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Elizabeth Catte’s main point in this article is that Appalachia shouldn’t be seen as a liability to the left due to the stereotypical belief that that there’s not a diverse set of individuals with differing political beliefs. The stereotype that Appalachia is devoid of political as well as individual complexity is wrong. It is also pointed out that in order to fully comprehend the internal political structure of Appalachia, one must look to the past history of the region. One said history is understood, only then can new reason and progress be formed to gain new freedoms in the sense that politics aren’t set as one vs the other, rather as each side encompassing not altogether different beliefs that can coincide with one another in order to break the divided political cycle. This these can be found in the quote “Appalachia should not be seen as a liability to the left, a place that time and progress forgot. The past itself is not a negative asset. The hierarchies and systems of power here feel old because they are, but this legacy also means there are many who are well practiced in the art of survival and resistance. Our present can be reckoned with, and a different future emerge, but the way forward for the left, in my world, is through the past”(Catte 1)

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Catte is getting the reader to understand that Appalachia has a complex political background. The typical standards that we abide by in politics doesn’t work here. She states “We remain attached, after all, to narratives that have worked very hard to simplify and neatly divide the state of the union: blue cities, red rural areas, a few swing suburbs”(Catte 3). Catte’s article is centered around breaking in particular the idea of “red rural areas,” which is done through giving the accounts of individuals who actually live in said rural areas. These accounts get the reader to understand that as she has stated, Appalachia is politically complex.

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Throughout the article the idea that Appalachia consists of purely red, or right leaning beliefs is challenged. She does this through a multitude of ways, one being using the 2016 elections as a talking point. Due to the election and Trump being put into power many individuals beliefs have been skewed to think that Appalachia is made up of right leaning , racist, radicals, who have never thought outside of their political spectrum.

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These two individuals accounts and propositions are used to finally enter the details of the main point. This is when Catte begins her transition into the past. Ocasio-Cortez is mentioned in order to put forth the idea that for generations the people of Appalachia have been divided with the working class against the ruling class. This idea was accentuated through a past encounter of a coal miner strike where the question “which side are you on”(Catte 5), that was proposed by Florence Reece came into being. This saying was imprinted in history and used by workers as well as civil rights activists, and it begins to highlight the idea that not only have these struggles been longstanding but they are not unique to Appalachia. Individuals all over can resonate with these struggles, which may have not been thought of as existing in this “red” region. To further this idea Catte states “Would a candidate with Ocasio-Cortez’s platform fail in Appalachia? Perhaps. But people would find themselves animated to hear old questions in a new context, attached to new possibilities. In fact, some already have”(Catte 5). The struggles that individuals have endured in the past aren’t solely confided in Appalachia, individuals in many different regions have fought these battles against the ruling class, and the idea of striking deeply resonates with ideals held within the left. Once again proving in order to understand that Appalachia isn’t just a deposit for the rights ideals one must look to the past and decide for themselves how their beliefs interact with Appalachias.

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The misguided stereotype that Appalachia is a deposit for the rights ideals stems from the 2016 election. The way in which Trump campaigned did insight division amongst people, and his ideals resonated with and against people’s individual beliefs. Seeing as he was the one to win the election many people believed that all of Appalachia held his somewhat radicals views. This idea can be shown through the belief that Pelosi and Israel hold as common sense, which is, “Appalachia has become symbolic of the forces that gave us Trump. After all, his pandering to white racial anxiety did find purchase here. His fantasies to make America great again center on our dying coal industry. And the region’s conservative voters, who have been profiled endlessly, have been a reliable stand-in for all Trump voters, absorbing the outrage of progressive readers”(Catte 3). This common misconception that Appalachia is symbolic for Trump voters has lead to diminished democratic interest. There hasn’t been many individuals who challenge this idea, instead they focus on other regions and try the same old political jargon that doesn’t work. In turn this region and the full extent of its beliefs aren’t taken into account. This only perpetuates the already held stereotypes that Appalachia isn’t a place that would resonate with the lefts political beliefs.

