Rural economic struggles should not be fodder for partisan attacks

While perusing the news this morning, I came across an interesting story from The New York Times, President Donald Trump, a person who styles himself as a champion of rural communities, is advising residents of economically distressed areas of Upstate New York to leave the state. Surprisingly, President Trump is finding allies in Upstate New York Republicans who are using the President's comments as an excuse to attack Governor Andrew Cuomo's leadership in Albany.

This is incredibly dangerous. The economic struggles of rural spaces should not be fodder for partisan attacks. In a state like New York where urban interests dominate, it further serves to marginalize the voices of rural people. When local politicians are not acting as advocates but rather as partisan attack dogs, it represents a derelict of duty to their constituents. When politicians and leaders are telling residents to leave, it shows a recognition that they cannot and will not advocate to make their communities a better place. Rural New Yorkers are ill-served by this scheme.

It is also blindly partisan to insinuate that Governor Cuomo's administration does not care about the people of rural New York. The state has committed significant resources to ensuring that all New Yorkers have access to broadband, which represents the breaking down of a significant barrier to economic development. I have covered this initiative, as well as the importance of expanding broadband in this space.

How bad are economic conditions in rural New York? In a lot of ways, measurably worse than the rest of the state and even the country. For example, wage growth is stagnant and the median income falls well below the national average. The region is also already seeing a decline in population. Rural New Yorkers do not need to become a shuttlecock in partisan badminton, they need leaders who are dedicated to finding solutions to their problems. As the farmer in the New York Times article says, leaving is simply not realistic.

By weaponizing the economic maladies of rural New Yorkers and using it to attack Democrats in Albany, the President and his allies are disregarding the actual problems that they face. This is an area where there is no room for partisanship.