Blaming Bill and Newt

I believe Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich deserve a good portion of the blame for our poisonous political environment. They accepted the economic advice, from both Republican economists and from Democratic economists, that multi-lateral trade agreements improved the economy of all trading partners. Bill and Newt then ushered NAFTA into existence.

But, both the Republican economists and the Democratic economists also advised that millions of workers would be damaged by NAFTA and that programs to retrain and/or relocate those workers were essential. Unfortunately, Bill and Newt only paid lip-service to that economic advice.

Those millions of Americans who were robbed of the America dream became understandably angry. (Read Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance.) They were the “forgotten Americans.” These millions wanted revenge and became Trump’s “base.” They wanted to break everything in Washington, and Trump is doing their bidding. The poison in our political body is the totally unnecessary anger from stupid globalization.

Thus, Bill and Newt paved the way for The Donald.