While the media and other leftist elites ignore the millions of folks living in “flyover” states, they do so at their own peril; it was this silent majority that put President Trump in the White House. Each week, Liberty Nation gives voice to the hard-working heartlanders, who are silent no more.
Taking the pulse of the political issues of the day could be conducted by Rasmussen Reports, Gallup Poll, Five Thirty-Eight, or RealClearPolitics by phoning a few voters and asking one or two loaded questions – garnering similar answers with a tiny point margin. Or, one could fill the tank with fossil fuel, pack an overnight bag, spends scads of pocket money on salty snacks, and hit the backroads.
If you are searching for what folks living in flyover states think, option two nets the best raw data. Rural Americans are much more willing to chat up a random stranger for a few minutes than to answer a phone call from an unidentified number.
With a balmy weather forecast and a sweet smell of blossoms in the air, it was time to check in with the rural people in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio – states that helped Trump coast to victory in 2016.
Twenty-six months after Trump was sworn into office, supporters haven’t wavered.
Parkersburg, West Virginia
The economy of Parkersburg, West Virginia is supported by mining, quarrying, oil and gas extraction sprinkled with a robust healthcare and ancillary retail businesses. It’s a bustling town of 31,000 people who are heavily conservative – a veritable utopian environment for Trump supporters.
On a rainy night at The Omelet Shoppe, a tiny diner off Interstate 95, the packed to capacity crowd were discussing the latest slime oozing west from the Swamp: Slavery reparations. Between head-scratching, outright belly laughs, and a few grumbling jeers, diners readily offered their two cents and a bag of chips on the subject.
Ben Braden, 46, in town for a business meeting, channeled is inner Bruce Wayne and received a round of applause for his take on the most recent ridiculous notion from the left:
“Riddle me this, Democrats – how on God’s green earth are you numb-nuts gonna figure out which black person in America is a slave descendent and for that matter, which white person is a descendent of a slave owner? Are we just going to tax all white citizens and give to all black people? Does it matter if millions of white and black people living in America today immigrated AFTER the Civil War? What a racket.”
Bettina Martinez, a local nurse, joked, “Okay, I’m a pasty white Latina. Am I going to caught up in this nonsense?” But was silenced by the waitress who added, “Don’t make me call you out as a racist.”
It appears the general consensus in Parkersburg is that yammering about reparations is just a publicity stunt to entice a base of voters that are making noises and leaving the Democratic Party.
Washington County, Pennsylvania
Kirstjen Nielsen
The county that brought America Pony League Baseball – with 4,000 teams and 500,000 players nationwide – the nation’s first crematorium, and the Whiskey Rebellion, this Pennsylvania county is still relishing their revolutionary roots.
A convenience store with a small coffee shop, gas pumps, and gift shop had their big screen tuned to Fox News, prompting complete strangers to talk back to the idiot box and discuss the latest topics in politics – namely, the whacking of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen.
A youngish over the rode truck driver, Mike Westmore, shook his head and asked rhetorically: “Ha. Could it be that our southern border is in complete chaos?”
When pressed for details, Westmore confided his sister and her husband lived in Santa Teres, New Mexico on their outright owned property butting up against the border near Chihuahua:
“They spend their days defending their land from illegal immigrants who have been given the green light by the Democrats. These people aren’t families seeking asylum. They are smuggling children, young people for sex trafficking and drugs. They are overrun and under siege and Trump has to fight tooth and nail to try and help them.”
The other customers nodded in affirmation or said “Amen, brother.” They agreed it was time for the citizens of this country to take their government back. Descendants of the Whiskey Rebellion making their ancestors proud.
Ilhan Omar
Clark County, Ohio
In 1902, a country schoolmaster by the name of A.B. Graham formed a youth organization in Clark County, Ohio to foster innovative approaches to modern day life. You may have heard tell of the 4-H Club? Graham’s clubs included white, black, and migrant Hispanic children, and his ideas of teaching girls the traditional male jobs, and, conversely, boys how to cook, is legendary. Today, Graham’s 4-H Clubs are 6 million members strong — with 25 million alumni, 90,000 clubs in the United States, and 600,000 youth and adult volunteers.
The rural lifestyle and agricultural interests are revered. At a map dot of an unincorporated township, a small diner was in the midst of hustling through the dinner hour, slinging sandwiches and fries, coffee, and pie to the locals gathered at the counter. The subject being bandied about was the lack of respect, of decorum, by the 116th Congress. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) was on the hot seat.
Refilling the cups of steaming black joe, the waitress was offering her opinion without prompts:
“There is no place in our government for people whose alliances are with terrorists. That woman referred to the one of blackest days in American history as “some people did something” and glossed over the loss of innocent American lives. How is this person allowed to be in our government and saying such hateful things?”
“She’s going to try and destroy our way of life,” came the response from a weathered old man wearing a John Deere hat. Comments ranged from the “ignorance” demonstrated from Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to the cover-up of their actions by Democratic leaders.
“The Dems are hiding a smoking gun. And we are about ready to witness the reveal,” said Dan, a fourth-generation farmer, “I can’t wait.”
The waitress continued on her rant: “Someone needs to teach these disgraceful punks the Pledge of Allegiance.”
But perhaps we start by channeling A.B. Graham, who penned this for his club kids to recite at each meeting: “I PLEDGE My head to clearer thinking, My heart to greater loyalty, My hands to larger service, My health to better living, For my club, my community my county, and my world.”
Congress would do well to memorize and repeat.
