Realignment in middle America: not left or right but local

Realignment in middle America: not left or right but local

Is anyone listening to middle America? (Getty Images)On a recent evening in Monrovia, Indiana, a crowd packed into the local coffee shop angry about a proposed data center. Before the meeting started I chatted with Mikey, whose family had lived in the area for generations. He told me he doesn’t like being involved in politics, but the coming data center is just “too much.” The multi-generational crowd spanned the political spectrum. Raucous and …

Middle America needs to go not left or right, but local - The Iola Register

What we’ve found is not a deeply polarized electorate locked into red and blue camps, but communities where civic life has been hollowed out. The organizations that once made it possible for ordinary people to shape decisions are gone. City and county meetings are empty. On a recent evening in Monrovia, Indiana, a crowd packed into the local coffee shop angry about a proposed data center. Before the meeting started I chatted with Mikey, whose fa…