Fri Jan 25, 2013, 08:37 AM

global1 (10,590 posts)

If The Dems Made A Concerted Effort To Appeal To Rural Voters What Would You Recommend They Do?....

I was reading a post this a.m. that garnered a lot of responses about "why Dems don't do well in rural areas". It made me wonder - what could Dems do to appeal to rural voters to get their vote?

This got me to thinking about the problem Repugs have with minority voters, women, LGBT's, etc - and the Repugs now are talking about re-branding and changing their message to appeal to these groups going forward.

My feelings on that is that the Repugs might on the surface re-brand and change their message - but when it's all said and done - all it would be is lip service and as soon as they would get elected - they would revert back to their old ways. That you couldn't believe them or trust them to have really changed.

I'm thinking now after reading the long post and thread about "why Dems don't do well in rural areas" that the same goes for Dems in those areas. The Dems might be able to change their message to rural folks to appeal to them - but bottom line - I'm wondering if the rural folks would trust or believe the message?

So my question is - is there something really tangible that the Dems could do in order to appeal to rural voters? What would that be? and - Would that be a worthy endeavor?

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378 replies	Author	Time	Post
If The Dems Made A Concerted Effort To Appeal To Rural Voters What Would You Recommend They Do?.... (Original post)	global1	Jan 2013	OP
Send them somewhere they can get a quality education?	mmonk	Jan 2013	#1
One can get a quality education in rural places. Yours is the kind of bias that hurts the party.	Scuba	Jan 2013	#3
Mine is the kind of bias that comes from getting screwed by them	mmonk	Jan 2013	#5
Who grows the food you eat? nt	tama	Jan 2013	#12
Thank you.	Scuba	Jan 2013	#19
Mexico. n/t	Ian David	Jan 2013	#29
That most important point has not been very much forgotten in these threads	tama	Jan 2013	#34
who SELLS the food we eat	Trajan	Jan 2013	#82
Some farm just for money	tama	Jan 2013	#155
Both good and bad people.	mmonk	Jan 2013	#142
OK	tama	Jan 2013	#156
tarring every rural voter with the broad brush won't help your war; you need allies & there are	HiPointDem	Jan 2013	#168
I don't cotton to death threats myself. That's a point I'm trying to make.	mmonk	Jan 2013	#299
Oh please	treestar	Jan 2013	#216
Then why are rural people in Minnesota,	murielm99	Jan 2013	#228
Then I'd say study that	treestar	Jan 2013	#243
Minnesota has a large union presence in rural areas	YoungDemCA	Jan 2013	#248
I live in a rural area in NC that always votes Democratic Party.	Jamastiene	Jan 2013	#263
MN has the particular history of the DFL to thank for that, but don't fool yourself.	JVS	Jan 2013	#370
???	tama	Jan 2013	#262
Who do you think?	procon	Jan 2013	#233
Exactly	tama	Jan 2013	#242
Urban school districts are the worse performing in RI while rural areas have excellent schools.	hack89	Jan 2013	#4
I guess they just don't teach the research and critical thinking skills..	ananda	Jan 2013	#16
Rural Rhode Island = oxymoron.	lumberjack_jeff	Jan 2013	#48
I take it you are not familiar with western RI	hack89	Jan 2013	#55
Rhode Island has 1000 residents per square mile!!	lumberjack_jeff	Jan 2013	#64
And you don't know RI	hack89	Jan 2013	#70
Rhode island has half the area of my county, much higher incomes, and 15 times as many people.	lumberjack_jeff	Jan 2013	#86
You = rather ignorant of RI	Capt. Obvious	Jan 2013	#77
With 1000 residents per square mile, there are no backwaters. n/t	lumberjack_jeff	Jan 2013	#80
You = ignorant of RI	Capt. Obvious	Jan 2013	#90
Did you learn math at a rural school?	hack89	Jan 2013	#102
Yes, I did. You apparently didn't.	lumberjack_jeff	Jan 2013	#126
King County has a average pop density of 908/sq mi	hack89	Jan 2013	#133
"Areas"? Perhaps an occasional 50 acre gated estate.	lumberjack_jeff	Jan 2013	#148
How about census tracts?	hack89	Jan 2013	#153
