I fear it may be too late. The morbidly rich, who own most of the media here, are focused and united in their goal of recreating a feudalistic society. Ignorance, fear, hatred, bigotry and anger are their tools. We on the left are idealistic, believe in the rule of law, the progressive arc of history, the essential goodness of people. We lack the viciousness and immorality of the morbidly rich. That is why I dread November. Our nation as anything even aspiration ally worthwhile may end the. That won’t affect me much, as I am nearly 76 and in very poor health. But our grandson will be at great risk. If this country and the world survive a return of tfg, it will be my mission in my remaining years to get him and his mother to emigrate to a saner place. Because if November goes as I fear, it could take decades before we restore our country, if that will even be possible. So vote blue, and do all you can to help maximize a blue voter turnout. This is by far the most critical election in my lifetime.
I live among the people you are talking about. 🦊 news is poison. The Republican propaganda machine has been extremely effective. They ARE voting and arguing against their best interests. It IS tough to argue with them regarding the facts that the Democrats have delivered.
Look at what you listed being higher in rural America - crime, poverty, drug addiction, unwanted pregnancies, low high school graduation rates. That’s what they experience. So it’s not difficult for the Republicans to play the blame game. The rural voters don’t follow all the media so they are steered by the lies they are being fed through the firehose of MAGA bs.
Where to counter the free flow of BS is actual Christianity for one. Trump’s messianic views of himself while actually acting like the prequel to the anti christ - can be picked apart. I know some Evangelicals are beginning to have a problem with trump’s actions messiah complex. The MAGAts agenda is definitely the opposite of the Beatitudes.
Additionally - rural voters are supporters of their veterans. What have the MAGAt’s done for our military? Tub Stub but our National Security at risk for his own ego - refused to listen to the top brass.
Matt Gaetz called General Milley a “pig” - WTF 😳- who the is this trust fund puke to call the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff a “pig”. That’s hardly patriotic!!
Law and order- give me a freaking break!! What a contradiction!
Trump let police be attacked for 3 hours while he sat and watched it on TV before he told the attackers to stop. And that’s all he had to do!!!
What kind of mind would allow someone to WATCH people who swore an oath of loyalty to the country be attacked for 3 HOURS and do nothing?
Loyalty and honor means a lot to people who live in rural areas. They need to depend on each other.
Assure them that no one is after their guns because that also gives them a sense of security but hammer on the complete BREACH of honor and loyalty as a leader Donald Trump exhibited on January 6 and has continued to exhibit towards NATO - using WW2 pictures and the devastation of Ukraine.
Take it for what it’s worth - but I immersed myself among this element since 2017 and I used to work in Marketing at Ford World Headquarters.
* Didn’t Trump release all the Taliban prisoners (5000) being held by our forces and the Afghan government without getting the ok from the Afghan government.
What happened to the Kurds who were helping us fight ISIS?
I am in a Blue state but in a Red rural area. I agree that the propaganda has been strong. I worry a lot about the people that eat propaganda for breakfast, but what worries me more is the people that hear the propaganda in passing and believe it. People talk to each other and often think that everyone shares their beliefs. I hear a few more political things being entered into the Christian sermons lately. I have to assume that saying that Christians are being persecuted now more than at any other time may have been a right-wing talking point. The propaganda about freedom is probably big as it relates to guns and COVID. Since the George Floyd murder (in my state), people seem to worry (without merit) about black people burning down big cities and running around shooting at everybody. All while supposedly not working and living off of the government. They blame Biden for Inflation and gas and grocery prices (easier than looking into the issue). Of course, this is just some of the things that I hear from a few people, and I am generalizing some of it. But if I have to hear the lie about litter boxes in schools one more time, I am going to lose it.
Spot on. I grew up in 1950s FlA among these folks, taught at community college and then taught among these folks in ColumbiaSouth Carolina. I have said for too long to remember
Meet that democrats are part of the same club because they don’t know how to do one fundamental thing talk to people where they live. Get down into the street and around the truck stops and at the kitchen table. I am very fearful that they will lose in local elections that they could win but only with the right centrist candidates. People all over the map are fed up with both parties. And mainstream media is untrustworthy so it remains to be seen in we get an Orban fascist’s Christian government despite our constitution and bill of rights
Clinton did a great job of talking to people where they lived. His town hall meetings were super effective at talking to "just plain folks." I think Obama, another ivy leaguer was also effective at talking to "just plain folks." Democrats can do it, and some do. However, someone needs to attack the Republicans disengagement from real people in their policies by spelling out the differences in simple language, which means not attacking guns or other things Rural folks consider part of their lives. I would say guns are a big reason rural folks vote Republican. Another is the perception of conservative Christianity. Those charlatan preachers are leading their simple minded flocks astray. Hard to overcome daily brainwashing for these masses. I also think we need to structurally change how representation works, because protecting rural folks may have been a good goal of the founders of this country, but now it is urban folks who need protecting.
I have same fears. GOP are dirty liars who don't care about any but those who feed them big bucks.
DEMS either think ignoring lies will make them go away, or are too dang lazy to fight back against the lies/liars! Or both. After election, is time to start cleaning house & taking out the garbage in both Parties! But 1st we must still have a democracy in USA!
@ Kay G. 16 Million veterans. The new documentary 'Against All Enemies' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7sGLFtgYhsplores why some military veterans joined the violent, right-wing extremist movement.
