Economically struggling Trump voters hopeful that Trump will not enact Republican policies
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Few things tell us more about contemporary American politics than the Frank Luntz focus groups where people just refuse to believe what Paul Ryan’s economic politics were:
Mosura said she has been unable to find full-time work in her field and is planning to change her party affiliation to Republican. But she also gets anxious when she hears GOP politicians talk about reducing government spending.
“We helped get you in office; please take care of us,” Mosura said,shifting the conversation as though she were speaking to Trump. “Please don’t cut the things that help the most vulnerable.”
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Federal benefits have helped keep residents afloat, and today that safety net is deeply interwoven with daily life. The 8.5-square-mile city includes 10 public housing projects. About 60 percent of the houses in the city are rental properties, and federal housing vouchers help countless families afford rent. Many residents also receive Medicaid and food stamps.
More than half of the Lawrence County Community Action Partnership’s $32 million budget comes from federal aid, said Scott, the organization’s leader. That helps it do things like shuttle low-income residents to medical appointments and offer rental assistance. Federal aid is also key in keeping New Castle’s children fed. About 90 percent of students come from low-income families and qualify for free school lunches, and many are sent home with food to eat over the weekend.
“It’s a very depressed area, so if our funding were to go away, and I have not heard it will, but if it were to go, we would be some in serious, serious trouble,” said Gregg Paladina, superintendent of the New Castle Area School District.
[…]
Lynne Ryan, chairwoman of the Lawrence County Republican Party, said Democrats lost the support of New Castle residents over their handing of illegal immigration and foreign aid.She said Trump was a skilled politician whom low-income voters found to be honest and relatable.
“Trump won’t cut necessary programs, and nowhere has he said he is cutting any of that,” Ryan said. “He is cutting bloated government. He is not cutting programs that work for the American people.”
City Administrator Chris Frye, a Republican and former mayor of New Castle, said he expects GOP leaders will push for some changes to how federal programs are administered. But Frye urged his party to show “empathy” when it comes to determining the actual benefits that people receive.
No need to worry — Republicans just want to cut the 90% of the federal budget that consists of waste, fraud and abuse!
The thing is that the House Republican majority is so narrow that Trump and his legislative allies may well find it impossible to enact the savage spending cuts they would prefer. Democrats would be rewarded for their united opposition by further erosion in their working class support. And at this point, I don’t even know if Republicans succeeding in gutting Medicaid and school lunches would turn things around — they’re nothing if not good at getting people to blame anyone else for economic decline.