good hint	lumberjack_jeff	Jan 2013	#244
Wow, that is a cool site.	PotatoChip	Jan 2013	#276
Looks like my kinda place.	lumberjack_jeff	Jan 2013	#287
Well, I must admit that a common saying about this area	PotatoChip	Jan 2013	#303
I'm annoyed by people who extrapolate their own experience into whatever topic is current.	lumberjack_jeff	Jan 2013	#320
Yes, I know what you mean.	PotatoChip	Jan 2013	#321
One more thing...	PotatoChip	Jan 2013	#312
Highest ACT Scores in the country (in order)	Jeff In Milwaukee	Jan 2013	#49
My daughter goes to college in the Midwest with a bunch of farm kids.	hack89	Jan 2013	#56
I spent my first 7 years of education in a 1-room rural Wisconsin country school.	Jackpine Radical	Jan 2013	#57
Dat shud hep. Owteer inda stix	Jackpine Radical	Jan 2013	#52
I love language	tama	Jan 2013	#198
Thank you. n/t	Jamastiene	Jan 2013	#264
As a rural teacher,	LWolf	Jan 2013	#212
Give them a "DU" & then tighten rules about being polite & avoiding gratuitous insults.	patrice	Jan 2013	#2
Out in rural areas "DU" means Ducks Unlimited.	Eleanors38	Jan 2013	#336
He, he, they'd probably like that!, but maybe we should make that a Rural Underground instead.	patrice	Jan 2013	#348
How far down the thread before FDR's name was used in vain?...	Eleanors38	Jan 2013	#356
Not sure what you're referring to there, but I will try to check. & I was actually just thinking	patrice	Jan 2013	#357
FDR's alphabet agency approach was effective, but	Eleanors38	Jan 2013	#371
It's a big thread and I don't see that FDR reference; it would be okay	patrice	Jan 2013	#358
I wasn't dissing FDR, I was being sarcastic about hiw long the	Eleanors38	Jan 2013	#372
I didn't think you were. I thought you said you saw someone else do that. nt	patrice	Jan 2013	#375
No, no. Just bad conumijashun!	Eleanors38	Jan 2013	#378
Show some respect	loyalsister	Jan 2013	#6
There is a chicken/egg element	riqster	Jan 2013	#15
Whether it's availability or preference	loyalsister	Jan 2013	#18
True enough	riqster	Jan 2013	#46
Good points. In many places in Colorado there is no cell phone service or cable.	MissMarple	Jan 2013	#138
There is an issue of infrastructure being in place for the type of communications you refer to	Skidmore	Jan 2013	#179
Iowa was incredibly strong for the Union during the U.S. Civil War. One of its	coalition_unwilling	Jan 2013	#213
+1!	uponit7771	Jan 2013	#194
I lived in Alaska for a time.	Scootaloo	Jan 2013	#204
In mid-Missouri	loyalsister	Jan 2013	#260
She's not trying to be condescending at all.	xmas74	Jan 2013	#283
We won without them, though	treestar	Jan 2013	#217
You must think that rural people are interested only in guns and social conservatism if you say that	Lydia Leftcoast	Jan 2013	#229
make sure they have internet	2pooped2pop	Jan 2013	#7
This and it should be in 2013 a basic service like electricity	libtodeath	Jan 2013	#8
Shit - when you live rural	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#249
+1	gulliver	Jan 2013	#226
Seriously?	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#326
yep in some areas, all is still true.	2pooped2pop	Jan 2013	#364
they could get some tips from Oregon's Rural Organizing Project...	Bluenorthwest	Jan 2013	#9
That looks like a great resource.	HiPointDem	Jan 2013	#175
Emphasize values like freedom, liberty, equality. Hammer hard about how Repubs are screwing them.	LonePirate	Jan 2013	#10
'emphasize' Single Payer National Healthcare, $20 an hour Minimum Wage n/t	leftstreet	Jan 2013	#26
A $20/hr minimum would appeal to people who hire much low-skill low cost labor? nt	dmallind	Jan 2013	#137
Land reform	tama	Jan 2013	#11
Promise them what?	Lurker Deluxe	Jan 2013	#21
Land reform	tama	Jan 2013	#27
What?	Lurker Deluxe	Jan 2013	#40
As you say	tama	Jan 2013	#47
OK	Lurker Deluxe	Jan 2013	#88
We didn't	tama	Jan 2013	#112
Did you know that the U.S. imposed land reform on Japan and Taiwan after World War II?	Lydia Leftcoast	Jan 2013	#41
Now that you mention	tama	Jan 2013	#140
+1	HiPointDem	Jan 2013	#171
A sad and Forgotten Time	4Q2u2	Jan 2013	#201
Manual labor in the fields	tama	Jan 2013	#207