The antidote is the magic words "Not suckers or losers." Check out the bar at the Legion or VFW or AmVets. Say the magic words. Epiphany! https://votevets.org/
Let them click a few links & find out themselves what has been done to them by the GOP liars who voted AGAINST any help for rural Americans, but took credit for that help. And who REALLY fought to get them help they needed!! They will know who lied & not be so easy to lie to anymore! They can find out few truths, talk & share them & others can share what they found out too. Otherwise that list is too long to slog thru it all by oneself! Sharing info is sonething folks do well!
The right has focused for decades on creating this bubble in less populated states to help them manipulate congress and the electoral college. The concerted orchestration on the right is what the left doesn't know how to compete with.
All politics is local. In 2023 Kentucky counties that voted approximately 80% in 2016 and 2020 for Trump flipped.
IMHO the moral is that Democratic candidates in Kentucky who are lay preachers and know the lyrics to Bill Monroe's songs win. The same formula applied in other Appalachian states may work as well.
Your formula would most certainly not work with many of us in Appalachia. I’m ok with Bill Monroe not preachers. Most young people probably have no idea who Bill Monroe is.
Yes G G and the Democrats and the left have sat by, worrying only about the General Election, the Senate and the Executive, neglecting the dog catcher, board of education, and city council, and the Republicans haven't, that is how they rose to control most state legislatures.
Is the GOP’s cynical manipulation of religion, gender, and race enough to keep them voting to hurt themselves and enrich Republican fat-cats? Ans. Hope not this time.
1. No mention of Nixon's southern strategy or Jungian collective racial subconscious. Nixon's manipulation has worked. Demagoguery also works. But it can be overcome.
2. Anecdotally, I know many full blown racists "up close and personal" and I will testify that everything is visceral. May be an overactive amygdala, elevated fight and flight responses. Based on my own experience, in one on one confrontations, "Trump hates dogs" and "Trump stole from kids with cancer" work.
I recommend posting these, with proof available to substantiate them in comments. I'm also a veteran and "not suckers or losers" work. Try it on military and history web sites.
4. I'm a volunteer with Field Team 6, which has other volunteers using data mining to target unregistered voters. Here's the mission. https://www.fieldteam6.org/mission
6. Inventory their benefits. Even racists who need government benefits to survive sometimes have an epiphany that as takers and not makers their necks are on the proverbial chopping block.
Nothing more ironic than someone on SSI voting Republican.
When I was making cold calls for Biden in 2020 I came across many people who were on SSI and were registered Republican. I've passed on to the DNC that it's easy to match up those on SSI with registrations. I don't know this as a fact, but I bet many are not even registered. Anyone who is legally in this country at age 65 who is destitute is entitled to SSI. Many people who make a negligible amount of retirement benefits are also eligible for SSI. https://www.ssa.gov/ssi?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwq86wBhDiARIsAJhuphmLWYjGeMkUc0sHVI1UQ9lGcvMqZ7M6SONlj7tT-37VyILvhi7uQu0aAtpmEALw_wcB
May qualify for a maximum monthly benefit of $943 for individuals and $1,415 for couples
Lest we forget; Thomas Frank and “What’s the Matter With Kansas” which was the canary in the coal mine. Still Brownback proved that this self destructive tendency, is embedded, it’s hard to overcome. He wanted to use KS as a petri dish to “prove” trickle down would work and of course it failed spectacularly.
Even then the MAGA monster still holds appeal to his minions
Brownback’s policies proved to be as disastrous as I thought they would, from what I’ve read. I don’t live in Kansas, but in Ohio, where Republicans have shamelessly gerrymandered our state government.
“Nothing more ironic than someone on SSI voting Republican.”
And they don’t even realize it. At all!
I was discussing politics one time at a rural “working-man’s” type drinking establishment and listened quietly to what they were saying about gov’ment this and gov’ment that when I asked them what did they think would happen to their many family members on disability if the government simply stopped it. They were silent for a bit. Then I said, “of course YOU would take care of them, right?”
The men looked terrified, and I left it there. There’s a slight chance I changed one or two minds for a second.
Democrats and liberals have only themselves to blame. The right wing has proselytized rural Americans for about 40 years via talk radio. Meanwhile, Democrats and liberals sucked their thumbs, letting the wingers/Republicans get away with it, possibly assuming that corporate media would report on the lies and BS on talk radio. But that never happened. Still the Dems and liberal allies kept sucking their thumbs and let neoliberal garbage propaganda make matters even worse (like accelerating media concentration/monopolies).
Thus, we have had to suffer through 40+ years of corrupt Republican control of a little over half of the states and 22 years of illegitimate presidents since talk radio hit the air and corporate media either cowered in the corner via "bothsideism" or jumped onboard the fascist express. (Add to that most of the remaining states following the money and being run by neoliberal, incompetent and/or corrupt Democratic parties.)
Now we are faced with another serious challenge to the notion of government of, by and for the people. It's up to We the People to listen to the complaints of our rural neighbors, establish common ground and share our values and then share accurate information face to face, neighbor to neighbor.
The reason they are stuck sucking their thumbs is that since SCOTUS legalized political bribery, all politicians have to dance to the tune that their moneyed owners song. There's no getting around it; he/she with the most money generally wins elections. They'll take the small donations, but it's the large ones that get them into office. So, while the Democrats are allowed to talk a good game, they are hamstrung in all meaningful ways. To me, Obama was the poster child for all this. He talked beautifully about hope and then went right on with the right-wing status quo, afraid to stir the pot.
