I've been here since 2004 and I'm tired
It's exhausting how often I see people disparage or outright ridicule residents of other states.
We have plenty of people here who are from those red states. They work their butts off trying to elect Dems. It's hard, especially when your state party receives nearly zero funds from the DNC. It's hard to campaign when the GOP is outspending you by large amounts of money.
I live in Missouri. Kansas City, St Louis and Columbia are blue. What hurts us is how much of the state is rural. The rural areas have elected politicians who go to the state capital, pass laws that fight voting rights, realign district maps to purposely break up purple areas into larger red areas that counteract any votes for Democrats. In many of these rural areas Democrats no longer run, allowing for a GOP stronghold. Why don't they run? They can't afford it, knowing they'll receive no funding from the state party because the state party receives very little national funding.
I see it over and over again about how we just don't "try hard enough". I worked in an essential job during the pandemic where I put in 90 hour weeks. I still did my damnedest to campaign, make phone calls, write and mail post cards, etc. I ran a local club. We were involved. Did I mention how we lost several members to covid and a few were also fighting cancer, myself included?
I've had several in my personal life ask how I could even post here. They've read the comments left about red states and felt they wouldn't be accepted here. Posters here don't realize that others do read their comments.
I'm not leaving. This isn't a departure post. It's just a reminder that we were created to be a haven for Dems. In our bashing we seem to forget that not everyone here lives in a city in a blue state.
= new reply since forum marked as read
conservative Democrats and Indies who ticket split.
Progressive Democratic Party voters are almost always far more partisan in favour of their own party than moderates, centrists, and conservative Dem and Indie voters. Thousands of exit polls have bourn this out over the years. It literally is why centrists, moderates, and centre right Dems and Indies are called swing voters. They are so fought over (because many DO ticket split and vote partially Rethug), ofttimes with many elected Democrats doing and voting for things in order to attract them, things and votes that the progressive Dems strenuously oppose.
Fitzpatrick voted with Trump 84.4 per cent of the time in the 115th Congress. I do not see much 'reaching across the aisle' there.
Look at some the names around that same level:
No. You’ve never gone down the red state ridicule road. I absolutely know how you’ve followed the state snd you’re more familiar with what’s happening here than most! We have had some wonderful democrats represent out great state.
Yes! A group of MT teens filed a suit against the state claiming that state energy policy violates their right to a clean and healthful environment. I have high hopes for these kiddos. The lawsuit is moving forward!
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/kids-file-climate-change-suit-against-1138583/
that's for sure!
Not sure what's happening here in North Dakota, BUT we once were a great Democratic state. So hard to see these RETHUGS run things. All we can do is keep fighting, hoping someday people will WAKE UP! My hats off to you and ALL people in RED states putting up with the BULLSHIT that goes along with that! I will stay strong no matter what!!
our local Democratic Party and whoever steps up to run each time so that we have someone to vote for. And proud that they always do.
Georgia is acknowledged by the party (!) because Georgians made our election of two Democratic senators possible. Our own district, though, doesn't even rise to "lost cause" to the party, which never has enough money for every candidate who might win. We're at most about 30% Democratic and donate monthly to the DCCC knowing we won't live to see a dime spent here. Simplifies the issue -- we're fine with that.
Sounds like you have much more reason to hope you can make it happen, so more complexity. On the plus side, candidates in "flip" areas also often find it beneficial to run on donations from locals and refuse party money. And of course, for better and worse, anyone can get outsider "grassroots" these days. Until they prove they may really win without party money.
Good luck making it happen. WE need you to also.
through the courts.
Your district sounds as if it may be like so many where donations from relatively lower-income constituencies just can't fund today's candidacies. (?) Candidates facing that reality often develop support from businesses with vested interests in keeping the local communities viable through liberal-leaning policies. (As opposed to those who donate to RW candidates for very different reasons.)
Our house Democratic caucuses have many members who get elected that way, including a lot who represent minority districts for obvious reasons. The need for synergistic relations with business for jobs, tax revenue, donations, etc, is the biggest factor in which of the two big ideological factions members join. They're both progressive, but one's more inclined to regard business as an enemy to be defeated and one as an indispensable partner in the community to be worked with.
