Reply #1: Democrats have relied on urban voters for the past 40 years

[JDPriestly]

We have handed the rural vote over to the Republicans. If Bush won (I don't think he did), it is because of his advantage with rural voters. The Republicans take the rural voters for granted. They are not offering them much. Edwards knows how to appeal to rural voters. He really cares about rural America. His message to rural America could change the color of the map of America. With a 50-state strategy, I believe Edwards can win big.

In a different post posted this evening there is a video of Elizabeth Edwards in Boone, Iowa in which she points out that in 2004, the Kerry campaign did not run one TV ad in North Carolina, Edwards' home state. This was true of a number of states categorized by the McAuliffe DNC as "red states" and therefore not worth the campaign funds. Yet, as Elizabeth Edwards points out, a number of these red-listed states have Democratic governors. The governors win in state-wide elections because they understand the problems of the people in their states and speak to those problems.

Edwards agrees with Dean's 50-state strategy. The success of that strategy requires an appealing message to rural voters. The "inequalities" or "unfairness" of the Iowa caucus system helps ensure that, at least to a minimal extent, we have one place where our ability to appeal to rural voters is tested.

To win in 2008, we will need to draw more rural votes than we have. The Iowa caucus will help us identify who might do best in 2008.