Squalid economically blighted eastern cities were caused by the systematic off shoring of heavy industry. This is the root cause of the problem and it was the globalist right wing Establishment, not the Democrats, that caused the original social problem with these once very economically viable cities. The Democrats were just the secondary infection.
Definitely some truth to this. Idle hands really are the Devils workshop.
I remember it all too well. The bright idea was to off shore all the heavy industry located at Sparrow Point Baltimore and replace it with restaurants, trendy retail and “revitalized” inner harbor. They even got the National Aquarium moved there from DC. I was a kid at the time and knew instinctively you can’t replace heavy industry with a tourist trap and some pretty shops smelling like potpourri.