1. Assuming that you are talking about the Citizens United SCOTUS decision, the lack of engagement predated CU by almost 30 years. 2. When a candidate/party actually produces outcomes that people want, the small donations can add up fairly quickly, but it is far easier for lazy, self-centered pols to just court BIG MONEY. 3. But, by implication, you are quite right that most Americans can't afford to donate a lot of money thanks to the half-century of wage suppression that becomes Social Security suppression as employers double-dipped on working and retired Americans since suppressed wages also suppresses employers' FICA payments.
Yes, the bribery was going on long before CU, but CU sent it into overdrive. But since the right-wing majority SCOTUS itself is a kleptocracy, it will only get worse.
It wasn't only the bribery that predated CU. The abandonment of rural Americans by the liberals and Democrats to the never tender mercies of Limbaugh and crew long predated the CU decision.
Reagan's FCC killed the Fairness Doctrine in 1987. Limbaugh's show began in 1988. The sh!+show began. Corporate station owners gave the wingers lots of time to develop an audience. They refused to give Air America a similar amt. of time and even refused to let some of their stations carrying Air America to promote themselves at local events.
The propaganda worked because the right is composed of willing consumers. I don't give them a pass. There were plenty of other places to put their eyeballs. They just chose the con men and snake oil salesmen - the base bought what they were selling. Yes, right-wing propaganda outlets have proliferated, but that's because they found an audience greedy for the bigotry and misogyny. These aren't poor. benighted people who are just led astray by the whims of others. They have CHOSEN this path because, quite simply, it makes them feel superior.
I respectfully disagree. No Liberal or Democrat forced rural Americans to vote against their own interests. This is not our fault. EVERY time the Democrats try to help them, the Conservatives turn around and vote for those who victimize them. Limbaugh and their ditto-heading of him wasn't the fault of liberals or Democrats. Nor is Hannity, Ingraham, or any of the rest of them. Nobody forced this on them. Don't blame liberals for what the conservatives have done to themselves.
Providing nothing in the way of an alternative did exactly that. Liberals have to give up their popular misconception that the genius of their arguments is all that is needed to inform the public. As anyone who remembers the evaluation of Hitler's "Big Lie" propaganda knows, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat. Hannity, Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Savage, etc. did that ... everywhere. Liberals with the money to counter that tsunami of horse manure didn't.
Republicans Fascists keep screwing their rural constituents because they are of great use to them .
They screw them into worse poverty , radicalize them , and sit on piles of money that should have gone to the citizens.
The Republicans system has been corrupt for so many years and they are working harder than ever to make it worse for rural people every day .
It seems that many of these people are angry at their perceived enemies as instructed by these twisted politicians.
It is important to get information to them .
The Maga Republicans under Trump., want them angry and approaching violence.
The destructive thought that has gone into this Republicans plan to screw their constituents, and by extension , the rest of us, has gone on over many years.
This falls in line with the plan of the Federalist Society and other branches of White Supremacy.
These people with their superiority in their pockets with their power that is money, know this is the result .
They thrive on it and blame everyone but themselves.
As long as the power in this country is held by a few of the wealthiest destructive immoral Americans, it will continue to get worse and extinguish our society.
"... is the GOP’s cynical manipulation of religion, gender, and race enough to keep them voting to hurt themselves and further enrich Republican fat-cats?"
Agreed. I taught them and no matter the facts or evidence they hold opinions and will die by them and feel righteous about it. Religion still is the opioid of the people in these areas. And don’t kid yourself for a lot of educated adults who want to feel superior.
You must have been a refreshing voice, nonetheless. In my experience, most of the teachers were all in on the conservative ideology (and would beat it into the kids if necessary, as corporal punishment in schools was common.)
With maga morons there is not much to do. What should be called brain has long been frozen in times. As Voltaire once wrote: it is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere. The only solution is to cut the head. Lock him up. Go after the corrupt scotus and gop. Free America. Vote BLUE. Amen
I know that right-wing media, especially Fox, has whipped the Evangelical base into a contemporary frenzy. But to be honest, these people were the same before Fox. The Conservative base has never been any different than they are today - easy prey to outrage, misogyny and racism, and at about the same percentage of the citizenry. They just didn't have a national right-wing network to confirm their bigotry and misogyny, working towards providing them with the control of others that they've always lusted after. They are the same vicious minority they've always been, using twisted interpretations of the Bible to justify their ideologies. What's changed is SCOTUS legalizing bribery and dark money flow, obscene gerrymandering and voter suppression. All of this is on behalf of the Federalist Society goals of a USA feudal system.
They are not different than they were in the 50's; they are simply more empowered. That the world they want to create will destroy their children is of no mind to them; only the afterlife matters. Yet, very few of them actually take the teachings of Jesus seriously.
There have always been fringe ideas, groups (John Birch Society) and these ideas weren't mainstream ideas that would have been accepted in the larger society at the time. They never had a larger scale way to connect with each other in the past. They never really knew that there were more people with the same ideas. With the internet and especially social media these people have been able to connect with each other and form larger and more dangerous groups than ever before. Almost anyone can have a blog or a Youtube channel nowadays.
I also agree that dark money is a huge problem. Once Reagan and his people started us on the path to more lobbying and changing the tax codes to increase income inequality it is almost a foregone conclusion that the largesse from those moves would be used to bribe Congress to get the results that they were looking for.
You wrote: "They are the same vicious minority they've always been, using twisted interpretations of the Bible to justify their ideologies." Now, here's a problem with that. As Daniel said, the lack of the internet in the past made it harder to transmit the ideas. But let's say there was no difference in the transmission of ideas. It's often said that fundamentalists follow a literal interpretation of scriptures. Can we say that's never acceptable? I doubt it, because often the literal meaning of something is the one that makes the most sense to someone who hasn't had a chance to study a lot. For example, in the Old Testament, God appears to command slaughtering the Canaanites.
