One of the most unfortunate aspects of our current politics is the way tribalism has obscured policy differences. As we head into the 2024 election, few–if any–voters will base their votes on the candidates’ different policy positions. That’s not a criticism of America’s voters. At the top of the ticket, our choice is between a senile megalomaniac whose sole “policy” (if it can be dignified by the term) is hatred of “the Other” and an opponent whose sanity and competence outweighs other considerations.
This won’t be a Presidential election where thoughtful policy differences drive votes, and that’s frustrating for those of us who are policy nerds.
The situation is somewhat different at the state level, however. America’s states have settled into Red/Blue tribal divisions that may or may not hold. For those of us who follow policy preferences and their outcomes, those Red and Blue states provide a rather striking natural experiment, and Blue state policies have emerged as clearly superior.
For example, The American Prospect recently ran an article comparing Oklahoma–a very Red state–with Blue Connecticut.
In Oklahoma, nearly a quarter of children live in food-insecure households, one of the highest rates in the country. The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT, its annual compilation of child well-being data, ranked Oklahoma 46th in the nation overall—as well as 49th in education and 45th in health.
Yet Oklahoma’s Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt rejected the roughly $48 million of funding for the 2024 Summer EBT program and announced in August the state would also not participate in the program next summer. Oklahoma was one of 13 Republican-led states that declined this year’s summer grocery benefit. “Oklahomans don’t look to the government for answers, we look to our communities,” a spokesperson for the governor said in a statement regarding the decision to decline the funding, which they referred to as a “handout.”
Halfway across the country, KIDS COUNT ranked Connecticut 8th overall, 3rd in education, and 11th in health. But the state, which also participated in Summer EBT this year, faces a hunger problem as well—more than 15 percent of children live in food-insecure households. In fact, Connecticut was one of the first states in the country to pilot its own program in 2011.
Research shows that, as political parties nationalized, state governments followed the governing party’s ideology. Differences in outcomes followed.
State government, after all, plunges into the day-to-day minutiae of our lives through decisions about health, education, social services, criminal justice, and more. For example, families in some states get money to keep their kids fed during the summer; in other states, they don’t.
The lengthy article illustrates the multiple ways in which these ideologically-driven policy differences affect both individual citizens and economic performance in the state. It’s well worth a read.
Another article–this one from the American Prospect—focuses on educational vouchers, a policy choice I frequently discuss. The article warns that Red state expansion of universal school vouchers is likely to have profound impact on the lives of young people.
As states race to pay for families to send their kids to private schools, blowing up state budgets in the process, the schools attended by the vast majority of kids will be left with far fewer resources, blunting their prospects. By design, funds are being shifted away from students in poor and rural areas and into the pockets of affluent parents, entrenching inequality in the process.
Among the other detriments of these programs is an almost-total lack of oversight. In Arizona, for example, parents are allowed to direct education funds, not just to the school of their choice, but to anything they might call “education.”
As Arizona’s superintendent of public instruction Tom Horne, a loud proponent of vouchers, admitted in an interview, the state’s emphatically hands-off approach means that there’s nothing to prevent parents from using public dollars to teach their kids that the Earth is flat. Indeed, state law prohibits any kind of public oversight over the burgeoning nonpublic sector of private schools, homeschooling, and microschools, which are for-profit ventures in which small groups of students learn online while being monitored by a guide.
If, as economists insist, economic development depends upon the existence of a well-educated workforce, vouchers don’t just shortchange the children in sub-par private schools. They eventually impoverish the state.
Policies matter.
Thanks Sheila . I wish this info was more widely available – Like on TV
Thanks Sheila . I wish this info was more widely available – Like on TV
Republicans have just three policy statements.
1. Cheat at elections and business.
2. Lie about everything seen as unfavorable to them.
3. Create hate and distrust among the citizens.
Yeah. Go Big Red. Disgusting.
It is easy to see the horrific policies of Red State leaders. What is much more challenging to hear voters concerns and help them see Why they should vote at all and to vote for positive change. Fears of change is one important factor. Dealing positively and helping people see the win-win of voting for what we want is challenging- racism sexism classism and nativism- aren’t countered well by many, if not most Dems- try reading and learning- it takes serious efforts- Vance may be scarrior than DT
Tulsa, Oklahoma, is offering $10K to remote workers to live and work there. Because of homelessness and low wages, people won’t go there willingly, so the city is bribing workers. The other complaint is educators are paid low wages and don’t want to be there, but the cost of living is lower than anywhere else in the US.
Sound familiar?