I've gotten off on a swing here, but I've been wondering for some while just how much, and of course where, Republican craziness and irresponsibility are forcing businesses to reconsider who they need to ally with.
If anyone really needs to hang in while this blows through, it's you guys!
Last edited Sat Mar 25, 2023, 12:39 PM - Edit history (1)
I'm a life-long citizen of Ohio. I remember when our parents and grandparents elected Democratic politicians to represent the state. Any r's elected were moderate. Although the has been an r machine since the 1870s, ty, hanna and others. But, in my youth, r's represented the working people and advanced unions, civil and individual rights, all of the things Dems support and protect now. Back then, the Dems were considered the rich fat cats of elitism. But those politicians were willing to change, willing to expand their outlook. People point to Robert Byrd who was a member of the kkk in his youth. Well, he changed his viewpoint entirely. That is something people who want to do, can do. If anyone has ever seen the movie or read the book Conrack, by Pat Conroy, there's a scene where Conrack explains his personal change from being a biased white man to being hyper aware of the historic treatment of black people in America, to finding a balance between the two stances. I don't remember much of the movie, but I remember that scene. All humans are capable of overcoming crappy learned behavior and becoming better people.
Political experts point to the Dems adopting a civil rights and voting rights platform in the late 40s causing a shift in the parties' views. I get a sense that the historic Democrats looked out for others. I'm thinking of the philanthrophy of the Gilded Age, not the greed and avarice. And yes, the philanthrophy of that time was largely aimed to improve the lot of poor whites, and other races were ignored and invisible. I admire individuals who worked to improve the lot of all people at the time-Margaret Sanger, Jane Addams, the founders of Hampton College in Va., to name a few. We hear that individuals don't have the power to bring about change. But we do, if we want to. All through the existence of the U.S.A., people worked to bring about a more perfect union. And people worked to bring our country now. So far, they haven't succeeded, and if our left wing party structure will change its strategy a little, the majority of moderate people in states like Missouri, Ohio and others that turned red will shift the balance of power. I hope so. It is a shame that so many of us who work for our party, for our beliefs, are aging, ailing, or tired out. That is one city hall we can't fight, but we have to keep on with the other battles 
Thank you for posting.
for high morality by those who've fallen to it? Not just here. Malevolent influences have been working at both stoking extremism and bringing out the worst in all they can reach.
That's why your commitment to hanging is so welcome to come across this morning.
If the Democrats keep on walking away from red states we just give that much more power to a minority of loud individuals who terrify people into silence..
You understand perfectly well what the OP is saying because I feel sure no one could be that obtuse. 
The truck with the boxes of recall petitions.
You guys TRIED your damnedest to get rid of that ass. And I think it was tried twice too.
At least he was finally booted the hell outta there.
You speak for me!
I live in a red state as well. The only cultural break we get is to go across the border to visit a blue city in another red state. It's like a breath of fresh air. I'm not sure people who live in blue areas understand just how isolating it can be for us blue dots.
Some of my friends have run for office. They went door to door to visit their potential constituents and talk about their concerns. They were all trounced soundly. Who can blame them for not trying it again?
Several years back we had a prominent lawyer run for US Senate. We knew him professionally and, of course, voted for him. He was one of the good guys. He didn't have a chance, but at least he could afford to try. To the majority of people here, we are all godless baby killers who want to take away their freedoms and let LGBTQ people molest their children. I doubt anyone can finance a campaign to fight that at this point. Still, we are outnumbered, but we are here!
I get tired of seeing people post MTG's latest screed about a red/blue state divorce and actually agreeing with her. I WANT to stay in the US, with all the bureaucracy and benefits of the Federal Government. I don't want to relocate or even move across the street. I am planted here for the rest of my life, among the MAGAts, and would like to stay here, in a red county, in a red state, in USA!