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Catte gives a modern day example of the diversity that can be seen in Appalachia. It completely contradicts the argument that all people in the region share trumps views. She does this through giving the account of a man named Vic Smith. He was put into view for his participation in the fight for 15 movement, where fast food workers were fighting fo the right of $15 dollars, raising minimum wage. This ideal resonated with him due to the history of striking and low wage pay that his family faced as cow miners. More importantly he stated that “Ain’t no damn immigrant stole a coal job”(Catte 5). He then goes on to state, “I’ll tell you that right now. And really, even if they did, would you really be blaming the immigrants or the people that hired them? The only reason they would hire an immigrant over an American citizen is if it benefits their wallets”(Catte 5). This overrides the belief that all individuals share Trumps view of immigrants stealing American jobs, and he connects it with one of the sub points that Catte addresses. The real problem that can be identified with elsewhere other than just Appalachia is the battle of the working class against the ruling class, an ideal that the left accentuates.

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A repeated idea throughout the article is that to understand Appalachia we must understand the history. As Catte surmised, Appalachia is very diverse, and has a rich political history to match. Catte states, “To create solidarity in the present, to make change for the future, West Virginians needed to remember their radical past. To the extent that collective action requires a public narrative—a story that helps consolidate its moving parts and moral purpose…”(Catte 8). This is one of the main sub-topics that Catte explicates. The ideals held in Appalachia are not new, they have been there for centuries and the battles will continue to be fought for centuries to come. To simply categorize Appalachia as a region that’s purely conservative is ignorant, only one who understands the history can help to to move forward. The rich history of strikes and action against the ruling class is well known to Appalachians, they have come together time and time again to create change in the way they see fit , however outsiders overlook all of this history and come to their own conclusions.

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Many Individuals still hold the misconception that Appalachia is inherently red. They are not willing to look to the past and acknowledge the events that have occurred, instead they continue to practice the same things that haven’t worked in the past. This can be seen through Catte’s explanation of how Joe Manchinson political works impact the rest of the democratic parties view on West Virgina. Catte states “They predicted that Democrats’ only lifeline would be replicating his limp style of centrist politics. An Atlantic essay titled “What Joe Manchin Can Teach Democrats” touted Manchin’s utility as “a sounding board for, and bridge between, his party’s leadership and conservative, rural, white voters.” Later on she then states, “Manchin was better than no Democrat at all, they reasoned—the best West Virginia can do”(Catte 7). Those unwilling to acknowledge the past are doomed to make the same mistakes, just as Joe Manshinson’s view on how democratic politics should be run in West Virginia was incorrect. Once again in order to understand how to move forward we must look backwards, the same old policy won’t work if it has already not worked.

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Aaron Bady is a write and native of West Virginia, as such he is more informed about the previous politics of the area. He wrote about how the analysis that the Democratic Party conducted wasn’t the best, he states, “It’s because I am burdened with a handful of facts about West Virginia—and a memory that goes back more than two years—that this kind of analysis stands out as the garbage that it is”(Catte 8). The Democratic Party came to the conclusion that Manchinsons view of West Virginia was the correct one, however his view is governed by a lack of knowledge of the history which is crucial to understand. Also the idea that bosses cheat to win once again was highlighted through the fact that Manchinson cheated out his democratic rival by using underhanded tactics, instead of acknowledging where he was lacking in his political view and making change.

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Catte’s purpose in this article is to get the reader to understand the different views of Appalachia. Her article puts into view that it is most important to understand the history of the area in order to make progress. One can’t hope to understand the region solely based on the elections. This idea is explained through the quote, “The 2016 election still looms over us. But if all you know—or care to know—about Appalachia are election results, then you miss the potential for change”(Catte 10). Throughout the history of Appalachia many different movements have occurred, some that resonate with the left, and some that resonate with the right. But, only when both sides are heard and understood then change for the area can be made, this lies in a system that goes beyond the dichotomy of purely left and right or blue and red. For the left to see progress they have to look beyond what the elections say, it is necessary to delve into the history and see the accounts of the individuals who’ve inhabited the land in order to know how to represent them fully.