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

[PotatoChip]

321. Yes, I know what you mean.

Furthermore, I would add that a one-size-fits-all approach to electing Dems in right leaning rural areas won't necessarily work.

Just as cities and suburbs are varied, so too are rural regions. The fact that you guys don't have 'summer people' would be an example. In my area, tourism is second only to the paper industry for bringing in revenue, therefore very important. As is, of course, all issues related to our biggest "crop"... timber. In other places "farms" (the kind we traditionally think of, not wood) may be quite important, and in your area, it may be something else entirely, idk. But the point is that people seem to be broad-brushing in search of an easy, uniform answer. It's not that simple imho.

I've worked on 3 successful dem. state representative campaigns in this red area of my blue state. No dem has won in this district since my candidate retired from politics in 2004. She won 3 times because her campaign was tailored to what is important to people in this area; not some other rural area out west, in the mid-west, or even in this very state. She knew the people, and also knew instinctively that what worked for rural, red coastal lobster fishing districts (for example), just wasn't a fit for this one.

So in summary, I guess what I'm inarticulately trying to say boils down to that old Tip O'Neil adage- 'All politics is local."

There is a lot more I could add, but this post is too long as is, so I'll leave it here.

But yeah, I share your frustration about the subjective definition of rural that some here seem to be using. However, I know that it's totally natural and understandable to see things through ones' own filtered lens of life experience. I catch myself doing the same thing from time to time an all sorts of matters.

-Cheers, and sorry about that long spiel!