The Dem power structure is overwhelmingly urban and coastal, and too many of the Beltway types	Lydia Leftcoast	Jan 2013	#225
Urban and commungardens are becoming increasingly common. There is a whole movement promoting them.	MissMarple	Jan 2013	#139
Point out the facts	riqster	Jan 2013	#13
IOW ...	1StrongBlackMan	Jan 2013	#101
better access to health care	WI_DEM	Jan 2013	#14
Cooperatives exist that do that	reteachinwi	Jan 2013	#54
this is a great one.	Phillip McCleod	Jan 2013	#143
This is an excellent one	Warpy	Jan 2013	#265
Bank bailouts, "free trade" with Korea, mandatory insurance. Those would be my top priorities. nt	Romulox	Jan 2013	#17
Right-to-work, Chained CPI SS cuts, Jobless Recovery Program n/t	leftstreet	Jan 2013	#24
And if those ignorant racists don't like that, I don't know what to tell them?	Romulox	Jan 2013	#25
You need to show them, not just tell them.	geomon666	Jan 2013	#20
This.	theKed	Jan 2013	#235
What does it mean to choose to be rural in the 21st Century?	sadbear	Jan 2013	#22
Think	tama	Jan 2013	#30
Not robbing? What do you mean? nt	ZombieHorde	Jan 2013	#83
History of civilization	tama	Jan 2013	#94
Red states take more welfare than blue stats.	ZombieHorde	Jan 2013	#98
Yeah	tama	Jan 2013	#110
That is a very interesting question .....	oldhippie	Jan 2013	#35
I do believe it is a choice.	sadbear	Jan 2013	#45
My take.	lumberjack_jeff	Jan 2013	#97
I grew up in the country too.	OnionPatch	Jan 2013	#215
some of us city dwellers have been country all along	2pooped2pop	Jan 2013	#368
In that sense	tama	Jan 2013	#116
I choose to be rural because	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#322
Like I said, there are exceptions.	sadbear	Jan 2013	#323
I really do think	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#324
I don't understand how that explains the overwhelming number	sadbear	Jan 2013	#331
As someone pointed out in another post,	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#333
So most rural voters are so stupid that they think	sadbear	Jan 2013	#334
No we aren't stupid and Republicans don't make the disdain so obvious.	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#335
C'mon now, that's just silly.	sadbear	Jan 2013	#337
No, what you said is silly.	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#339
The answer is silly.	sadbear	Jan 2013	#340
It's a matter of perspective and opinion.	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#342
No, I'm suggesting that Democrats are ALWAYS better than republicans.	sadbear	Jan 2013	#343
And that is your opinion from your perspective.	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#349
Yes, other people have different perspective. They're called republicans.	sadbear	Jan 2013	#353
LOL...	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#362
"Republicans don't make the disdain so obvious." Home run.	Eleanors38	Jan 2013	#346
You live on an acre and a half	2pooped2pop	Jan 2013	#366
Stop making assuptions is the main thing.	Brickbat	Jan 2013	#23
Tell them the truth in a way they understand it.	butterflygirl	Jan 2013	#28
We do speak English...	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#325
Start kicking republicon asses up one side of the back forty and down the other	madokie	Jan 2013	#31
Send out activists to just LISTEN to rural people	Lydia Leftcoast	Jan 2013	#32
You can't have it both ways	Lurker Deluxe	Jan 2013	#43
Maybe they care about guns so much because their other needs are not being met	Lydia Leftcoast	Jan 2013	#44
It's not about needs, it's about culture	SpartanDem	Jan 2013	#59
One thing the Dems need to make clear is that no one is talking about hunting rifles.	Lydia Leftcoast	Jan 2013	#66
Making a semi-automatic rifle sound like a minigun isn't going to help	derby378	Jan 2013	#95
Saying you are not talking about hunting rifles is not enough	thetonka	Jan 2013	#100
And yet, almost all the school and other mass shootings have taken place in rural or suburban areas	Lydia Leftcoast	Jan 2013	#114
It's not that simple	thetonka	Jan 2013	#122
+1000	forthemiddle	Jan 2013	#202
