Why do Democrats do so poorly with rural voters?

[Nay]

222. ^^This too. And how about aiding SMALL rural farmers to grow fresh food for sale locally? And

making sure there's a place for them to sell it? Take some money away from agribiz -- oh, wait, they own both parties, that's why we can't do that.....

Other unrelated points: Of course, if southern rural farmers are like the ones I lived with in rural Montana, they'll find some way to scam the system. Back when there were subsidies given to farmers to NOT grow certain crops, farmers in my tiny rural town (200 people) CUT DOWN the only remaining cottonwoods in the area, just to claim more acreage to be taken out of production, thus getting bigger payments. These were small, local family farms of 1000-6000 acres--mostly wheat. That's small for Montana. Taxpayers should take note that most of these farmers spent the winters vacationing in Arizona or New Mexico. I don't begrudge anyone a vacation, but 4 months on the taxpayers' dime? All those welfare queens in every ghetto couldn't add up to what these guys were raking in.

This is one reason I have a dim view of humanity in general (they're always running scams instead of doing the right thing for the community), and just because I point out a scam that I saw with my own eyes in a rural area doesn't mean I am more critical of rural people as opposed to anyone else. Scams go on everywhere. But when the govt puts conditions, rules, and oversight on rural farmers, it's because it knows that shit goes on. It's not necessarily because they think rural people are stupid or lazy -- they just know human nature through past experience.

When unbiased scientific studies are run and they show that Fox viewers are the LEAST informed of all, what do we do with that information? Pretend it doesn't exist so Fox viewers (largely rural) don't feel bad about themselves and blame the Dems for calling them dumb? Do we not talk about it on DU so some random rural person can't take offense? I mean, there's a certain point at which a population has to wise up to itself, or nothing can ever be done. And as Dems, we have to grapple with the FACTS of what is going on in rural areas, not pretend that things aren't different there. I can see that the Dem leadership would be foolish to openly accuse rural folks of being [uneducated, gun crazy, bible crazy, insular, etc.] but I don't see any value in not recognizing that there's some damn thing going on, and applying the Party to addressing the problems with some solutions for rural areas, like:
1. raise minimum wage
2. stand up for the Post Office! Erase that law that says it has to fund its retirement for 75 yrs!
3. start supporting and spreading the idea of local family farms that will grow vegs for locals
4. Govt health clinics by the hundreds, staffed by govt doctors. Same with dentists.
5. Build and support libraries federally.
6. Prosecute bankers and others who ran scams. That would have helped Dems immeasurably. No
one, rurals included, wanted those bastards to get away with what they did.