الريف مقابل المدينة: الفجوة المتزايدة التي تهدد الديمقراطية

Why do Americans living in different places view politics as a struggle between “us” and “them”? In their book “Rural Versus Urban”(https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691264387/rural-versus-urban),” Susan Mittler and Trevor Brown argue that political polarization is not limited to Republican and Democratic states, or to coastal elites alienating inland populations. Rather, polarization permeates every region and every state, and has become structured through a pernicious rural-urban divide. Mettler and Brown explain the evolution of this gap over five decades, establishing political trends in both regions. Drawing on data on individuals, communities, and members of Congress, as well as interviews with local party leaders and former elected officials, they show how this division arose and why it poses a threat to democracy. Until about thirty years ago, both political parties attracted the support of rural and urban voters. But as place-based inequality increased due to deregulation and trade liberalization, rural whites began to view urbanites and Democrats as wealthy elites disconnected from their needs. Politically active evangelical churches, anti-abortion organizations, and pro-gun groups have deepened the divide, encouraging many rural residents to become staunch supporters of the Republican Party. Today, one-party rule in rural America gives Republicans a systematic advantage in controlling vital political institutions, including the Senate, the House of Representatives, the presidency, and even the Supreme Court. This contributes to the empowerment of an extremist political party and pushes democracy to the brink of the abyss. Mettler and Brown believe that the rift can be healed, but only if Democrats build strong local organizations and offer citizens a real choice.