Except variants of those have been used for hunting for decades	SpartanDem	Jan 2013	#106
There are companies that sell 30 round clips for the M1 Carbine	thetonka	Jan 2013	#123
I think he meant the Garand	gejohnston	Jan 2013	#149
The Beltway yuppies and Wall Street types are big reasons why so many rural people...	YoungDemCA	Jan 2013	#290
"Rural voters do not have a good choice in today's political world."	JVS	Jan 2013	#365
Could start by	regjoe	Jan 2013	#33
For starters, drop many gun-control proposals	derby378	Jan 2013	#36
There really are Two America's on this subject...	Jeff In Milwaukee	Jan 2013	#67
From what I've seen in the executive orders, they're fine	derby378	Jan 2013	#92
If I were Obama's principle political advisor...	Jeff In Milwaukee	Jan 2013	#108
I think you nailed it on the head	derby378	Jan 2013	#113
And as soon as you say "gun nut" you lose the vote and the attention	thetonka	Jan 2013	#124
As with the term "gun grabber"	Jeff In Milwaukee	Jan 2013	#150
Exactly, and the conversation quickly degrades and ends.	thetonka	Jan 2013	#374
devote resources to rural areas	dembotoz	Jan 2013	#37
Make 1894 Winchester standard on every pickup	One_Life_To_Give	Jan 2013	#38
Single-payer healthcare.	JVS	Jan 2013	#39
K&R!	patrice	Jan 2013	#72
Pocketbook issues...	Sekhmets Daughter	Jan 2013	#42
Bonus question for all you high information voters; What is the state motto of Wyoming?	lumberjack_jeff	Jan 2013	#50
Looked it up	reteachinwi	Jan 2013	#60
Does Wyoming offer civil marriage for GLBTQ citizens?	geek tragedy	Jan 2013	#73
Much like Rhode Island in this regard.	lumberjack_jeff	Jan 2013	#91
Rhode Island offers civil unions for same sex couples, explicitly	geek tragedy	Jan 2013	#93
I'd recommend they not.	Robb	Jan 2013	#51
How cynical is that? "Southern strategy" 2014.	lumberjack_jeff	Jan 2013	#71
"Rural" is not "the south."	Robb	Jan 2013	#99
Many rural districts are evenly divided.	reteachinwi	Jan 2013	#84
JOBS!	hedgehog	Jan 2013	#53
I think we should start with suburbs and small towns	LeftInTX	Jan 2013	#58
It is all about economics with rural voters	thevoiceofreason	Jan 2013	#61
My take on this...	logosoco	Jan 2013	#62
Guns are marketed as a wedge issue	reteachinwi	Jan 2013	#78
#1 Ask rural people themselves what they want & need. #2 Use the 50-state strategy.	Hekate	Jan 2013	#63
Free guns and bibles	jpak	Jan 2013	#65
Tom Harkin	reteachinwi	Jan 2013	#68
Run an old, white candidate who loves guns and hates abortion and teh gay.	geek tragedy	Jan 2013	#69
Posts like this are one of the biggest reasons Democrats lose rural America	YoungDemCA	Jan 2013	#291
Have you looked at who rural America sends to Congress?	geek tragedy	Jan 2013	#313
I lived in rural CA for a long time. One thing	upaloopa	Jan 2013	#74
Excellent points	Hekate	Jan 2013	#96
Yes, and above all, don't ridicule them	Lydia Leftcoast	Jan 2013	#117
"Those stupid, inbred hicks! How come they don't vote for us?"	YoungDemCA	Jan 2013	#292
First: build an infrastructure there	Capt. Obvious	Jan 2013	#75
Go Truman.	nyquil_man	Jan 2013	#76
tell them to wise up	quinnox	Jan 2013	#79
Passenger rail service. nt	patrice	Jan 2013	#81
I live in rural PA. The only thing that would work is change party. Rural would vote for a skunk	appleannie1	Jan 2013	#85
Yep	Cosmocat	Jan 2013	#104
As a Liberal and Progressive rural Voter I say give the people a clear choice	Lesmoderesstupides	Jan 2013	#87
Yes, if Democrats think they have to act like Republicans to get elected, they'll lose,	Lydia Leftcoast	Jan 2013	#115
It only takes one bad apple and sadly there are too many with D's after their name	Lesmoderesstupides	Jan 2013	#145
+1!	uponit7771	Jan 2013	#196
Get them turned onto alternative energy	rightsideout	Jan 2013	#89
For real. I've actually witnessed climate change changing rural voters.	raouldukelives	Jan 2013	#373
Promote a 21st century version of the TVA (from the 1930's)	DinahMoeHum	Jan 2013	#103
HIGH SPEED INTERNET	B Calm	Jan 2013	#105
Better cell coverage would probably be a bigger seller than fast internet	Xithras	Jan 2013	#169
