# Straight Dope 3/24/2023: What was neoliberalism, is it dead, and was it really so bad? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [March 24, 2023, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-3-24-2023-what-was-neoliberalism-is-it-dead-and-was-it-really-so-bad/981595 "2023-03-24T16:09:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 11
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2023, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-3-24-2023-what-was-neoliberalism-is-it-dead-and-was-it-really-so-bad/981595/11 "2023-03-24T19:16:53Z")
> [@Cecil\_Adams](#): > > Chances are you’re now thinking: The consensus approach was neoliberalism? I’ve never _heard_ of neoliberalism. No I’m not. I have most certainly heard of neoliberalism. What I’m now thinking is “there are certainly things it can be blamed for, but why on earth are you blaming neoliberalism for Donald Trump?” oh, is this it? > [@Cecil\_Adams](#): > > Globalization was great for us college-educated swells who could buy cheap computers and jeans, but, for blue-collar folks whose jobs had been shipped out of the country, it sucked. And nobody in the political leadership of either party fully grasped that. They’d all signed up for neoliberalism with only the haziest notion of its implications. Meanwhile, in the wings was a guy with no distracting principles, a gift for telling people what they wanted to hear, and a bad combover. The rest you know. Trump was not elected only or even primarily by blue-collar folks whose jobs had been shipped out of the country. That’s a myth. Quite a lot of people who were financially comfortable, even rich, voted for Trump. Quite a lot of blue-collar and otherwise poor people voted for Clinton. > **[White and wealthy voters gave victory to Donald Trump, exit polls show](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/09/white-voters-victory-donald-trump-exit-polls)** > > Most white voters of both sexes and almost all ages and education levels backed the Republican > Broken down by income bracket, 52% of voters earning less than $50,000 a year – who make up 36% of the electorate – voted for Clinton, and 41% for Trump. > > But among the 64% of American voters who earn more than $50,000 a year, 49% chose Trump, and 47% Clinton. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-3-24-2023-what-was-neoliberalism-is-it-dead-and-was-it-really-so-bad/981595)._