Republicans voted to kill ‘woke'—only to hurt their own communities

This is an occasional roundup of people who voted for Donald Trump and are shocked to find out no one is immune from the damage and pain he causes. Many are now grappling with the consequences of ...

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This is an occasional roundup of people who voted for Donald Trump and are shocked to find out no one is immune from the damage and pain he causes. Many are now grappling with the consequences of their choice as it affects them and their loved ones—and possibly regretting their vote.

There are few places more Republican than Idaho, a state that gave Donald Trump 67% of the vote in the 2024 presidential election. His opponent, then-Vice President Kamala Harris, couldn’t even muster one-third of the vote, languishing back at 30%. 

A rational person would look at that vote and say: Congrats, Gem Staters. You got what you voted for—you should be so happy! But Pocatello, Idaho, sure isn’t acting it. 

The Biden administration awarded this city an EPA grant of $16 million from a program that helps “disadvantaged communities tackle environmental and climate justice challenges.” And the town was going to use that money for all sorts of good stuff, according to the Idaho Statesman

The Proud to be Pocatello banner, which also serves as the municipal flag, was selected as the worst out of 150 municipal flags nationwide surveyed by flag fanciers at the North American Vexillological Association.

“In Pocatello, that would have meant creating sewer infrastructure for newly annexed parts of the city’s South 5th Avenue corridor near the Foothills, helping to increase drinking-water quality and access to fire hydrants,” the paper reported.

But Trump’s EPA cancelled the grant on May 2, saying it was “no longer consistent with EPA funding priorities.” You see, the program was for “disadvantaged communities” dealing with “environmental and climate justice challenges.” In other words, it was WOKE. 

Never mind that Pocatello is 86% white. 

“The grant would have helped to address concerns that ‘are truly material, that just help everybody. And now, I don’t know what we’re going to do,’” one of the city’s council members told the Idaho Statesman.

It absolutely would’ve helped the city, but hey, Idaho decided that keeping a handful of trans girls from playing sports was so much more important. And Idahoans really don’t like California, so maybe we should be grateful that the blue state (along with Washington, Massachusetts, and New Jersey) no longer has to subsidize their quality-of-life improvements. 

So what are they going to do now? One option: raise their own taxes. The right-wing Tax Foundation ranks Idaho the 11th lowest-tax state. Gem State residents can keep voting to keep their tax burden low and Republicans in power in Boise and Washington, or they can vote for safe drinking water and functional fire hydrants. 

This is also a reminder that former President Joe Biden funneled tens of billions in federal dollars to exactly these kinds of places in the hope that conservatives would reward Democrats with their votes. Indeed, most of his infrastructure spending went to rural and red areas, to the detriment of states, cities, and regions that have been reliably Democratic. 

“Most (51%) of the investments directly tied to incentives from the IRA and the CHIPS Act are flowing to Republican states, compared with 20% to blue states, according to a Fitch Ratings analysis shared exclusively with CNN,” the network reported. “Fitch defined red states as those that voted for former President Donald Trump in 2020 by more than three percentage points.”

Related | It’s fascinating to watch Trump supporters realize they screwed up

This has to end. The next time Democrats are in power, they need to more intentionally reward those regions that vote blue, to give them a tangible reason to keep voting for them. What good does it do Detroit voters if the Democrats they help elect end up focusing federal assistance and development elsewhere? 

“About 50% of the jobs announced from the investments linked to the IRA and the CHIPS Act are expected to be in red states, compared with 17% for blue, according to the Fitch analysis shared with CNN,” the report further noted. “Another 33% are expected to be located in swing states.”

Is it any wonder that Democratic performance dropped between 2020 and 2024? Politicians have to reward their supporters, not piss away precious resources on ungrateful assholes who aren’t just voting for the other guy, but are proudly parading their “FJB” and “Let’s Go Brandon” signs, spreading conspiracies about “the Biden crime family,” and propagating their bigotry and hatred. 

That infrastructure investment money should’ve been spent in South Philly and the Chicago’s South Side and Los Angeles and yes, certainly in swing states too. But you give people a reason to vote for you by delivering for them and creating a direct benefit for their support. It’s what politics used to be. 

And if Idaho wants some of that infrastructure money, along with the clean water and upgraded fire-fighting resources it can deliver, then they can get their piece of the pie by voting Democratic. 

Or they can stew in their dilapidated town with crumbling infrastructure, standing tall in the knowledge that at some college on the other side of the country, a trans swimmer won’t be able to compete. 

Priorities, you know? 

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