What Is Janesville, Wisconsin, Without General Motors?

Vice President Mike Pence ended his sixth week in the White House last month by following House Speaker Paul Ryan to the small city in southern Wisconsin that is the speaker’s hometown. When Pence arrived mid-morning in Janesville, Wisconsin, he met with a few local farmers and business owners. Before he left mid-afternoon, he got lunch at an Irish pub with photos of Ryan’s ancestors on the wall.

And in between, he delivered a speech at the headquarters of Blain’s Farm & Fleet, a regional discount retailer that has been in the same family since the 1950s. Speaking before 350 of the company’s employees, Pence extolled them as “the backbone of our economy, of our country” and said that “Janesville has almost taken on an epic quality in America because what works in Janesville will work for the American people.”

In that speech, however, Pence omitted some significant facts. He did not mention that