If you visit my Substack, you'll see I have comprehensive, and I mean comprehensive, voter education materials posted. I tried to GIVE them to Democratic candidates ... No one was interested. But they went all nuts after the election trying to reach thousands of voters to "cure" their ballots. They forgot that an ounce of prevention would have been worth a ton of cure.
You have to fire all the current political consultants and party staff and replace them with people with a completely different mindset. If you don't, nothing will change.
By the way, I'm happy to license my materials to any candidate who wants them. And I'll help develop an effective website for them.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Sharon. And thank you for your willingness to work with candidates! Running for office is a large undertaking often done by candidates who need guidance on best practices and strategy, so thanks for your work to help them.
Agreed about the rural voter sense of place, and the party's ridiculous top-down approach (which assumes actual leadership at the top) but we had a candidate against Bobby Kaufmann who was a 6th generation farmer, fire fighter, hunter etc. - he literally knew everyone and their mother! And he still didn't win.
First, I believe we need a well-articulated vision that inspires rural people to act.
Then we need candidates with the courage to engage workers and farmers. Dems at the Teamster Cargill rally hang together like a gaggle of nervous geese. Bohannon ignored rural Iowa, showing up 2 times in 4 months to Cedar County, once to the Dem rally!
Last, we needed to amplify (and that chance is over now) the FEDERAL funds that poured into these poverty-stricken communities over the last 4 years and gave people JOBS. But Biden couldn't even figure out how to stick a sign with his name on it on a road construction site in all those years.
I'm going back to organizing around issues and independently of the Democratic Party until it's willing to show some spine, some leadership.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Suzan. These criticisms and suggestions need to be heard and could be incorporated into a local organizational strategy, but the work done locally needs to be supported with resources from the state and national party organizations.
Agreed, but all the state party EVER does is cry poverty. And without a vision, why would anyone donate? It's not chicken and egg. It's way simpler than that. And when they DO have money they wield it like a cleaver. It's a really dysfunctional relationship. I watched our county chair suffer through it and he's been enduring it for decades.
The rural consciousness section is spot on. I grew up in rural SW Iowa and worked there for 20 years before moving to Des Moines. As a teacher I often attended the ISEA Delegate Assembly and found that union members from rural schools felt Des Moines teachers dominated the action on the floor of the Assembly. I was able to tap into that to organize rural teachers to stop some of the actions introduced by Des Moines. There is strength, and power, in numbers. Ironically I eventually was hired to be the Executive Director of the Des Moines Education Association and found myself on the receiving end of some of that rural ire. There is a great deal of resentment in rural Iowa toward Des Moines. Inversely, people in Des Moines look down on rural Iowans and discount their legitimate concerns. I've often thought it would be useful to take a group of Des Moines friends on a grand tour of rural Iowa so they could gain some perspective of the issues people in those areas face and to discover there are a lot of good rural Iowans who aren't getting a voice.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Randy. Education policy and funding is certainly a space where rural consciousness creeps in, especially when resource comparisons can be easily made. Building bridges to these rural communities could certainly help policymakers and urbanites understand the real concerns and issues folks in rural Iowa are facing. The funding challenges facing our schools are only going to get amplified as the rollout of the ESA program continues into next year and I would argue that makes bridge building even more important.
One of the things that I think is important to do for Substack is a deep dive into education finance with a special focus on urban rural disparities.
I went to a one room rural school with no indoor plumbing through fifth grade and I'd guess that you two are the only ones who have any idea that such a thing would have existed.
I think that education and health care disparities are things that most people can understand and sympathize with.
I agree! Small towns literally fall apart once the school closes. Small schools are their most treasured amenity. In Small town Iowa, everyone supports the school!
I will add, the ESAs are very decisive for smaller towns. Too many people didn't/don't understand how they work. A startup private school in our town is now accredited. Once people realize how much will be sucked from our public school- the shinola will start hitting the fan- it will cause harm to the fabric of our community.
Come on up, Randy. Our local Dems meet monthly and are holding our own. I would love to introduce you to them. But I would also say that, until we can thwart evangelicals willingness to ignore IRS regulations, we will continue bringing a knife to a gun fight and getting shot. Nowhere more obvious than NW Iowa. Lee Atwater cleaved the Catholic vote away from the Dems using abortion as a wedge issue. Until we can counter that constituency—perhaps with a genuinely Christian message—we are shouting into the wind. Scott
As the long time chair of Howard county Iowa Democrats I can tell you that everything started going downhill in 2010. Then we had chair after chair after chair that was absolutely tone deaf. Nothing has changed. Thank you for this insightful right up. I stepped down last year because I had enough.