When DUers see some horror occurring in red states, such as the recent total abortion bans, book bans, etc., some of them chime in with, "well, that's what they voted for." I can't remember when I last missed an election. I vote in all of them, even though I am convinced that my vote makes no difference whatsoever. I voted against every representative, senator, governor, etc. currently in office in my state, some of them multiple times, in favor of Democrats. If there is no Democrat on the ballot, as is often the case, I write someone in just to make sure the Republican doesn't get my vote.
It's an uphill battle. I, for one, appreciate all the Democrats in red states. It's not an easy job.
seemed to be getting tired of the attitude of some transplants as when I visited I started seeing bumper stickers : ‘I don’t care how you do it up North’
My mom lived in a retirement community, and indeed some of the Northern residents had a harder time adjusting to Southern life than others
The right & the media like to use this map cuz it makes America look extremely conservative.
But the reality is, this is what America looks like:
LOOK AT ALL THAT BLUE!
Even in FL! Both maps are from the 2020 presidential election. The first is by county, so the entire county gets painted red. The second is by population. My right wing cousins absolutely hate the second map.
THIS IS THE MAP WE NEED TO USE.
(has been in my sig for awhile)
Maybe I should turn sigs on.
it does small versions of the images with a uniform height along the bottom, so it would display that size in the sig but will still be animated.
I know there have been a number of map graphics that attempted to show how skewed the "flat red map with sprinkles of blue" depictions were and there have been various types of "cartograms" done that better weighted the votes -
But IMHO, wiping that red off the map with that animated version to actually reveal the true voting population centers, is the simplest most dramatic way to depict reality!
Of course "looks" can be deceiving because "land doesn't vote, people do".
And there were some people and notably, some groups like "Indivisible" that took the time to go into some of those red counties and recruit/train a new generation of elected officials for all different levels of government - whether for a town advisory board, some county Commissioner position, perhaps a mayor, state House or Senate member, or even a member of Congress.
But most importantly, with the help of our state Supreme Court, we were able to un-gerrymander the state House seats and for the first time in a dozen years, Democrats took control of the PA State House. We literally managed a 12 seat swing. It took a couple months of a mess and some special elections to finalize, but it finally came to be, and it was something that was literally considered impossible.
Link to tweet
@AllAboutPA
·
Follow
The will of the voters is clear: @PaHouseDems won a majority of seats in the 2022 election.
Recent PA House tradition provides the party that wins a majority to pick the Speaker.
Their pick is historic: @RepMcClinton would be the first woman to be Speaker of the PA House.
10:47 AM · Dec 5, 2022
I will say though that over the past couple election cycles, I have seen more and more who post here say they directly support candidates vs having that divvied out from "above" and I think if it already doesn't exist, a MO organization for "electing Democrats in Missouri" might be something that is needed. I know I'm on the "New Pennsylvania Project" list - https://www.newpaproject.org/ and that was designed to use the "Stacy Abrams template" for organizing, canvassing, and getting people out to vote.
Democracy in America, is mostly red, mapwise. There are just more of us than there are of them, and we have a great GOTV operation. For example:
The de-gerrymandering the Michigan Independent Citizens Committee completed made our congressional districts much fairer, which allowed us to capture the legislature for the first time in 40 years. There are MAGAts everywhere.
Thanks for the post. 
I moved into florida long before it became a hell hole, well, just before it became a hell WHOLE.
Walkin’ Lawton was gov, but the writing was already on the wall - things were gonna change.
Some of use are ‘true blue’ and it kinda puts us off when we are overlooked because we’re in a state that the DCC has decided not to waste money, time, or effort into turning this place around. For example, Val Demings was everything Bubio wasn’t, and yet he was running ads easily 3 times more frequently than Demings, and is now back in office doing nothing.
Then there was a shake-up post election in the state party; far too little, far too late.
Every day, 365 days a year Carlson and those other disinformation specialists on Fox and the others “patriotic” stations call us everything from pedophiles to demons.
The ‘liberal’ media is a fantasy.
But I am preaching to the choir, and you all know this.
Please stop painting us “Red states” as unworthy, and simply writing us off.
We WILL move forward, and if you can come up with a way to give us a leg up, I know I, for one, would appreciate it.
Btw I have a used soapbox here if anyone here wants it.