The first thing this old truck driver	B Calm	Jan 2013	#173
Yes! Access to lots of diverse information.	OnionPatch	Jan 2013	#218
Massive reform in agricultural subsidies, or even better, free farmers to farm.	Egalitarian Thug	Jan 2013	#107
Reading this thread	Lurker Deluxe	Jan 2013	#109
Sure! There can be alt energy in rural areas. Part of my friend's solar array in Roanoke VA	rightsideout	Jan 2013	#129
Guess that is a definition	Lurker Deluxe	Jan 2013	#134
To be frank	tama	Jan 2013	#158
Most of the Roanoke, VA area isn't exactly rural.	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#252
"no government intervention" except cities like NY are subsidizing their way of life.	bettyellen	Jan 2013	#174
If there is no homeless population in Cattaraugus County, you should inform these services that	Bluenorthwest	Jan 2013	#208
My question is the cultural divide just too much?	SpartanDem	Jan 2013	#111
Values change	tama	Jan 2013	#160
Being a rural progressive	OnionPatch	Jan 2013	#219
Or take them to the world	SpartanDem	Jan 2013	#223
It would be more helpful	Abq_Sarah	Jan 2013	#295
Packer ban. Packer ban. Packer ban. Packer ban.	Recursion	Jan 2013	#118
Focus on economics, stop trying to ban guns, cease supporting controlling individual behavior,	TheKentuckian	Jan 2013	#119
Ask Bernie Sanders!	Wind Dancer	Jan 2013	#120
good one.	Phillip McCleod	Jan 2013	#144
+1!	uponit7771	Jan 2013	#197
Can't write them off, but they (in general) are the GOP target	Spike89	Jan 2013	#121
So, same thing.	Lurker Deluxe	Jan 2013	#125
Wasn't talking about quality of education at all	Spike89	Jan 2013	#136
It requires different education	tama	Jan 2013	#159
remind them that the democrats are the only party to guarantee social security	spanone	Jan 2013	#127
That won't work	tama	Jan 2013	#157
why are they in such denial about all the government handouts they get?	bettyellen	Jan 2013	#177
Are they? nt	tama	Jan 2013	#180
over and over again the myth of "self sufficiency" and concern about taxes, when blue cities pay	bettyellen	Jan 2013	#181
There may be	tama	Jan 2013	#184
their big concerns are about the govt taking their taxes, but they're actually getting handouts	bettyellen	Jan 2013	#188
I don't	tama	Jan 2013	#190
Social security is popular because it's not a handout, but insurance.	lumberjack_jeff	Jan 2013	#220
Tama said something about SS not being something we shld bother talking about.	bettyellen	Jan 2013	#224
Rural folks understand the distinction between "handouts" and "insurance". n/t	lumberjack_jeff	Jan 2013	#245
those obsessed with "redistubution of wealth" in the US are the largest beneficiaries	bettyellen	Jan 2013	#301
Frankly, I'm not even sure that's true	YoungDemCA	Jan 2013	#251
The thing that Democrats can do to appeal to rural voters is	wilsonbooks	Jan 2013	#128
democrats are seen as the party for colored folk, gay folk and feminists	La Lioness Priyanka	Jan 2013	#130
Even more	tama	Jan 2013	#162
we're actually pretty accepting of "brown immigrant workers" here in the big cities, but thanks!	bettyellen	Jan 2013	#178
Capitalist profit logic	tama	Jan 2013	#182
or just the reality of being a melting pot. we actually take meetings with brown people here!!!	bettyellen	Jan 2013	#183
Many kinds of meetings	tama	Jan 2013	#189
well, i wasn't talking about nationwide institutional racism in the prisons, but rather diversity	bettyellen	Jan 2013	#230
Stop and Frisk is not a 'meeting'...NYPD practices:	Bluenorthwest	Jan 2013	#210
Bloomberg has had an awful effect on the NYPD, I agree. But I'm sorry- rural cops would likely	bettyellen	Jan 2013	#227
Trying to bring the assault weapons ban back has kind of killed that idea n/t	doc03	Jan 2013	#131
Start with reminding them that the GOP congress left town without passing a farm bill	OmahaBlueDog	Jan 2013	#132
Please don't	tama	Jan 2013	#163
My response is to cite many other responses I've made	OmahaBlueDog	Jan 2013	#281
Yup	tama	Jan 2013	#298
Make rural schools better.	Zoeisright	Jan 2013	#135
Rural schools are pretty good, as far as I know. Better than many urban schools. nt	Honeycombe8	Jan 2013	#154