I'm trying to be careful with what I say here, because when talking about religion, it's so easy to offend people. But I remember in the 80's, there was a very sensitive scholar who said the Canaanites probably deserved it. I didn't find that convincing, but if this scholar, Clark Pinnock, could entertain the idea, it's believable that a lot of people would accept it. I'm guessing he gave that up later, based on what I know of his character.
Just to give a little more evidence this is relevant, I had a Facebook friend, a Trump supporter, for awhile who would post "edifying" things like the need to keep your mind on wholesome things and then would post some really horrifying thing. I don't want to give an example. I assume he thought this was his "Biblical realism."
Rural Americans, and my first home was a 1 rm log cabin in Hocking county, Ohio, are rebels at heart and Our Mad King Donald and his corporate media controlling comrades have stoked that fire to keep us/them in a state of fear/xenophobia. The corporate controlled media presents almost entirely highly emotional enraging content, and that rage-focused state is addicting and anti-intellectual. Firing the faster limbic "survival" brain turns off the higher, slower thinking brain, and it's fun. Just look at our "entertainments": NASCAR, WWE. MMA, Prize fights, violent movies (I dare you to show me one without gun violence), violent "sports", war "news", etc.
Many thanks to Thom for another fine article! 12-step meetings often have a sign on the wall: "THINK, THINK, THINK!", and Bill Wilson, co-founder of AA, and the other 100 recovering alcoholics who supported/wrote the iconic book, "Alcoholics Anonymous", suggested that we focus on ridding ourselves of ALL resentments, if we wanted to have a sober and productive life. Those who choose to ignore this sage advice too often come to a miserable, drunken end. We can only hope our constitutional Republic does not follow the same self-destructive path, as only misery can follow.
This is what happened during the Civil War. The confederate army was made up of poor white males that had no vested interest in the war. They didn’t own property or slaves. But they were convinced that freeing the slaves was a threat to them.
Having lived in rural south, and under the roof of a Southern Baptist Preacher Uncle. I know what shapes their minds, believes and opinions.
The Pulpit, Press and Peer Pressure. Mostly the Pulpit
There is not much to do in these communities except go to Wednesday night prayer service and Sunday church services, where they get harangued by the preacher, told what to think, and get reinforced in the parking lot, home visits, phone and the grange.
The local press is as bigoted and selective, then there is Fox, OANN and now social media.
There is no way I can think of to get through to them, religion has them thoroughly brainwashed and under control.
Wondering why rural America is such a mess compared to rural regions in the EU? I’ve thought about this for a long time … I think the answer lies in EU labor market policies which guarantee most full time workers 4 or more weeks of paid vacation per year. The connection? All those well paid urban folks take significant vacations in the countryside: hiking, biking, camping, skiing, fishing & just plain old relaxing doing not much.
Those vacations do 2 things.
First, that’s a consistent flow of income to the rural regions.
Second, and as important, it brings rural folks into regular contact with people from away. This reduces the fear factor, the resentment factor & the ignoramus factor.
Once again Thom, your analysis offers deep insights on the “self loathing” behavior that is driven by revenge and underlying hatred of “the other.”
I’m more convinced than ever that the propaganda and psych warfare employed by cynical Fascist loving billionaires has now reached the boiling frog in a pot level.
Yesterday, I attended a talk by two highly regarded and experienced academics who spend serious time a resources on bringing people from the left and right together to find “common ground.” While I appreciate this effort it is something that assumes there are far right “leaders” who can look beyond the detritus they have been thriving on easily since Goldwater and the John Birch Society whacks to the embrace by Reagan, through the Bush era to Trump. This adherence to the mythical reach across the aisle mentality to find common ground is literally like thinking you can do so with Nazi acolytes of Hitler in 1933.
For those who think comparisons to the rise of Nazism in 1933 to Trumpism today;
Read “The Nazi Seizure of Power: The Experience of a Single German Town, 1922-1945” is like a bone chilling and virtual dé·jà vu of what we are now undergoing. The book originally written in the 80’s no less takes the single mid-sized city of Northheim as a microcosm of the rise of Nazism.
People, stop with the “It can’t happen here” ‘tude and get out the blue vote. That is the first and only line of defense we have!
Right on Thom! We must inform rural Americans of the truth about the Republican agenda. It hasn’t helped them in decades & will not benefit them in the future with Trump.
The rage is carefully - and very skillfully - managed by a small number of people whose wealth and power would be threatened by enlightened policies. Lyndon Johnson laid it out plainly, if a bit crudely: "I'll tell you what's at the bottom of it. If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you." I would add "hate" to "look down on."
I fear it may be too late. The morbidly rich, who own most of the media here, are focused and united in their goal of recreating a feudalistic society. Ignorance, fear, hatred, bigotry and anger are their tools. We on the left are idealistic, believe in the rule of law, the progressive arc of history, the essential goodness of people. We lack the viciousness and immorality of the morbidly rich. That is why I dread November. Our nation as anything even aspiration ally worthwhile may end the. That won’t affect me much, as I am nearly 76 and in very poor health. But our grandson will be at great risk. If this country and the world survive a return of tfg, it will be my mission in my remaining years to get him and his mother to emigrate to a saner place. Because if November goes as I fear, it could take decades before we restore our country, if that will even be possible. So vote blue, and do all you can to help maximize a blue voter turnout. This is by far the most critical election in my lifetime.
