Joe Cammarano: “The American experiment is still possible, but hanging by a thread”

In the wake of an American election that is historic for reasons too numerous to list, Providence College’s Joe Cammarano is reflecting on the state of his country. As an Associate Professor of Political Science with a Ph.D. from Rutgers University, he is accustomed to analyzing “the American experiment.” Just prior to voting day, we joined him to do the same.

“I think the American experiment is still possible, but it’s hanging by a thread. And not just because of the current president or the outcome of this election. For a while, we’ve been on a slide, not unlike the slide that other great nations have had to deal with. We just haven’t made the decision as to how we’re going to deal with it. And so we’re in a little bit of trouble in my view.”

This slide, according to Mr. Cammarano, is related to a loss of international status, as well as a growing and increasingly problematic divide between rural and urban Americans. He claims that this divide has been exploited and exacerbated by cynical political players, including Trump. He also observes that this rural/urban divide is in no way unique to the United States.

“We’re getting more and more urbanized in our wealth and as manufacturing goes away from rural areas, it naturally has to flow somewhere else because of labor costs. The imperative to make a profit means we go to China, even if we have to lay off a thousand people. This capitalist imperative is now coming back to haunt us by creating gross inequality.”

A political system that favours rural voters means that disenfranchised populations are ripe for opportunistic populists. In particular, Trump has mobilized tremendous support by micro-targeting disaffected groups “who feel they’ve been “sold out [by the Democratic Party] for the coastal elites”.

“What the Trump administration did was find ways to use marketing techniques that are cutting edge. They found ways to make very specific appeals or transactions. Like he would say, you have to vote for me because if you don’t, babies will be killed by abortionists — but he only said that to the people who go to church and who feel strongly about that.”