“Economists do not understand what people value and why,” reads a bold statement from American Compass, the conservative think tank working to re-write the ground rules of the American economy set by our corrupt elite.
The disconnect is revealed in the think tank’s new survey on Americans’ attitudes toward globalization. While economists still cling to their free market pieties, Americans of all backgrounds largely reject the failed experiment in globalization.
1/ @PIIE’s @AdamPosen has attributed concern for manufacturing to “the general fetish for keeping white males of low education outside the cities in the powerful positions.” @MichaelRStrain calls it “grievance-onomics.”
Here at @AmerCompass we figured we’d ask Americans… pic.twitter.com/L2RAHPYQVC
— Peter Ryan (@_PeterRyan) January 11, 2024
Globalization became Washington’s raison d’etre after the Cold War. With a benevolent United States as the world’s lone superpower, the possibilities were limitless. Free trade, free-flowing capital and open migration would usher in an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity. Or so we were told.
It turns out that globalization did not deliver what our elites promised — the rising tide failed to lift all boats. Sure, consumers now enjoy cheap flat-screen TVs from Walmart, but at what cost? America has never been more divided, unequal or pessimistic about the future. Meanwhile, we’ve empowered an enemy in China that seeks to re-write the rules of the system entirely. Only elites came away better off after they dismantled the Heartland. (RELATED: Federal Taxes, Spending And Deficit All Up From First Quarter Of FY2023 To FY2024)
Twenty years ago, one could forgive the embrace of globalization as mere liberal naivety. But as theory crystallized into dogma, and dissent became unspeakable, the push towards ever-expanding globalization was revealed to be nothing more than one big, coordinated lie. Globalization is inevitable, they continue to tell us; nothing can wind back the clock of “progress.” If you’ve got a problem, it’s only because you’re a racist. Thankfully, American Compass has now shown that the American people see through this charade.
Americans have largely negative views of globalization and China — but not for the reason you might think. More Americans believed they “personally benefited” from globalization than suffered, by a margin of 41 to 28 percent. At the same time, an even wider margin — 47 to 33 percent — believed that the nation as a whole suffered rather than benefited. This held across classes, regions and even political parties. However, the “upper class” and residents of “coastal cities” admitted they felt globalization benefited them personally more than everyone else.
While economists go around grumbling about populism and grievance, the typical American evinces a better understanding of manufacturing’s role in a dynamic economy than… the typical economist. Check out the full survey: https://t.co/JXElHK3Tno
— Oren Cass (@oren_cass) January 11, 2024
Half of the 1000 respondents were asked about “the embrace of globalization,” while the other half were asked the same questions regarding “China,” specifically. Interestingly, Americans across all demographics viewed globalization as a general phenomenon much more negatively than they viewed China. In fact, Americans were more likely to say they benefited from China and suffered from globalization.
So much for all of that “anti-Asian hate” Democrats keep warning us about.
Using the Liberal logic of the self-maximizing individualist, one might think that the majority would then side with the tenets of globalization given that it personally benefits them. Liberal economists have long assured us that efficiency is the number one priority of an economy; why should we make our own goods if we can get it cheaper elsewhere? However, Americans rejected this dogma by a massive 10 to 1 margin. (RELATED: Biggest Bank In US Records Most Profitable Year Ever Despite Sector Crisis)
Favorite survey result in a long while and frankly not what I expected. Not only do Americans agree 10 to 1 that we need a stronger manufacturing sector, but also their top reason is “importance to a healthy, growing, innovative economy,” ahead of good jobs and national security! pic.twitter.com/EbkoaUDFz8
— Oren Cass (@oren_cass) January 11, 2024
Asked about their views on manufacturing, 42 percent of Americans agreed it is “important to a healthy, growing, innovative economy.” Another 25 percent said “manufacturing jobs are good jobs that support communities” while 16 percent said “manufacturing is important for our national security.”
That’s a solid 83 percent of Americans who reject the idea that hollowing out the Heartland and shipping jobs overseas had no cost to the overall economy. Even though they believe they benefited in some ways, Americans care more about the nation as a whole thriving. But it’s the flip side of this question that’s really damning.
Only three percent said production should take place “where it can be done at the lowest cost.” Another three percent said “manufacturing is fine, but our policies aren’t going to bring it back,” while only two percent said “manufacturing was the old economy, we need new-economy jobs.”
Americans overwhelmingly reject the idea that globalization is inevitable. You don’t need a “magic wand” to bring back manufacturing, as former President Barack Obama infamously said. No, all you need is the political will. Such a will is there among the people; it’s only our leaders who need to catch up.
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Americans want to see a revival. When asked their preferred focus for policy makers, 70 percent said “helping struggling areas recover” compared to 30 percent who said “helping move to opportunity.”
Simply “learning to code” is not a viable solution to the costs of globalization. Neither is a universal basic income, or any other welfare scheme to placate the masses without giving anyone a reason to wake up in the morning. We need durable, rooted communities which can only exist when people find dignity and meaning in their daily lives. That means work that doesn’t treat them like interchangeable cogs.
As American Compass points out, “place matters.” It’s not just what we consume. It’s how and why we make what we do.
National Conservative And Individualist Agree Globalization Is A Bad Idea
Together, this is a death blow to the Liberal worldview underpinning globalization. Americans do not only reject the lies they’ve been sold the last three decades. Of course, globalization is a choice, not destiny, and pointing that out doesn’t make you a racist. But it’s more than that. Americans now reject the entire premise of the Liberal economic project: that individual is the most important thing and that his well-being can only be measured in terms of how much cheap crap he consumes.
Some things — history, place, identity — are more important. The Liberal zealot, the corporate executive, the hedge fund manager — all discount this at their own peril. A nationalist reckoning is coming, and it’s only a matter of time.