America is increasingly becoming a melting pot of many cultures, religions and people from diverse and distant parts of the world.
In addition to a departure from a white majority country, mostly with roots in countries of Northern Europe, we are seeing, as in other parts of the world, the growth of urban areas.
We are seeing countries splitting into two with a disadvantaged, poorer, less educated rural population having to compete with a growing urban population that is paid more, is better educated, has better infrastructure and services.
Over half of Americans live in urban areas whilst many rural towns and communities struggle to survive.
For the first time in seven years, rural America’s population is growing.
The increase, only 0.08 per cent, is mainly in scenic rural areas and more densely populated rural areas that are within about an hour’s drive of a major city. Essentially, places where people still have access to urban amenities or can go hiking, biking, fishing or skiing. In many far flung remote communities, residents must deal with increasing groundwater pollution, an ageing population and a lack of services.
One benefit bestowed upon rural America is the fact that the Senate is made up of representatives based upon each state having the same number of seats regardless of population.
This results in places such as Wyoming where 600,000 people have the same representation as almost 40 million in California.
We may have a mostly urban population in the US, but it is largely rural when it comes to political representation. This results in the older, white rural Americans having a disproportionate advantage in the Senate.
Urban America has many highly educated people whilst Senate America represents a higher proportion of non-college people, and especially non-college whites. This fact demonstrates that some are more equal than others in the America of today in an era of deep partisan division. Donald Trump and his inner circle have worked this out and some would say he is selling white nationalism. He talks repeatedly about defending America against waves of people who are attempting to invade the US. He has introduced visa retractions banning tourist or business visas for nationals from mainly Middle East and African countries.
Urban areas have a much more diverse racial mix than rural areas where racial animosity and fear of immigration seems to be strongest. Places where there are few non-whites and hardly any immigrants – these are precisely the places that have a disproportionate role in choosing senators.
It would be right to conclude that what happened in the mid-term elections wasn’t just an accident.
It reflects a deep division in culture and values between urban Americans and the rural Americans who get to choose much of the Senate.
This has big implications because the Senate has a lot of power.
The President and his Senate friends will spend the next couple of years continuing to fill government positions with likeminded loyalists. We are presently in a growing crisis in the US political system.
Gordon is the former president and chief executive of BMMI. He can be reached at gordonboyle@hotmail.com.