Fear not. Check out Hopium. https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/podcast
I live among the people you are talking about. 🦊 news is poison. The Republican propaganda machine has been extremely effective. They ARE voting and arguing against their best interests. It IS tough to argue with them regarding the facts that the Democrats have delivered.
Look at what you listed being higher in rural America - crime, poverty, drug addiction, unwanted pregnancies, low high school graduation rates. That’s what they experience. So it’s not difficult for the Republicans to play the blame game. The rural voters don’t follow all the media so they are steered by the lies they are being fed through the firehose of MAGA bs.
Where to counter the free flow of BS is actual Christianity for one. Trump’s messianic views of himself while actually acting like the prequel to the anti christ - can be picked apart. I know some Evangelicals are beginning to have a problem with trump’s actions messiah complex. The MAGAts agenda is definitely the opposite of the Beatitudes.
Additionally - rural voters are supporters of their veterans. What have the MAGAt’s done for our military? Tub Stub but our National Security at risk for his own ego - refused to listen to the top brass.
Matt Gaetz called General Milley a “pig” - WTF 😳- who the is this trust fund puke to call the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff a “pig”. That’s hardly patriotic!!
Law and order- give me a freaking break!! What a contradiction!
Trump let police be attacked for 3 hours while he sat and watched it on TV before he told the attackers to stop. And that’s all he had to do!!!
What kind of mind would allow someone to WATCH people who swore an oath of loyalty to the country be attacked for 3 HOURS and do nothing?
Loyalty and honor means a lot to people who live in rural areas. They need to depend on each other.
Assure them that no one is after their guns because that also gives them a sense of security but hammer on the complete BREACH of honor and loyalty as a leader Donald Trump exhibited on January 6 and has continued to exhibit towards NATO - using WW2 pictures and the devastation of Ukraine.
Take it for what it’s worth - but I immersed myself among this element since 2017 and I used to work in Marketing at Ford World Headquarters.
* Didn’t Trump release all the Taliban prisoners (5000) being held by our forces and the Afghan government without getting the ok from the Afghan government.
What happened to the Kurds who were helping us fight ISIS?
You can’t trust Trump!
I am in a Blue state but in a Red rural area. I agree that the propaganda has been strong. I worry a lot about the people that eat propaganda for breakfast, but what worries me more is the people that hear the propaganda in passing and believe it. People talk to each other and often think that everyone shares their beliefs. I hear a few more political things being entered into the Christian sermons lately. I have to assume that saying that Christians are being persecuted now more than at any other time may have been a right-wing talking point. The propaganda about freedom is probably big as it relates to guns and COVID. Since the George Floyd murder (in my state), people seem to worry (without merit) about black people burning down big cities and running around shooting at everybody. All while supposedly not working and living off of the government. They blame Biden for Inflation and gas and grocery prices (easier than looking into the issue). Of course, this is just some of the things that I hear from a few people, and I am generalizing some of it. But if I have to hear the lie about litter boxes in schools one more time, I am going to lose it.
Spot on. I grew up in 1950s FlA among these folks, taught at community college and then taught among these folks in ColumbiaSouth Carolina. I have said for too long to remember
Meet that democrats are part of the same club because they don’t know how to do one fundamental thing talk to people where they live. Get down into the street and around the truck stops and at the kitchen table. I am very fearful that they will lose in local elections that they could win but only with the right centrist candidates. People all over the map are fed up with both parties. And mainstream media is untrustworthy so it remains to be seen in we get an Orban fascist’s Christian government despite our constitution and bill of rights
Clinton did a great job of talking to people where they lived. His town hall meetings were super effective at talking to "just plain folks." I think Obama, another ivy leaguer was also effective at talking to "just plain folks." Democrats can do it, and some do. However, someone needs to attack the Republicans disengagement from real people in their policies by spelling out the differences in simple language, which means not attacking guns or other things Rural folks consider part of their lives. I would say guns are a big reason rural folks vote Republican. Another is the perception of conservative Christianity. Those charlatan preachers are leading their simple minded flocks astray. Hard to overcome daily brainwashing for these masses. I also think we need to structurally change how representation works, because protecting rural folks may have been a good goal of the founders of this country, but now it is urban folks who need protecting.
I have same fears. GOP are dirty liars who don't care about any but those who feed them big bucks.
DEMS either think ignoring lies will make them go away, or are too dang lazy to fight back against the lies/liars! Or both. After election, is time to start cleaning house & taking out the garbage in both Parties! But 1st we must still have a democracy in USA!
@ Kay G. 16 Million veterans. The new documentary 'Against All Enemies' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7sGLFtgYhsplores why some military veterans joined the violent, right-wing extremist movement.
The antidote is the magic words "Not suckers or losers." Check out the bar at the Legion or VFW or AmVets. Say the magic words. Epiphany! https://votevets.org/
Let them click a few links & find out themselves what has been done to them by the GOP liars who voted AGAINST any help for rural Americans, but took credit for that help. And who REALLY fought to get them help they needed!! They will know who lied & not be so easy to lie to anymore! They can find out few truths, talk & share them & others can share what they found out too. Otherwise that list is too long to slog thru it all by oneself! Sharing info is sonething folks do well!
The right has focused for decades on creating this bubble in less populated states to help them manipulate congress and the electoral college. The concerted orchestration on the right is what the left doesn't know how to compete with.
All politics is local. In 2023 Kentucky counties that voted approximately 80% in 2016 and 2020 for Trump flipped.
IMHO the moral is that Democratic candidates in Kentucky who are lay preachers and know the lyrics to Bill Monroe's songs win. The same formula applied in other Appalachian states may work as well.
