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Off the Rails in Rural America


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http://inthesetimes.com/rural-america/entry/20841/rural-america-blue-collar-democrats-working-class-economics-cheri-bustos

 

 

WEDNESDAY, JAN 17, 2018, 2:00 PM

 

Democrats Have Gone off the Rails in Rural America. Can a New Report Get Them Back on Track?

BY JOHN COLLINS

 

 

Democrats know their brand is in trouble - they have a belligerent, 239-pound daily reminder tweeting from the oval officebut if the party is counting on partisan outrage to win future elections, its only in for more pain.

 

Reclaiming victory from the jaws of defeat isnt rocket science: The party needs to win back the rural, working-class voters that its been hemorrhaging since the 1990s. Unfortunately, however, the root causes of this mass-defectiona non-existent economic message for people living paycheck-to-paycheck, condescending coastal elitism, a pervasive intolerance of rural culture etc.have not abated. Or, if these problems are being addressed by Democrats, news of that progress is failing to reach the rural people (i.e. voters) who need to hear it.

 

It was with this in mind that Democratic Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, who represents the 17th Congressional District in central, northwestern and northern Illinois, commissioned and co-authored a unique report. Aiming to reunite her party with the blue-collar Americans it used to champion, Hope From the Heartland: How Democrats Can Better Serve the Midwest by Bringing Rural, Working Class Wisdom to Washington compiles interviews with 72 current or former Democratic officials who, in recent years, won over their rural constituents despite the national popularity of the Republican opposition. According to the report, these were candidates who bucked the trend and succeeded in the rural Midwest, now dominated by Republicans.

 

The eight states comprising the nations Heartland are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. These states, and the rural voters who live here, make or break presidential elections and shift the balance of power in both houses of Congress. They are battlegrounds that cannot be ignored.

 

Yet whether its on issues like the economy, agriculture, healthcare, infrastructure or social issues such as abortion, guns and religion, the current Democratic Party continues to abandon its promise of inclusion when it comes to those living outside of the big city. This report offers solutionspractical advice that national Democrats must heed in order to win upcoming elections.

 

By way of introduction, Bustos writes:

Democrats from rural areas face an existential crisis. The number of Democrats holding office across the nation is at its lowest point since the 1920s and the decline has been especially severe in rural America, whose economic fortunes have slipped markedly during this same period.

 

Donald Trumps election in 2016  with heavy support from rural voters  was not the first evidence of Democratic decline outside of urban areas. These challenges have been mounting since the 1990s.

 

The consequences of this deterioration are sobering for Democrats. In the Midwest, rural support for Donald Trump elevated him to upset wins in several states that propelled him to the White House. Rural areas contain many white, working class voters who were the key demographic of Trumps victory. The 2016 outcome demonstrated that rural, working class voters will not be ignored.

 

Democrats cannot win majorities in Washington or state capitals without doing better in rural areas. More importantly, Democrats risk forfeiting the opportunity to bring Heartland wisdom to Washington.

...

On guns

 

The report reads:

 

Perhaps no issue symbolizes the urban-rural divide more than guns. Rural Democrats interviewed described a feeling that their urban counterparts just dont understand the cultural dimension of this issue.

 

Former Missouri State Rep. Phil Tate traces Democrats declining performance in rural areas to Bill Clinton and his gun control proposals in the 1990s. Republicans took the issue and elevated it way beyond what it should have been.

 

Ohio State Rep. John Patterson describes the issue in terms of the economic dislocations in rural areas. Jobs leave, businesses leave, he says. Theres an additional sense of loss when their kids leave. Guns are seen as the last straw. Hunting and guns are part of the culture  its who we are.

 

Former Illinois State Sen. Gary Forby says the gun issue is a major reason why Democrats have lost the votes of union members in his district, deep in southern Illinois: When I walked into union halls they talked concealed carry first and union issues second.

...

 

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Their constituents are no longer the average working person. Their constituents are people who don't work and won't work, and demand free stuff. The democrats idea of a "rich" person is anyone who isn't destitute. The democratic politicians are constantly saying that they're going to go after the rich fat cats but its the average working person who gets their pockets picked.

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The problem is the Dems are now fired up and organized while the conservatives have become complacent and apathetic. It's kinda like the energy drain in gun owners once concealed carry was enacted.

There is a very good chance that despite the fact the Dems have no message, no solutions, and their platform is basically 'We Hate Trump!', they could very well take back the legislature.

 

I wish the spineless Republicans would step up and tell the truth when it needs to be told and fight back against the leftist media and judiciary but, they're content to be losers.

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"Ohio State Rep. John Patterson describes the issue in terms of the economic dislocations in rural areas. Jobs leave, businesses leave, he says. Theres an additional sense of loss when their kids leave. Guns are seen as the last straw. Hunting and guns are part of the culture  its who we are."

