Testing the Midwestern assumption
Business Standard|November 02, 2024
Every now and then, a moment comes when the assumptions underlying a nation's politics are completely overturned.
MIHIR S SHARMA

For India, this moment has come occasionally—most recently in 2014, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a majority for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), overturning a decades-long consensus that coalitions would always be necessary to rule in New Delhi.

This week, the United States (US) may face one of those moments. The battle between Vice-President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump is a test of the sole political principle of the administration led by Ms. Harris' boss, President Joe Biden. And that is that the key to the White House is framing policies for the white working class in the American Midwest.

For more than two decades, American politics has revolved around the states of the Midwest. In the 2004 election between John Kerry and George W. Bush, it was Ohio that was decisive. That state has now shifted completely into the red, Republican column. Since Hillary Clinton lost in 2016, the deciding Midwestern states have been the former Democratic bastions of Michigan and Wisconsin. Even if Ms. Harris wins these, she may still lose if she cannot bring home Pennsylvania—which has never technically been Midwestern but does share cultural and economic signifiers with that region.

This story is from the November 02, 2024 edition of Business Standard.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the November 02, 2024 edition of Business Standard.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM BUSINESS STANDARDView All
Business Standard

How AI is Disrupting the Literary World

This summer, Ayad Akhtar was struggling with the final scene of McNeal, his knotty and disorienting play about a Nobel Prize-winning author who uses artificial intelligence to write a novel.

time-read
4 mins  |
November 02, 2024
Business Standard

Dark store surge set to spur realty demand

Quick commerce (qcom) firms are poised to impact India's real estate landscape as they expand their dark store networks to meet the growing demand.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 02, 2024
The Bibek I knew
Business Standard

The Bibek I knew

It was the early 2000s when I was setting up an economics research practice.

time-read
4 mins  |
November 02, 2024
Business Standard

Saudi revives India investment plans amid shrinking mkt share

Move aimed at ensuring a major captive market for its crude oil, even as Indian refiners mull reducing the share of expensive Saudi grades sourced under term contracts

time-read
3 mins  |
November 02, 2024
Business Standard

Tech, threats, territories - navigating industry growth in the new world order

As I step into my role as president of Nasscom, I view the next five years as a critical period, shaped by the intersection of three forces: Technology, threats, and territories.

time-read
4 mins  |
November 02, 2024
STARS AND STYLE
Business Standard

STARS AND STYLE

The two biggest ever stars of Indian movies have followed contrasting styles as brands

time-read
4 mins  |
November 02, 2024
Business Standard

Overhaul of HVLDE norms on cards

Market regulator Sebi has proposed an overhaul to the framework governing high-value listed debt entities (HVLDEs) in a bid to reduce the compliance burden.

time-read
1 min  |
November 02, 2024
Sebi moots changes to ERP framework
Business Standard

Sebi moots changes to ERP framework

Revision to allow ERPs to rate unlisted securities

time-read
1 min  |
November 02, 2024
Business Standard

Testing the Midwestern assumption

Every now and then, a moment comes when the assumptions underlying a nation's politics are completely overturned.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 02, 2024
Business Standard

From alienation to acceptance

A third of the way into Matthew Rankin's Universal Language, one stops wanting to know the film's secret and begins swimming in its mystery instead.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 02, 2024