Your formula would most certainly not work with many of us in Appalachia. I’m ok with Bill Monroe not preachers. Most young people probably have no idea who Bill Monroe is.
I know Appalachia. Everybody in Appalachia is exposed to Bluegrass.
Robert Byrd, the most revered politician in the history of WVA, played the fiddle at all his appearances.
Not everyone is exposed to blue grass in Appalachia.
How do I know? I’ve lived here for most of my adult life.
If only it were that simple.
Yes G G and the Democrats and the left have sat by, worrying only about the General Election, the Senate and the Executive, neglecting the dog catcher, board of education, and city council, and the Republicans haven't, that is how they rose to control most state legislatures.
That's why I contribute to forgotten Democrats. https://forgottendemocrats.org/
I'll check that out. Thx!
Is the GOP’s cynical manipulation of religion, gender, and race enough to keep them voting to hurt themselves and enrich Republican fat-cats? Ans. Hope not this time.
1. No mention of Nixon's southern strategy or Jungian collective racial subconscious. Nixon's manipulation has worked. Demagoguery also works. But it can be overcome.
2. Anecdotally, I know many full blown racists "up close and personal" and I will testify that everything is visceral. May be an overactive amygdala, elevated fight and flight responses. Based on my own experience, in one on one confrontations, "Trump hates dogs" and "Trump stole from kids with cancer" work.
I recommend posting these, with proof available to substantiate them in comments. I'm also a veteran and "not suckers or losers" work. Try it on military and history web sites.
Here's proof. https://rvat.org/ Check out the individuals.
3. How to undermine it. Check out Forgotten Democrats. https://forgottendemocrats.org/
Also organizations like Blue Missouri.
4. I'm a volunteer with Field Team 6, which has other volunteers using data mining to target unregistered voters. Here's the mission. https://www.fieldteam6.org/mission
5. Address their culture.
Broken Truth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRSNNrAfv3s
The Day That Democracy Died https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ue5F57dZMU
6. Inventory their benefits. Even racists who need government benefits to survive sometimes have an epiphany that as takers and not makers their necks are on the proverbial chopping block.
Nothing more ironic than someone on SSI voting Republican.
Daniel, your last sentence is all there is to it.
The government does not force you to collect SSI, it’s not a requirement under the constitution.
No one rides around asking people with white hair and a few wrinkles if they’re getting SSI.
So Republicans, if it so offends you, don’t apply. Then you can call yourself a Republican.
In January 2024, 7.4 million people collected SSI benefits.
I've documented Republican attempts to kill SSI as opposed to cut or sunset other benefits like SSA, Medicare, VA, Black Lung, etc. https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/naalj/vol36/iss1/4/
When I was making cold calls for Biden in 2020 I came across many people who were on SSI and were registered Republican. I've passed on to the DNC that it's easy to match up those on SSI with registrations. I don't know this as a fact, but I bet many are not even registered. Anyone who is legally in this country at age 65 who is destitute is entitled to SSI. Many people who make a negligible amount of retirement benefits are also eligible for SSI. https://www.ssa.gov/ssi?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwq86wBhDiARIsAJhuphmLWYjGeMkUc0sHVI1UQ9lGcvMqZ7M6SONlj7tT-37VyILvhi7uQu0aAtpmEALw_wcB
May qualify for a maximum monthly benefit of $943 for individuals and $1,415 for couples
Great stuff Daniel!
Lest we forget; Thomas Frank and “What’s the Matter With Kansas” which was the canary in the coal mine. Still Brownback proved that this self destructive tendency, is embedded, it’s hard to overcome. He wanted to use KS as a petri dish to “prove” trickle down would work and of course it failed spectacularly.
Even then the MAGA monster still holds appeal to his minions
Daniel is spot on and articulates the MAGA agenda flawlessly.
Thank-you, Daniel
(Not Daniel’s mother)
Brownback’s policies proved to be as disastrous as I thought they would, from what I’ve read. I don’t live in Kansas, but in Ohio, where Republicans have shamelessly gerrymandered our state government.
“Nothing more ironic than someone on SSI voting Republican.”
And they don’t even realize it. At all!
I was discussing politics one time at a rural “working-man’s” type drinking establishment and listened quietly to what they were saying about gov’ment this and gov’ment that when I asked them what did they think would happen to their many family members on disability if the government simply stopped it. They were silent for a bit. Then I said, “of course YOU would take care of them, right?”
The men looked terrified, and I left it there. There’s a slight chance I changed one or two minds for a second.
Great replies you've posted!! Really great & with facts, links to more info --- WOW!!! Thank you so much!!
Democrats and liberals have only themselves to blame. The right wing has proselytized rural Americans for about 40 years via talk radio. Meanwhile, Democrats and liberals sucked their thumbs, letting the wingers/Republicans get away with it, possibly assuming that corporate media would report on the lies and BS on talk radio. But that never happened. Still the Dems and liberal allies kept sucking their thumbs and let neoliberal garbage propaganda make matters even worse (like accelerating media concentration/monopolies).
Thus, we have had to suffer through 40+ years of corrupt Republican control of a little over half of the states and 22 years of illegitimate presidents since talk radio hit the air and corporate media either cowered in the corner via "bothsideism" or jumped onboard the fascist express. (Add to that most of the remaining states following the money and being run by neoliberal, incompetent and/or corrupt Democratic parties.)
Now we are faced with another serious challenge to the notion of government of, by and for the people. It's up to We the People to listen to the complaints of our rural neighbors, establish common ground and share our values and then share accurate information face to face, neighbor to neighbor.
