and Trump is like a bad dumb stereotype of a Republican, while it's not terribly unfair to liken KH to a stereotype of a mainstream Democrat, and voters gonna respond to this.
KH can't say it but I can. Some people dislike Trump but dislike KH more. I know it's hard to believe. Some of it is probably sexism. I don't love KH, but I would definitely place her higher than Trump on my ranked-choice ballot.
What I would say is, look, Bret, we are a politically diverse society. By taking a specific stance, you endear yourself to some voters and alienate yourself to other voters. My job, in increasing order of complexity, is to: 1) turn out (motivate) voters who agree with me, 2) persuade undecided or hesitant Trump voters that I am the better choice, and 3) make inroads with people who don't agree with me to convince them to change their minds on underlying issues. Obviously I am here to do Number 2 especially, and Number 3 if I can. But mostly Number 2.
Here's another. Voters are obsessed with the economy and Republicans are (wrongly) associated with fiscal responsibility. KH therefore is at a disadvantage when trying to craft a narrative around a complex issue that is the Economy and clearly she isn't resonating with some undecided or Trump-leaning voters. To be fair to the voter, I don't feel like KH's economic policies are really bold enough to make the kind of difference that Americans crave. For instance, I argued (way back in Nevada, again in Connecticut) that universal healthcare is perhaps the most pressing economic issue facing the United States where Presidential leadership could make an impact. Trump's policies are more ideological (he loves the word "tariff") than practical, but this is turf (like crime, like the border) that the Republicans defend by default and the onus is on Democrats to advance a compelling counter-narrative. That's why I'm here, Bret. You think I like talking to you? And you're supposed to be the nice one.
So I will offer one final explanation for Trump's uncomfortable level of support. He cut taxes for the rich and for corporations. He wants to do it again. This might not help the average individual, but it is desirable to a lot of very powerful individuals. The fact that the Democratic Party is pretty corporate too, and that the Right has successfully painted them as elitists, would tend to undercut the moral arguments that KH and her surrogates will try to make, that they are any better. Trump has the practical advantages of being the candidate of the 1%, but only a fraction of the baggage that this should entail.
The forgotten farmer
So what is going on in Wisconsin? Turns out it is the classic urban-rural divide. From my research, Wisconsin cities are reliably Blue (shout out to Madison! and Milwaukee!), and increasingly the suburbs too, but rural areas are Red and getting redder. According to NPR, "Some call Wisconsin a tale of two states. There are the dairy-farming, soybean-growing rural areas in the north and west, deep red and heavily backing Donald Trump." (And Blue areas.) Based on this characterization, and if everyone cares first and foremost about the economy, then maybe the silent killer, Ag Policy, is how we get through to these voters.
I am probably the bearer of scary news, that current Ag Policy is broken, but don't worry! I'm not here to take away your agricultural subsidies, just to tweak them so that it makes a lick of sense. I'm not posting about Ag Policy until later, but about all we hear on this issue in the national discourse is that Dems want to ban hamburgers* (not true) so I'm not surprised that, in this barren wasteland of policy discussion, Democrats aren't connecting to rural voters. Like the economy more generally, like crime, like the border, the Republican Party owns the default narrative (because they lie relentlessly). So I suppose all I can say is stay tuned!
*About as radical as it gets is Senator Cory Booker's attempt to ban large concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). This would probably increase the cost of a hamburger, because you aren't treating animals like complete and total shit or shitting out the environment in myriad ways, but consumers could be taught to value this and realistically, do you think Americans are going to stop eating burgers and start eating tofu stir-frys? So the producers generally have nothing to worry about, and I haven't thoroughly read Senator Booker's bill, but I assume the transition could be done in a way that ensures that producers, who have a lot to complain about under the current system, are treated well and their interests are a fundamental consideration.
American hang-ups
I wondered if maybe I offended the more-populous Milwaukee (shout out Violent Femmes self-titled album --year of my birth-- a nearly-perfect album) by shouting out to Madison first, but you have to understand, there are a dozen or two major communities around the country that are in the conversation as our most-liberal brethren and, at various points, these communities have touched me personally with a solidarity of spirit that I feel the need to express and appreciate. Maybe we should ask, not why do people vote Trump, but why don't they vote Jill Stein?
