I visited Rapid City, South Dakota, Mt. Rushmore, and motorcycle-Mecca town, Sturgis, this past summer.  Great tourist attractions, all of them, where the vibe is agriculture, cattle, laid-back, cordial, and visitor-welcoming. A Massachusetts liberal can detect differences in their politics. Perusing the gift shops, I couldn’t find a single trinket or tea shirt without a hearty MAGA message.

You may think our nation has a two-party system, but there was

no evidence of that in Sturgis. The (former) President was joyfully running unopposed.

South Dakotans may be politically wrongheaded, but they were dead on about the election outcome. I got the feeling that they were voting less for a candidate and more for how they fit into the nation.

Agriculture, military, and energy production keep their lights on.  But it’s no secret that these jobs will never get them on the Forbes 400 billionaire list. As for status and celebrity, Hollywood entertainers and silicone inventor jobs would get them more ink in People Magazine.

It is easy to understand why deplorable Middle Americans feel the coastal college boys sniff and look down on them. If you feel the system is rigged against you and your kids because of where you were born, would you vote for the change candidate?

Feeding America, defending it, and providing energy counts for something.

The problem is not them; it is us.

We Massachusetts guys say we never look down on anyone. But there’s a gap separating us from  “Fly Over Americans.”  Anyone can see they don’t get our share of the economic pie,  but should they lose jobs to illegal aliens or trade treaties?

We coastal Americans drink too much Diversity, Equity Inclusion Cool Aid. But when we say “diversity” we don’t include farmers, minors, and military folk.

I didn’t vote deplorable, but as an American, I’m pleased we have a democracy where differing voices are counted, even if

uncomfortable change follows.

Back in 1775, the revolutionary Rubes in my town of Cambridge started agitating for political change. The established loyalists couldn’t stomach the rabble instigators; and promptly decamped for Nova Scotia…a big mistake.