Following a short and disappointing presidential campaign, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s star is fading in the Democrat Party. But his sound bites that resurfaced during the race may leave a lasting impression with general election voters, and one in particular could haunt Democrats in states with large rural populations.
In 2016, Bloomberg said he could “teach anybody” to farm. “It’s a process. You dig a hole; you put a seed in; you put dirt on top; add water; up comes the corn. You can learn that.” He followed by saying jobs in other sectors like technology or finance require “a lot more gray matter.”
That kind of condescending attitude toward rural America may not be universal among the heavily Democratic urban elite, but it adds to the nation’s partisan divide.
It also illustrates city dweller’s fundamental lack of understanding of their rural neighbors and their values. Rural residents are too often dismissed as rubes who care little about the environment.
Read the full op-ed at Morning Consult.