Your insight is amazing.	LWolf	Jan 2013	#304
Populism	annabanana	Jan 2013	#141
They need to read "Deer Hunting with Jesus"	Lydia Leftcoast	Jan 2013	#146
The problem	tama	Jan 2013	#164
I don't know how much I qualify as an expert on the rural mindset, but.......	socialist_n_TN	Jan 2013	#147
Yup	tama	Jan 2013	#166
Women. I think there's a shot at getting some of the rural female vote.	Honeycombe8	Jan 2013	#151
Real Simple...	Shade7M	Jan 2013	#152
Dude...seriously, they are never going to vote Dem as long as threaten to take their guns away	davidn3600	Jan 2013	#161
Democratic Party sponsoring rodeos	Pretzel_Warrior	Jan 2013	#165
By the way, at most larger state and county fairs, the local Democratic party generally does have a	OmahaBlueDog	Jan 2013	#284
In my experience, two things would swing rural voters left:	Xithras	Jan 2013	#167
+1. I don't think so many urban dwellers really get how 'nightmarish' some of this stuff can be.	HiPointDem	Jan 2013	#172
Ouch.	Xithras	Jan 2013	#185
Not just perception of government	tama	Jan 2013	#192
Talk to the average urban resident and see if their contacts with the government are so positive	Fumesucker	Jan 2013	#205
But urban residents depend more on public goods	SpartanDem	Jan 2013	#214
Right.	YoungDemCA	Jan 2013	#253
Thanks	tama	Jan 2013	#191
^^^ and this one	OmahaBlueDog	Jan 2013	#314
(1) Quit bashing rural people & rural culture (2) Listen to the issues that are important to rural	HiPointDem	Jan 2013	#170
yes, there's cultural considerations, but access to factual information is the biggie	procon	Jan 2013	#240
that's not the case in all rural areas. nd the fact remains, even if there were a 'liberal fox,'	HiPointDem	Jan 2013	#241
Steps	nobody_special	Jan 2013	#176
Being from a rural state and having grown up in a small town here I have some insights for you:	RBInMaine	Jan 2013	#186
^^^ This one	OmahaBlueDog	Jan 2013	#282
I've now read this entire thread	Fumesucker	Jan 2013	#187
Easy	tama	Jan 2013	#193
Simple...	WiffenPoof	Jan 2013	#195
Doesn't that work both ways?	tama	Jan 2013	#200
If I Understand...	WiffenPoof	Jan 2013	#203
There's revealing article (and book)	tama	Jan 2013	#206
How Intreging	WiffenPoof	Jan 2013	#234
Belief systems	tama	Jan 2013	#258
Water. Clean drinking water.	postulater	Jan 2013	#199
Be way more 2A friendly.	ileus	Jan 2013	#209
These things:	LWolf	Jan 2013	#211
Exactly!	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#255
Better policies for small farms	OnionPatch	Jan 2013	#221
Three Short Answers:	Demo_Chris	Jan 2013	#222
It's what the blue dog Dems do, and DU despises them.	Buzz Clik	Jan 2013	#231
No, we're not talking about being a corporate lapdog	Lydia Leftcoast	Jan 2013	#236
It seems that there is more than one definition of blue dog Democrats.	Buzz Clik	Jan 2013	#237
Max Baucus? Come on! Corporate shill all the way	Lydia Leftcoast	Jan 2013	#238
Ok. Let's look at our common ground, define terms, and see where it goes.	Buzz Clik	Jan 2013	#239
Kerry and H. Clinton only managed to look stupid trying to be "just plain folks"	Lydia Leftcoast	Jan 2013	#271
Democrats don't need to do anything	jeff47	Jan 2013	#232
LOL	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#327
K, please name the liberal counterpart on satellite TV to Fox News.	jeff47	Jan 2013	#328
There isn't a liberal equivalent	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#329
Urban dwellers are getting information from sources other that TV and Radio	jeff47	Jan 2013	#330
Like what?	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#332
Alternative newspapers, gatherings of various types	jeff47	Jan 2013	#344
There is delivery of magazines and newspapers.	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#347
I'm not talking about a one-on-one conversation	jeff47	Jan 2013	#351
So, getting together weekly with a group of people is the only acceptable way	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#354
Do I have to link the definition of "example"?	jeff47	Jan 2013	#355
How many conservatives in your	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#360
