It might be more accurate to say that the democrats started taking the rust belt for granted. And it's hard to ignore the left's shift (in primary focus) from blue collar workers issues towards race and gender issues.
I cringed when my co-workers talked about “fly-over” country, but I was equally shocked when Hillary Clinton lost.
As much as I hate to say it, Trump getting elected (wrong person, but gets a point across) shows the system sort of works.
Edit: Just to be clear, I’m a liberal at the end of the day but anyone who thinks “their side” doesn’t have problems, I can’t really agree with.
That's not taking for granted like you are saying. That's coastal elites and intelligentsia looking at "fly over" working class with contempt. It's a mutual cultural divide equivalent to xenophobia.
>Just to be clear, I’m a liberal at the end of the day but anyone who thinks “their side” doesn’t have problems, I can’t really agree with.
Not a Trump supporter. I'm a "politically homeless" liberal as well.