 

Sounds a lot like some words offered by a Democratic Presidential candidate at a press-free private fundraiser at a millionaire's house in Pacific Heights a decade ago.

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Bustos pro 2A???

 

I've asked her myself and never got a straight answer. She gives the usual scripted "common sense gun control" blah blah blah etc. To my knowledge she has never indicated she supports the 2A as we understand it. Her father was a longtime democrat fundraising bundler and close personal friend of Dick Durbin and I understand little Dick is her godfather.

Her district includes Springfield Armory Inc, Rock Island Armory (and Armalite) so she can not risk being honest about her true position on gunz.

Cheri Bustos was an Obama worshiper and is Durbin's vote in the house side.

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The problem is the Dems are now fired up and organized while the conservatives have become complacent and apathetic. It's kinda like the energy drain in gun owners once concealed carry was enacted.

There is a very good chance that despite the fact the Dems have no message, no solutions, and their platform is basically 'We Hate Trump!', they could very well take back the legislature.

 

I wish the spineless Republicans would step up and tell the truth when it needs to be told and fight back against the leftist media and judiciary but, they're content to be losers.

The republicans forgot how to act like winners.

I've never seen a more pathetic bunch. Give them ammunition and all they do is shoot themselves in the foot.

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The problem is the Dems are now fired up and organized while the conservatives have become complacent and apathetic. It's kinda like the energy drain in gun owners once concealed carry was enacted.

There is a very good chance that despite the fact the Dems have no message, no solutions, and their platform is basically 'We Hate Trump!', they could very well take back the legislature.

 

I wish the spineless Republicans would step up and tell the truth when it needs to be told and fight back against the leftist media and judiciary but, they're content to be losers.

I disagree with this. Conservatives are plenty aware of whats up and are ready to vote. This blue wave we keep hearing about wont happen if blue collar voters dont get on board with the Democrats, since theyre still one of the most important voting blocs there is.

 

Theres also the fact that GOP fundraising is FAR beyond what the Democrats are bringing in, and the Democrats are going into 2018 broke. That's not good news for them. Furthermore, more Democrats are up for re-election than Republicans, and in states Trump won. The blame for the shutdown is also squarely falling on the Democrats, and even the MSM are in agreement on this. Just look at how Durbin got his a** handed to him by Stephanopoulos.

 

And dont forget the scandals. There are at least eight major investigations going on, all of which are aimed squarely at the Democrats and which spell disaster for them. The available evidence points to major criminal wrongdoing on their part, and you KNOW that Trump will time the release of such information to maximize damage to the Democrats.

 

Its doesnt matter if the Democrats have their legions of blue-haired, rabid millennials all riled up, without those working class votes they lose. They know this.

 

Also, about voter fraud: remember that Trump quietly gave authority to DHS to investigate it, meaning those states refusing to give up their voter rolls now have to obey a federal agency. You KNOW theyre gonna nail these ********.

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The problem is the Dems are now fired up and organized while the conservatives have become complacent and apathetic. It's kinda like the energy drain in gun owners once concealed carry was enacted.

There is a very good chance that despite the fact the Dems have no message, no solutions, and their platform is basically 'We Hate Trump!', they could very well take back the legislature.

 

I wish the spineless Republicans would step up and tell the truth when it needs to be told and fight back against the leftist media and judiciary but, they're content to be losers.

I disagree with this. Conservatives are plenty aware of whats up and are ready to vote. This blue wave we keep hearing about wont happen if blue collar voters dont get on board with the Democrats, since theyre still one of the most important voting blocs there is.

 

Theres also the fact that GOP fundraising is FAR beyond what the Democrats are bringing in, and the Democrats are going into 2018 broke. That's not good news for them. Furthermore, more Democrats are up for re-election than Republicans, and in states Trump won. The blame for the shutdown is also squarely falling on the Democrats, and even the MSM are in agreement on this. Just look at how Durbin got his a** handed to him by Stephanopoulos.

 

And dont forget the scandals. There are at least eight major investigations going on, all of which are aimed squarely at the Democrats and which spell disaster for them. The available evidence points to major criminal wrongdoing on their part, and you KNOW that Trump will time the release of such information to maximize damage to the Democrats.

 

Its doesnt matter if the Democrats have their legions of blue-haired, rabid millennials all riled up, without those working class votes they lose. They know this.

 

Also, about voter fraud: remember that Trump quietly gave authority to DHS to investigate it, meaning those states refusing to give up their voter rolls now have to obey a federal agency. You KNOW theyre gonna nail these ********.

 

AND, many Dems are going to run on an anti-Trump agenda, believing biased polls. I don't think is approval rating is anywhere near as the polls try to make it out to be.

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