Could you possibly be more condescending?	cordelia	Jan 2013	#341
Reality has an urban bias, apparently.	jeff47	Jan 2013	#345
" Dial-up only access tends to limit using the Internet as an information source."	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#350
Your telephone use is a one-on-one conversation.	jeff47	Jan 2013	#352
We find liberal contact through	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#361
I can't use one because of my location. Not everyone has one.	2pooped2pop	Jan 2013	#367
Yes there is one thing. And it is a worthy endeavor.	Herlong	Jan 2013	#246
JOBS JOBS JOBS	Jamastiene	Jan 2013	#247
Jobs	Herlong	Jan 2013	#254
Rented labor	tama	Jan 2013	#261
Drop the poisonous alliance with Wall Street and other corporate interest groups	YoungDemCA	Jan 2013	#250
Start by making sure they graduate from high school, a mind is a terrible thing to waste & hatred	mother earth	Jan 2013	#256
About the fear....	OmahaBlueDog	Jan 2013	#270
Do you have some statistics	LWolf	Jan 2013	#305
I'm not making that claim, just that it all begins with education, city & rural folk alike. :)	mother earth	Jan 2013	#315
Okay.	LWolf	Jan 2013	#317
True. Though I'm thinking the OP was about reaching over to the other side, probably more geared to	mother earth	Jan 2013	#319
Stop going after guns	kudzu22	Jan 2013	#257
There's a huge disconnect between the urban and rural views of firearms	OmahaBlueDog	Jan 2013	#269
How do they feel about Big Agra	gulliver	Jan 2013	#259
My experience is that they like Big Agra	OmahaBlueDog	Jan 2013	#267
Wow. Great post!	gulliver	Jan 2013	#274
Thanks!	OmahaBlueDog	Jan 2013	#279
I also agree great post	LeftInTX	Jan 2013	#316
The idea that all rural people are stupid	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#266
I've met many very smart people in Ag	OmahaBlueDog	Jan 2013	#268
I completely agree, you can't change people's minds by yelling	hughee99	Jan 2013	#285
Yep. The idea that all rural people are rightwing Republicans is wrong, too.	OnionPatch	Jan 2013	#297
If you live in a rural area, be out	Nikia	Jan 2013	#272
The yard signs and bumper stickers are a good way	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#273
I'm sorry if that happened to you	Nikia	Jan 2013	#275
I'm not silent but I don't	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#277
My view is that if there are no or much fewer D yard signs/bumper stickers	Nikia	Jan 2013	#306
We have Democratic offices for counties.	ohheckyeah	Jan 2013	#338
To greatly improve how we fare with rural voters	Still Sensible	Jan 2013	#278
as a rural, liberal voter...	mike_c	Jan 2013	#280
Democrats should stay Democratic.	JDPriestly	Jan 2013	#286
Maybe Democrats don't really "stand for" many or all of those things, in practice?	YoungDemCA	Jan 2013	#288
It's a matter of "compared to what"?	JDPriestly	Jan 2013	#294
If the dems got the rural voters	Trascoli	Jan 2013	#289
Start with the statement:	Volaris	Jan 2013	#293
Eat more fried food.	Kablooie	Jan 2013	#296
Encourage more democrats to move	Shankapotomus	Jan 2013	#300
Remind them that the things they care about	randr	Jan 2013	#302
microtarget rural households with messages that educate them about	arely staircase	Jan 2013	#307
Do an all black, gay, Muslim, Latino revival of HEE HAW	yurbud	Jan 2013	#308
Is Otis as exotic as the Somali workers that are working in the processing plants in Tennesse?	SQUEE	Jan 2013	#318
health care and education support	samsingh	Jan 2013	#309
take progressive positions on farm issues that the GOP can't and won't like taking on big AG	yurbud	Jan 2013	#310
OK, I've lived in rural areas all my life. Many folks in rural areas	Zorra	Jan 2013	#311
Interesting responses.	jonthebru	Jan 2013	#359
Only 16% of the US population lives in rural areas	frazzled	Jan 2013	#363
Uhh...no. Census numbers are horribly misleading.	Xithras	Jan 2013	#377
Push the idea of less government	2pooped2pop	Jan 2013	#369
1. Know rural, as many "city foks" are buying up farmland, big time.	Frustratedlady	Jan 2013	#376