The simple laws of the market say that the Red States, outside the two major exceptions, have a low cost of living for a reason. US citizens don’t want to live there. Most of those states experience brain drain where the young, educated folk are moving to more progressive states.
I like the concept of “micro-schools” if they are tech-based and guided by a guide. However, many have just expanded home schools for parents “not wanting their child indoctrinated.” Looney tunes generally raise more looney tunes.
As for our upcoming vote in Indiana, I have been touring the Hoosier state in my late-season cycle riding. I don’t ride on interstates and rarely ride on highways. Unlike the past two presidential election cycles, I’ve noticed Harris/Walz signs in rural Indiana. There are Trump flags, but many more Harris/Walz and McCormick (Democrats) signs than I’ve ever seen in rural Indiana. Rarely do you see Democratic Party signs in farm country, but I saw plenty this weekend.
It should be interesting to see how that equates to votes in our Hoosier state over the next couple of weeks.
For far too long, Republicans have promoted privatization of inherently public jobs, telling the people that the private sector is more efficient and effective than the government. What usually happens is the private contractors make decisions about what services they deem essential. They hire people at the lowest wage possible with fewer benefits. So to this point, the costs will only be 2 – 3 percent higher, then they need to make a profit, so add that in. Why, you may ask, does cheaper labor and fewer services lead to higher cost? Executive salaries are the answer. Federal executives are limited to whatever salary is given to the Congress, before leadership bonuses, per diems, and other perks. Can you imagine a private sector CEO working for a measly. $175,000 per year?
Lower the deficit by bringing public sector jobs back to the public sector! That includes education!
Todd, I hope that your report of the H/W signs translates into something palpable at the voting booths.
tfg never had policies, just lies and vitriol, gives not a damn for anything but himself.
The hypocrisy of the republicans is disgusting. They claim to be pro-life, ferociously “protecting” the unborn, yet have no qualms with actual living, breathing children going hungry.
Meanwhile, Todd’s observations regarding his rides through the rural areas are encouraging. I almost feel like I can breathe a little.
Superb, as usual, Sheila, but how sad this analysis is. I’m posting your words, and those you quote, every word, on my Facebook page… and in every venue I can find. So many in this country have no idea what their elected and appointed officials are doing that do not serve their constituents and thus do not ‘appreciate’ the consequences.
When one person puts up a Harris/Walz sign in a rural area, it makes it less intimidating for another to do the same. We rural liberals have been too timid about expressing our politics. I hope that is changing.
As part of the political science exercise called campaigning, political parties begin with determining what is currently vexing the electorate.
Democrats add another caveat to that mix: what are the actual policy prescriptions for natural root causes? Republicans wander into mythology. What can they make up in words that seem related somehow to relevant issues?
Considering the current red positions, some people see southern border crossings as a concept that can be reinforced with scary words, in other words, built up as a myth. It is a small problem that is tough to solve within our guardrail laws because the laws need updating. But Trump, in his political infancy, already sold another solution: build an unaffordable, ineffective fence.
A second example is inflation, a naturally occurring business cycle in which, when conditions are right, businesses can scratch a constant itch to raise prices that workers have to pay for everyday goods. This creates problems for workers, consumers, taxpayers, and families that will have to be solved over time, but it will increase corporations’ holy grail of more profit.
These two myths are now part of our national liturgy.
Meanwhile, Democrats work on the Republican-created real issue for freedom lovers, which is legislating the freedom of women to self-manage their health care.
Also, the global issue of human-caused changes in our weather, sea level, and everything related to those fundamental issues caused by the leftovers from burning fossil fuels that we air-fill (think landfill).
Reality versus mythology is impossible to prosecute publically.
A related question is whether any policies that do get discussed are real or imaginary.
Instead of publicly acknowledging their own excruciatingly unpopular Project 2025 policy programme, the right-wing strategy is to goad their followers into outrage by inventing imaginary “liberal” policies to hate. Latest example: as recently reported by OpenSecrets, Elon Musk has funded the creation of an entirely fictional “liberal” policy website to provide a strawman target for right wing outrage-media. This really takes the “strawman” logical fallacy to new lows.
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2024/10/pro-trump-dark-money-network-tied-to-elon-musk-behind-fake-pro-harris-campaign-scheme
Policies do matter but I swear here in Indiana if I hear one more time “I’m a Republican, I’ve always been a Republican and I’m voting Republican” …and then our ballots have a ONE BOX does it all – all R or all D. I hate that.
I am concerned that McCormick needs to talk more about business “stuff” because unfortunately people don’t see teachers or educators as competent. In this national election I don’t think Biden’s policies have been given enough positive spin.