(Alyssa Schukar | The New York Times) A small American flag hangs near the intersection where Sgt. Daniel Baker, an officer with the Dickson County Sheriff's Office, was murdered on May 30, 2018, in Tenn., on Oct. 30, 2018. “Rural resentment has become a central fact of American politics — in particular, a pillar of support for the rise of right-wing extremism,” writes New York Times columnist Paul Krugman.