I grew up in a rural community, began my career as an organizer in small towns, and now lead one of the largest efforts to rebuild pro-democracy, pro-worker civic capacity in rural America. So I can speak with some authority when I say that President Biden, somewhat surprisingly, has ushered in a new economic paradigm that can radically transform the lives of rural people and build a more politically and economically secure future for all Americans.
He calls his agenda āBidenomics,ā a term that will be hotly debated in the months ahead. But what does it mean? And whatās its significance for rural people?
In simplest terms, Bidenomics arguably is the most significant departure in 40 years from the āfree market revolutionā that rose to dominance in the 1980s ā a dramatic alteration to our countryās economic trajectory.
ā¦
The combination of executive and congressional action since Biden took office ā from the American Rescue Plan, to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to the CHIPS Act, Inflation Reduction Act and key executive action promoting competition and protecting workers ā presents greater potential for revitalizing rural communities than anything since the New Deal. These were huge steps in the right direction, and yet rural people are still struggling. The updated Rural Policy Action Report offers a continued roadmap for how to help rural communities, protect the environment and core freedoms, and renew shared prosperity across geographic divides.
As someone whoās done it Iāll tell you itās worth it. Sure, you get some real bumpkins out there. They can be rough but theyāre mostly friendly. Some of them are stupid, but thatās anywhere. Theyāre usually simpler for sure, and the pace is slower, and the rules are more lax, and that can be hard getting used to, but once youāre used to it, no traffic and your amazon packages are still on your doorstep waiting for you.
Just avoid tweaker towns, which is harder than it sounds.
Yeah, itās fine. If youāre white.
You donāt have a fucking clue dude