The reason they are stuck sucking their thumbs is that since SCOTUS legalized political bribery, all politicians have to dance to the tune that their moneyed owners song. There's no getting around it; he/she with the most money generally wins elections. They'll take the small donations, but it's the large ones that get them into office. So, while the Democrats are allowed to talk a good game, they are hamstrung in all meaningful ways. To me, Obama was the poster child for all this. He talked beautifully about hope and then went right on with the right-wing status quo, afraid to stir the pot.
1. Assuming that you are talking about the Citizens United SCOTUS decision, the lack of engagement predated CU by almost 30 years. 2. When a candidate/party actually produces outcomes that people want, the small donations can add up fairly quickly, but it is far easier for lazy, self-centered pols to just court BIG MONEY. 3. But, by implication, you are quite right that most Americans can't afford to donate a lot of money thanks to the half-century of wage suppression that becomes Social Security suppression as employers double-dipped on working and retired Americans since suppressed wages also suppresses employers' FICA payments.
Yes, the bribery was going on long before CU, but CU sent it into overdrive. But since the right-wing majority SCOTUS itself is a kleptocracy, it will only get worse.
It wasn't only the bribery that predated CU. The abandonment of rural Americans by the liberals and Democrats to the never tender mercies of Limbaugh and crew long predated the CU decision.
Reagan's FCC killed the Fairness Doctrine in 1987. Limbaugh's show began in 1988. The sh!+show began. Corporate station owners gave the wingers lots of time to develop an audience. They refused to give Air America a similar amt. of time and even refused to let some of their stations carrying Air America to promote themselves at local events.
The propaganda worked because the right is composed of willing consumers. I don't give them a pass. There were plenty of other places to put their eyeballs. They just chose the con men and snake oil salesmen - the base bought what they were selling. Yes, right-wing propaganda outlets have proliferated, but that's because they found an audience greedy for the bigotry and misogyny. These aren't poor. benighted people who are just led astray by the whims of others. They have CHOSEN this path because, quite simply, it makes them feel superior.
I respectfully disagree. No Liberal or Democrat forced rural Americans to vote against their own interests. This is not our fault. EVERY time the Democrats try to help them, the Conservatives turn around and vote for those who victimize them. Limbaugh and their ditto-heading of him wasn't the fault of liberals or Democrats. Nor is Hannity, Ingraham, or any of the rest of them. Nobody forced this on them. Don't blame liberals for what the conservatives have done to themselves.
Providing nothing in the way of an alternative did exactly that. Liberals have to give up their popular misconception that the genius of their arguments is all that is needed to inform the public. As anyone who remembers the evaluation of Hitler's "Big Lie" propaganda knows, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat. Hannity, Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Savage, etc. did that ... everywhere. Liberals with the money to counter that tsunami of horse manure didn't.
Should be "sing" and not "song." Autocorrect....not my friend.
Republicans Fascists keep screwing their rural constituents because they are of great use to them .
They screw them into worse poverty , radicalize them , and sit on piles of money that should have gone to the citizens.
The Republicans system has been corrupt for so many years and they are working harder than ever to make it worse for rural people every day .
It seems that many of these people are angry at their perceived enemies as instructed by these twisted politicians.
It is important to get information to them .
The Maga Republicans under Trump., want them angry and approaching violence.
The destructive thought that has gone into this Republicans plan to screw their constituents, and by extension , the rest of us, has gone on over many years.
This falls in line with the plan of the Federalist Society and other branches of White Supremacy.
These people with their superiority in their pockets with their power that is money, know this is the result .
They thrive on it and blame everyone but themselves.
As long as the power in this country is held by a few of the wealthiest destructive immoral Americans, it will continue to get worse and extinguish our society.
"... is the GOP’s cynical manipulation of religion, gender, and race enough to keep them voting to hurt themselves and further enrich Republican fat-cats?"
Yes. I grew up with these people.
Agreed. I taught them and no matter the facts or evidence they hold opinions and will die by them and feel righteous about it. Religion still is the opioid of the people in these areas. And don’t kid yourself for a lot of educated adults who want to feel superior.
You must have been a refreshing voice, nonetheless. In my experience, most of the teachers were all in on the conservative ideology (and would beat it into the kids if necessary, as corporal punishment in schools was common.)
With maga morons there is not much to do. What should be called brain has long been frozen in times. As Voltaire once wrote: it is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere. The only solution is to cut the head. Lock him up. Go after the corrupt scotus and gop. Free America. Vote BLUE. Amen
I know that right-wing media, especially Fox, has whipped the Evangelical base into a contemporary frenzy. But to be honest, these people were the same before Fox. The Conservative base has never been any different than they are today - easy prey to outrage, misogyny and racism, and at about the same percentage of the citizenry. They just didn't have a national right-wing network to confirm their bigotry and misogyny, working towards providing them with the control of others that they've always lusted after. They are the same vicious minority they've always been, using twisted interpretations of the Bible to justify their ideologies. What's changed is SCOTUS legalizing bribery and dark money flow, obscene gerrymandering and voter suppression. All of this is on behalf of the Federalist Society goals of a USA feudal system.
They are not different than they were in the 50's; they are simply more empowered. That the world they want to create will destroy their children is of no mind to them; only the afterlife matters. Yet, very few of them actually take the teachings of Jesus seriously.
There have always been fringe ideas, groups (John Birch Society) and these ideas weren't mainstream ideas that would have been accepted in the larger society at the time. They never had a larger scale way to connect with each other in the past. They never really knew that there were more people with the same ideas. With the internet and especially social media these people have been able to connect with each other and form larger and more dangerous groups than ever before. Almost anyone can have a blog or a Youtube channel nowadays.