Thank you for reading and commenting, Laura. And thank you for your service as a county chair! As we transition toward the next election cycle, it's time to start empowering folks to build effective local organizations. I really believe that it is the path forward if we are going to have competitive elections in rural Iowa.
We need a state party chair who is visible, well groomed and dressed, and speaks forcefully about State issues. The only person who seems to do that is state Senator Komferst (sp). There are plenty of issues to talk about in Iowa. State party chair also could enlist a variety of speakers and experts. Start a podcast. Put essays on the party websites. Video conferences . Issues school vouchers, education policy which is anti rural, tax policy which is antirural. The list is endless.
Just stumbled across this post of yours. I confess that I haven’t taken time to read the 40 prior comments. But why doesn’t the Iowa D Party call for caucuses NOW? This is a prime time to discuss the challenges of the moment, while we watch the federal government being dismantled. Then neighbors could meet and discuss and debate and learn from one another.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Josiah. Per the state party's constitution, off-year precinct-caucuses can be called for by the state party during the first quarter of odd-numbered years. I agree with your point regarding using the off-year caucus for gaining an understanding of this moment in political time, but at a more basic level hosting caucuses right now affords an opportunity for party building as we move toward local elections later this year and the midterms in 2026.
I live in Pella and am an Independent, though I lean start toward the Democratic ideology. I agree with your assessment that the Democratic elite have ignored rural constituents way too long. We also need to get some new, younger blood into positions of leadership. There is much to be said for experience, but how can that come about if the old crows won’t start mentoring and supporting new blood? Get over your egos and get out of the way!
I find the Democratic Party leadership mealy mouthed. Stand up! Raise your voice a bit to show you are angry! We do not have to take the “low road” but there comes a time where the “middle road”makes a bigger impact than the “high road”.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Tom. I do agree that Iowa Democrats need to change course and pursue new strategies to rebuild the party. Building real relationships in rural areas will take time, but could yield important benefits. Whether that comes through younger leadership or current Democratic power brokers I don't know, but the change in direction needs to come eventually in order to become competitive again.
This is an excellent piece. I moved to Iowa (for a job at the University of Iowa) in 2019, and was an early volunteer for the Buttigieg campaign. Previously, I campaigned for Tim Walz in Minnesota. What both (successful) campaign have in common is a no-nonsense, principled approach to politics that refuses the divisive narratives of elites v. working class, rural v. urban, etc etc. Having said that, I’ve been massively discouraged by our results in the past two years. I walked over 60 miles campaigning for Bohannan in IA01. I discovered we were canvassing and recanvassing the same houses, which made potential voters feel harassed, not inspired. We need leadership that embraces the philosophies of Walz and Buttigieg and doesn’t waste the time, effort, and talent of volunteers ready to do the grunt work of democracy.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Jane. And thank you for your work on behalf of candidates in various elections! Your comments about local organizing offer more evidence suggesting that local organizing efforts needs to be modified moving forward. I go back to the point I made at the conclusion of the piece. If Bohannon gets 45-50 more votes in each of the 19 counties outside of Johnson County she wins the seat. How many of those potential voters who felt harassed decided in the end to stay home or roll off the IA-1 race? More importantly, how many other potential Bohannon voters were not contacted as a result of the repeated contacts strategy? The margins were so small the slightest of shifts could have made a huge difference.
I agree with your grass roots plans. As secretary of a rural county committee, the biggest challenges we faced with 3 really good candidates, was obtaining good voter info, lack of volunteers, and no monetary help from IDP.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Jan. Hopefully moving forward there will be a larger opportunity for the local party organizations. As I wrote, I think it is vital if the party is going to attempt to be relevant again in rural areas.
Very good essay and interesting and worthwhile comments. Is there any way to compare and contrast what Republicans did when the Democrats had control of both chambers for about 10 years in the 1980s or when they had control of the governors seat for 12 consecutive years or when they had a trifecta for a couple years during governor Culver.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Ralph. Great question about organizing on the Republican side. I haven't collected any qualitative or quantitative data on that question, but it would make for an interesting research project. Maybe others have insight here?
My father and mother were active Democrats in a rural Iowa county, and we often hosted the precinct caucus in our living room. (I remember as a child serving coffee during at least one in the 50’s.) My father loved the way that the caucus allowed the neighbors to talk through issues, come to consensus if not agreement, and send their views to the county convention, where the process continued all the way up to the national convention. Somewhere we lost that way of incorporating the perspectives of the grassroots into the party. When I grew up, I became a group process facilitator as a result of my dad’s passion for grassroots voices. What I tell leaders, based on a lifetime of experience is that “If you ask people for their wisdom, and you really listen, they think YOU are wise. (And they will vote for you.) The real secret, of course, is that if you ask people for their wisdom and really listen, you get more wise! I still vote for people who have demonstrated that they listen and respond to their constituents.
