Harvest the Vote for Democrats~~
Jane Kleeb as director of Nebraska's Democratic National Party and of the nonprofit organization Bold Nebraska shows some bold ideas in her 2019 book Harvest the Vote: How Democrats Can Win Again in Rural America, but really it's just common sense . Rural America did used to vote for Democrats at the state and federal level, and still vote blue locally, but in the last few decades they began to distrust the national party. It's not hard to understand.
Democratic candidates stopped campaigning much or at all in rural America to concentrate on 'swing states.' They stopped listening to their concerns and needs. Rural America was ignored as the Republicans took advantage of the situation by pushing them away from the DNC.
How so? I'd say broadly that it was done by diversion tactics, although I can't recall Kleeb using those bold words. Farmers and ranchers were diverted by hot button issues like abortion, gun control, and immigration so they would vote on those issues with Republican instead. Kleeb argues that we must be honest with voters and try to work for the greater good in spite of our differences. We all do better when we all do better, she reminds us with this quote from a Democratic leader she admired.
Kleeb discusses many issues affecting rural America that Democrats need to recognize and address, such as revising eminent domain policy, a law allowing them to repair their tractors rather than taking it to a pricey John Deere dealer, access to broadband, and federal support of biofuels, for example.
I didn't realize that rural America has become much more diversified from immigrants settling there where it's safer and more livable than urban areas. Immigrants have revitalized many small towns.
It's a worthwhile read with advice Democratic candidates really should take seriously. Rural America realizes they've been blamed for voting in Trump and they feel even more ignored and seen as stuck in their conservative views, but Kleeb asserts they do vote progressively all the time at the local level. They are very concerned with climate change and Big Business (although not Big Ag).
I agree with Kleeb that the DNC needs to and can do much better to harvest the votes in rural America if we're going to win back the White House.
I think, though, that farmers and ranchers need to transition from animal exploitation to raising food crops that directly feed the world. Plant-based food is the only way we'll be able to do that in an efficient, ethically responsible way. Kleeb isn't bold enough to promote the transition.
I hope Democratic candidates for president will be. Write a Rural America Contract to help skeptical voters trust the DNC again.