I also agree that dark money is a huge problem. Once Reagan and his people started us on the path to more lobbying and changing the tax codes to increase income inequality it is almost a foregone conclusion that the largesse from those moves would be used to bribe Congress to get the results that they were looking for.
Yes! You get it.
You wrote: "They are the same vicious minority they've always been, using twisted interpretations of the Bible to justify their ideologies." Now, here's a problem with that. As Daniel said, the lack of the internet in the past made it harder to transmit the ideas. But let's say there was no difference in the transmission of ideas. It's often said that fundamentalists follow a literal interpretation of scriptures. Can we say that's never acceptable? I doubt it, because often the literal meaning of something is the one that makes the most sense to someone who hasn't had a chance to study a lot. For example, in the Old Testament, God appears to command slaughtering the Canaanites.
I'm trying to be careful with what I say here, because when talking about religion, it's so easy to offend people. But I remember in the 80's, there was a very sensitive scholar who said the Canaanites probably deserved it. I didn't find that convincing, but if this scholar, Clark Pinnock, could entertain the idea, it's believable that a lot of people would accept it. I'm guessing he gave that up later, based on what I know of his character.
Just to give a little more evidence this is relevant, I had a Facebook friend, a Trump supporter, for awhile who would post "edifying" things like the need to keep your mind on wholesome things and then would post some really horrifying thing. I don't want to give an example. I assume he thought this was his "Biblical realism."
Rural Americans, and my first home was a 1 rm log cabin in Hocking county, Ohio, are rebels at heart and Our Mad King Donald and his corporate media controlling comrades have stoked that fire to keep us/them in a state of fear/xenophobia. The corporate controlled media presents almost entirely highly emotional enraging content, and that rage-focused state is addicting and anti-intellectual. Firing the faster limbic "survival" brain turns off the higher, slower thinking brain, and it's fun. Just look at our "entertainments": NASCAR, WWE. MMA, Prize fights, violent movies (I dare you to show me one without gun violence), violent "sports", war "news", etc.
Many thanks to Thom for another fine article! 12-step meetings often have a sign on the wall: "THINK, THINK, THINK!", and Bill Wilson, co-founder of AA, and the other 100 recovering alcoholics who supported/wrote the iconic book, "Alcoholics Anonymous", suggested that we focus on ridding ourselves of ALL resentments, if we wanted to have a sober and productive life. Those who choose to ignore this sage advice too often come to a miserable, drunken end. We can only hope our constitutional Republic does not follow the same self-destructive path, as only misery can follow.
This is what happened during the Civil War. The confederate army was made up of poor white males that had no vested interest in the war. They didn’t own property or slaves. But they were convinced that freeing the slaves was a threat to them.
Having lived in rural south, and under the roof of a Southern Baptist Preacher Uncle. I know what shapes their minds, believes and opinions.
The Pulpit, Press and Peer Pressure. Mostly the Pulpit
There is not much to do in these communities except go to Wednesday night prayer service and Sunday church services, where they get harangued by the preacher, told what to think, and get reinforced in the parking lot, home visits, phone and the grange.
The local press is as bigoted and selective, then there is Fox, OANN and now social media.
There is no way I can think of to get through to them, religion has them thoroughly brainwashed and under control.
Wondering why rural America is such a mess compared to rural regions in the EU? I’ve thought about this for a long time … I think the answer lies in EU labor market policies which guarantee most full time workers 4 or more weeks of paid vacation per year. The connection? All those well paid urban folks take significant vacations in the countryside: hiking, biking, camping, skiing, fishing & just plain old relaxing doing not much.
Those vacations do 2 things.
First, that’s a consistent flow of income to the rural regions.
Second, and as important, it brings rural folks into regular contact with people from away. This reduces the fear factor, the resentment factor & the ignoramus factor.
Think I might be onto something?
Once again Thom, your analysis offers deep insights on the “self loathing” behavior that is driven by revenge and underlying hatred of “the other.”
I’m more convinced than ever that the propaganda and psych warfare employed by cynical Fascist loving billionaires has now reached the boiling frog in a pot level.
Yesterday, I attended a talk by two highly regarded and experienced academics who spend serious time a resources on bringing people from the left and right together to find “common ground.” While I appreciate this effort it is something that assumes there are far right “leaders” who can look beyond the detritus they have been thriving on easily since Goldwater and the John Birch Society whacks to the embrace by Reagan, through the Bush era to Trump. This adherence to the mythical reach across the aisle mentality to find common ground is literally like thinking you can do so with Nazi acolytes of Hitler in 1933.
For those who think comparisons to the rise of Nazism in 1933 to Trumpism today;
Read “The Nazi Seizure of Power: The Experience of a Single German Town, 1922-1945” is like a bone chilling and virtual dé·jà vu of what we are now undergoing. The book originally written in the 80’s no less takes the single mid-sized city of Northheim as a microcosm of the rise of Nazism.
People, stop with the “It can’t happen here” ‘tude and get out the blue vote. That is the first and only line of defense we have!
Right on Thom! We must inform rural Americans of the truth about the Republican agenda. It hasn’t helped them in decades & will not benefit them in the future with Trump.
The rage is carefully - and very skillfully - managed by a small number of people whose wealth and power would be threatened by enlightened policies. Lyndon Johnson laid it out plainly, if a bit crudely: "I'll tell you what's at the bottom of it. If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you." I would add "hate" to "look down on."