Three Thoughts: Election’s Over, Time to Bury the Rust Belt Zombie Again

 

Relief.  The election is over. 

Ohioans got a taste of what things used to be like when Ohio was an election swing state.  It’s fair to say that taste was over the top sour. 

That sensation of being a swing state brought back some old vocabulary that should have stayed in the past. 

One of the phrases brought back from near death was the term “Rust Belt.”  National media types are particularly fond of that tired label. 

“Rust Belt” is an economic shackle wrongly placed on our state.  

It’s undeserved.  Manufacturing is roaring back.  Ohio’s economic output surpassed $1 trillion GDP this year.  The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association reports over $42 billion in capital investment commitments.  Thus, Ohio’s economy has changed, but the terminology has not. 

MediaCloud.org charted the national media use of the term.  Their data shows a decline.  The last huge spike was in 2016 during the presidential election, when Ohio was still considered a swing state. 

Smaller spikes appeared again in 2020 and 2024 presidential election years.  The midterm elections were barely a blip.  Until now? 

Media Cloud unearthed the worst offenders in this year’s election cycle.  Fortune, CNN, and the New York Post were among the top ten users of the term during this year’s election.  

I expected to see Fox News.  Host Jesse Watters would have made my list as I cringe every time he uses the term. I texted his show one time.  It didn’t work.  He still uses it.  A ton. 

Now that the election’s over, it’s time to work on burying the term.  Again. 

First Thought: Rust Belt term won’t die on its own

Back in 2017 when an upbeat report on the economic resurgence potential of the “New American Heartland” was unveiled at the Cleveland City Club, author Joel Kotkin said it best:  "The future of the Heartland rests with the Heartland." 

The industrial Heartland's combination of manufacturing prowess, energy, and human capital is the right formula for revival of middle America.  It’s been working. 

We Ohioans have a good story to tell.  We need to tell it.  

No rust here.  

Another Thought: Ohioans get reacquainted with Senator Brown

Sherrod Brown is back as Ohio’s U.S. Senator.  He’s one person who truly hates the Rust Belt term and has a track record to prove it. 

"Ohio has buried the term 'Rust Belt.' It's time for our whole country to bury it."  That’s Senator Brown in 2022 as part of testimony at the Senate Banking Committee.  

Known for his constituent work, here’s hoping he focuses on telling the upside story of his constituents to bury the term once more.  This time for good. 

Third Thought: Opportunity to change the narrative with Governor Acton

The election elevated Amy Acton to Governor come January 11, 2027.  With her Mahoning Valley roots, one can predict her personal disdain for the term too.  Her family worked in those steel mills Bruce Springsteen sings about. 

Here’s hoping she’ll bring an all-Ohio focus on industrial development and challenge the Rust Belt label with real outcomes.  Ohio’s manufacturing success story needs to be a central part of the state’s identity. 

Yes, the election is over, but the Rust Belt zombie has risen again.  

Together, let’s bury it.

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This column is a regular column in The Columbus Dispatch.