Thanks for reading and commenting. I agree with you that the loss of the presidential caucuses is problematic for organizing. New structures need to be built at the precinct and county level to replace that structure the caucuses provided. I also agree with your point about authentic listening. I had my students read a book last semester which discussed that very point. I believe it is an important element of local organizing and needs to be a focal point moving forward.
Thank you. A point of clarity: in those days they were not presidential caucuses. They were more party platform caucuses in my experience, to create the “planks” of the party “platform”. Literally building the platform from the bottom up.
I canvassed for Hillary Clinton and Pete Buttigieg, as well as Liz Mathis. For the Presidential campaigns, I felt the national organization was very DC oriented, not local. The Pete campaign was awesome with lots of support and materials. For Liz, I still don’t know why she didn’t win other than we had already turned red, because she has done so much for Iowa. My view is that the Democrats have horrible communication relative to what they do for people. The party has been able to help rural communities a lot. What really has the Republican Party done? They support big ag businesses but not the general rural communities. They take credit for monies the Democrats get approved, like all the infrastructure projects recently, as well as COVID money Reynolds has diverted. Their advantage is the massive communication system they have developed with Fox, Newsmax, OANN, X, etc.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Roxanne. You are certainly right that Iowa Republicans have significant advantages when it comes to communications from the party itself but also from conservative media sources. That said, I do think local organizing to identity those persuadable voters and then getting them to the polls is a tested strategy that has worked for a long time. Additionally, I do think there are some voters out there who voted for Republicans but might latch on to some of the Democratic candidates who have run for the legislature (or even Congress) if lines of communication had been opened through local work. The only way to find out is for the party to empower local party organizations and provide them the resources they need to get the work done, and then wait to see if the votes follow.
I have no special insight and no sage advice to offer but as a lifelong resident and party activist of southeastern iowa, I do have some observations. First is the immediate reaction to always blame “the party.” But who makes up the party? You, me and every other registered Democrat. That said what do Democrats individually offer to winning elections? Do we donate to the state party?
Do we donate to county parties. Damn little. Is it all about money? Maybe not but somebody ought to tell the republicans that. Do we volunteer. Do we ever agree to work in unison, as a team rather than endlessly debate every single decision that is made.
I ramble but my point is this. Good healthy analysis and introspection is good. But I am tired of the Democratic Party eating itself up from the inside out and then rebuilding from scratch every time and not recognizing THAT as a problem of its own. And I am tired of people who don’t experience the culture, the isolation and the poverty of rural Iowa telling us how to fix it. For years no one paid us much if any attention and suddenly, we are the potential salvation of the party. We can change leadership. We can change strategies. But until we begin to act as a unified body, we won’t win.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Mary. I think the endless debate about decisions could be a function of not feeling heard or feeling as if folks outside of rural areas can best solve all problems. Working together as a unified body includes a perception of real listening, which might be the real missing ingredient here.
Come on down, Randy! Our SW Iowa group would love to host a tour. Walk a day in another man's shoes, so to speak.
I hear little about how to address the national media pollution and the impact it is having on otherwise intelligent, loving neighbors who would choose ANY alternative to the devil branded "D".
If you visit my Substack, you'll see I have comprehensive, and I mean comprehensive, voter education materials posted. I tried to GIVE them to Democratic candidates ... No one was interested. But they went all nuts after the election trying to reach thousands of voters to "cure" their ballots. They forgot that an ounce of prevention would have been worth a ton of cure.
You have to fire all the current political consultants and party staff and replace them with people with a completely different mindset. If you don't, nothing will change.
By the way, I'm happy to license my materials to any candidate who wants them. And I'll help develop an effective website for them.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Sharon. And thank you for your willingness to work with candidates! Running for office is a large undertaking often done by candidates who need guidance on best practices and strategy, so thanks for your work to help them.
I want an America that works for everyone!
The amount of people that have been groomed into the belief that democrats are “communists” is frightening
The prejudice against “the left” is without any evidence based in fact
Agreed about the rural voter sense of place, and the party's ridiculous top-down approach (which assumes actual leadership at the top) but we had a candidate against Bobby Kaufmann who was a 6th generation farmer, fire fighter, hunter etc. - he literally knew everyone and their mother! And he still didn't win.
First, I believe we need a well-articulated vision that inspires rural people to act.
Then we need candidates with the courage to engage workers and farmers. Dems at the Teamster Cargill rally hang together like a gaggle of nervous geese. Bohannon ignored rural Iowa, showing up 2 times in 4 months to Cedar County, once to the Dem rally!
