Hope and Change in an Alabama Coal Mine
“Yet prudent or not, Johnson’s reentry into coal mining reflects a Trump-sparked enthusiasm rippling through many small industrial towns. For voters like Johnson, the president’s friendly posture toward the industry is a promise from the campaign trail made good—much like his withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, for instance, and his nominations of conservative justices to the Supreme Court. It’s the kind of follow-through that enlivens a political base, encouraging voter turnout in midterm elections and beyond. Republicans may privately wince at Trump’s proposed interventions in the industry, but if they believe their mining constituencies should temper their optimism, they certainly aren’t saying as much.”