I don't usually like joe Manchin but...

[elleng]

39. Repugs have spent years dumbing down public (and private) education,

so we can't hand over the country to them by not trying to inform. Be gentle while doing so; it can work.

For example: Gov. Bullock (D. Montana): How Democrats Can Win in the West

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/05/opinion/steve-bullock-democrats-montana.html?ref=opinion

On the night that Hillary Clinton got 36 percent of the vote in Montana, I won re-election comfortably, running on progressive ideas and against an extremely wealthy Republican opponent. Ever since, national reporters have asked me whether Montana Democrats have some secret recipe, given that we’ve won the last four elections for governor, that might be used in national campaigns. I tell them yes, we do.

Above all, spend time in places where people disagree with you. Reach out. Show up and make your argument. People will appreciate it, even if they are not inclined to vote for you. As a Democrat in a red state, I often spend days among crowds where there are almost no Democratic voters in sight. I listen to them, work with them and try to persuade them.

Democrats as a national party have ceased doing this. This has to change. They should take a more expansive view of the America that exists beyond the confines of the Eastern Seaboard.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016184509