Response to global1 (Original post)

Fri Jan 25, 2013, 08:39 AM

mmonk (47,307 posts)

If The Dems Made A Concerted Effort To Appeal To Rural Voters What Would You Recommend They Do?....

1. Send them somewhere they can get a quality education?

3. One can get a quality education in rural places. Yours is the kind of bias that hurts the party.

5. Mine is the kind of bias that comes from getting screwed by them

12. Who grows the food you eat? nt

19. Thank you.

29. Mexico. n/t

34. That most important point has not been very much forgotten in these threads

82. who SELLS the food we eat

155. Some farm just for money

142. Both good and bad people.

156. OK

168. tarring every rural voter with the broad brush won't help your war; you need allies & there are

299. I don't cotton to death threats myself. That's a point I'm trying to make.

216. Oh please

228. Then why are rural people in Minnesota,

243. Then I'd say study that

248. Minnesota has a large union presence in rural areas

263. I live in a rural area in NC that always votes Democratic Party.

370. MN has the particular history of the DFL to thank for that, but don't fool yourself.

262. ???

233. Who do you think?

242. Exactly

4. Urban school districts are the worse performing in RI while rural areas have excellent schools.

16. I guess they just don't teach the research and critical thinking skills..

48. Rural Rhode Island = oxymoron.

55. I take it you are not familiar with western RI

64. Rhode Island has 1000 residents per square mile!!

70. And you don't know RI

86. Rhode island has half the area of my *county*, much higher incomes, and 15 times as many people.

77. You = rather ignorant of RI

80. With 1000 residents per square mile, there are no backwaters. n/t

90. You = ignorant of RI

102. Did you learn math at a rural school?

126. Yes, I did. You apparently didn't.

133. King County has a average pop density of 908/sq mi

148. "Areas"? Perhaps an occasional 50 acre gated estate.

153. How about census tracts?

244. good hint

276. Wow, that is a cool site.

287. Looks like my kinda place.

303. Well, I must admit that a common saying about this area

320. I'm annoyed by people who extrapolate their own experience into whatever topic is current.

321. Yes, I know what you mean.

312. One more thing...

49. Highest ACT Scores in the country (in order)

56. My daughter goes to college in the Midwest with a bunch of farm kids.

57. I spent my first 7 years of education in a 1-room rural Wisconsin country school.

52. Dat shud hep. Owteer inda stix

198. I love language

264. Thank you. n/t

212. As a rural teacher,

2. Give them a "DU" & then tighten rules about being polite & avoiding gratuitous insults.

336. Out in rural areas "DU" means Ducks Unlimited.

348. He, he, they'd probably like that!, but maybe we should make that a Rural Underground instead.

356. How far down the thread before FDR's name was used in vain?...

357. Not sure what you're referring to there, but I will try to check. & I was actually just thinking

371. FDR's alphabet agency approach was effective, but

358. It's a big thread and I don't see that FDR reference; it would be okay

372. I wasn't dissing FDR, I was being sarcastic about hiw long the

375. I didn't think you were. I thought you said you saw someone else do that. nt

378. No, no. Just bad conumijashun!

6. Show some respect

15. There is a chicken/egg element

18. Whether it's availability or preference

46. True enough

138. Good points. In many places in Colorado there is no cell phone service or cable.

179. There is an issue of infrastructure being in place for the type of communications you refer to

213. Iowa was incredibly strong for the Union during the U.S. Civil War. One of its

194. +1!

204. I lived in Alaska for a time.

260. In mid-Missouri

283. She's not trying to be condescending at all.

217. We won without them, though

229. You must think that rural people are interested only in guns and social conservatism if you say that

7. make sure they have internet

8. This and it should be in 2013 a basic service like electricity

249. Shit - when you live rural

226. +1

326. Seriously?

86. Rhode island has half the area of my county, much higher incomes, and 15 times as many people.