Being an American and commenting on the state of things here is a weird situation. So much of my psyche is consumed by the need for universal healthcare. In other advanced economies, this is assumed and they can use their intellect to pursue more difficult challenges. It's like I'm stuck in elementary school learning multiplication tables and other people get to study calculus but not me because my teacher wants us to learn about multiplication tables. It's really not my fault, I mean, was it Nelson Mandela's fault that he was obsessed with ending apartheid? It's not my fault but it makes me feel like a dumb elementary school student. I guess we shall recall, Nelson Mandela was an renowned terrorist before he was a symbol of racial justice, so maybe these fights are best assessed through the lens of tactics, and terrorism may be some people's preferred method to raise awareness, but I have chosen the path of a high-concept stay-at-home travel-cooking blog, and maybe it's not working, but I'm not really feeling terrorism, so maybe I fail but at least I fail veganizing children's recipes in a clever way, I can't imagine a prouder way to go down.
Cheeseheads
So I didn't think I had much of a cheese angle (the recipe is vegan!) other than it is my great non-vegan weakness. On the one hand, it takes a lot of milk to produce a quantity of cheese, which is why it's not so great for the climate, but I'd like to imagine it's also very value-added, which makes it a higher form of appreciation for the sacrifices the animals made to bring it to you. So, instead of drinking a glass of milk each morning, eat cheese on a special occasion, pay a lot for good quality and really enjoy it. I'm not suggesting this is actually a great idea, just I like to imagine.
In reality, the government subsidizes dairy by creating artificial demand to keep prices up. And it's not even working well. But the point is we need to rethink how the government supports dairy at some point or else you can forgo all the cheese in the world and your government will find someone else to consume it on your behalf. At the same time, whatever the government policy, the underlying populace needs to care as well, both pieces need to be in place.
As long as we're on the topic: Science, you can slow down with the fake meats, they are pretty fine, it's fake cheese that needs a Manhattan Project. And the nascent industry should consider locating in Wisconsin. I know this would be a blow to the egos of traditional dairy farmers in your state but I really don't see you going away in your or your children's lifetimes (with better policies in place that focus on livelihoods). You can each occupy your niche. Likewise, I feel like we should incentivise the manufacturing of electric cars in Detroit. I know we are fighting globalization but there is a lot of strength in our history as well. I feel like drawing upon our local economic histories (why does this city even exist?) is the best inspiration for economic development initiatives going forward.
At the end of the day, milk production is the interplay among:
such that if you want to reduce culling, you'll have to reduce demand and/or increase land to accommodate unproductive animals, possibly in retirement communities out West. Thus, you can totally imagine a future where dairy products are more rare and expensive but still support the same or even greater number of livelihoods. I wonder if you can.
Be My Sweet Potato
It wouldn't be Boss Battle Week without a sweet potato dish! Basically, that's the only
thing making this recipe a challenge.
It's our fifth and final
showdown before
returning to normal-difficulty dishes for a stretch.
As observed earlier, this recipe is vegan
as written, which is awesome. The only swap I'd make is shallots for onion because you know me.
Because I don't need to improvise any, I feel poised for success. The more I examine this recipe,
the more excited I am to make it. Sarah extolls its nutritional benefits, and she ain't wrong.
Food should be both healthy and delicious, so we'll see how it tastes but at least you know
you are doing right by your body FTW.
Ingredients
- 1 medium Shallot, chopped
- 1 red Bell pepper, chopped
- 2 Sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 15-oz. can White beans, drained and rinsed
- 7.5 ounces Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1 + 1/2 cubes Vegetable bouillon
- 1 tsp. fresh Ginger, grated
To Serve
Preparation
Saute shallots in oil in a deep pan for about 5 minutes. Then add remaining ingredients,
reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with cilantro and red pepper flakes.
Discussion
**WARNING** I have not yet made this recipe and so I can't vouch for the results.
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Wyoming