Last, we needed to amplify (and that chance is over now) the FEDERAL funds that poured into these poverty-stricken communities over the last 4 years and gave people JOBS. But Biden couldn't even figure out how to stick a sign with his name on it on a road construction site in all those years.
I'm going back to organizing around issues and independently of the Democratic Party until it's willing to show some spine, some leadership.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Suzan. These criticisms and suggestions need to be heard and could be incorporated into a local organizational strategy, but the work done locally needs to be supported with resources from the state and national party organizations.
Agreed, but all the state party EVER does is cry poverty. And without a vision, why would anyone donate? It's not chicken and egg. It's way simpler than that. And when they DO have money they wield it like a cleaver. It's a really dysfunctional relationship. I watched our county chair suffer through it and he's been enduring it for decades.
The rural consciousness section is spot on. I grew up in rural SW Iowa and worked there for 20 years before moving to Des Moines. As a teacher I often attended the ISEA Delegate Assembly and found that union members from rural schools felt Des Moines teachers dominated the action on the floor of the Assembly. I was able to tap into that to organize rural teachers to stop some of the actions introduced by Des Moines. There is strength, and power, in numbers. Ironically I eventually was hired to be the Executive Director of the Des Moines Education Association and found myself on the receiving end of some of that rural ire. There is a great deal of resentment in rural Iowa toward Des Moines. Inversely, people in Des Moines look down on rural Iowans and discount their legitimate concerns. I've often thought it would be useful to take a group of Des Moines friends on a grand tour of rural Iowa so they could gain some perspective of the issues people in those areas face and to discover there are a lot of good rural Iowans who aren't getting a voice.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Randy. Education policy and funding is certainly a space where rural consciousness creeps in, especially when resource comparisons can be easily made. Building bridges to these rural communities could certainly help policymakers and urbanites understand the real concerns and issues folks in rural Iowa are facing. The funding challenges facing our schools are only going to get amplified as the rollout of the ESA program continues into next year and I would argue that makes bridge building even more important.
One of the things that I think is important to do for Substack is a deep dive into education finance with a special focus on urban rural disparities.
I went to a one room rural school with no indoor plumbing through fifth grade and I'd guess that you two are the only ones who have any idea that such a thing would have existed.
I think that education and health care disparities are things that most people can understand and sympathize with.
If you need any data on school finance let me know
Will although I have a long list of topics ahead of that one.
I agree! Small towns literally fall apart once the school closes. Small schools are their most treasured amenity. In Small town Iowa, everyone supports the school!
I will add, the ESAs are very decisive for smaller towns. Too many people didn't/don't understand how they work. A startup private school in our town is now accredited. Once people realize how much will be sucked from our public school- the shinola will start hitting the fan- it will cause harm to the fabric of our community.
I've started a series of posts on agriculture and rural life to help bridge the gap. Check them out on my Substack. Many more to come
Nebraska farm girl here so I think I have a fairly decent idea of where the differences may be brushed.
Come on up, Randy. Our local Dems meet monthly and are holding our own. I would love to introduce you to them. But I would also say that, until we can thwart evangelicals willingness to ignore IRS regulations, we will continue bringing a knife to a gun fight and getting shot. Nowhere more obvious than NW Iowa. Lee Atwater cleaved the Catholic vote away from the Dems using abortion as a wedge issue. Until we can counter that constituency—perhaps with a genuinely Christian message—we are shouting into the wind. Scott
As the long time chair of Howard county Iowa Democrats I can tell you that everything started going downhill in 2010. Then we had chair after chair after chair that was absolutely tone deaf. Nothing has changed. Thank you for this insightful right up. I stepped down last year because I had enough.
Thank you for reading and commenting, Laura. And thank you for your service as a county chair! As we transition toward the next election cycle, it's time to start empowering folks to build effective local organizations. I really believe that it is the path forward if we are going to have competitive elections in rural Iowa.
Thank you for your hard work.
We need a state party chair who is visible, well groomed and dressed, and speaks forcefully about State issues. The only person who seems to do that is state Senator Komferst (sp). There are plenty of issues to talk about in Iowa. State party chair also could enlist a variety of speakers and experts. Start a podcast. Put essays on the party websites. Video conferences . Issues school vouchers, education policy which is anti rural, tax policy which is antirural. The list is endless.
Francis Pisney Iowa Falls IA.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Francis. Great ideas shared here for increased engagement with rural Iowa.
Mr. Green:
Just stumbled across this post of yours. I confess that I haven’t taken time to read the 40 prior comments. But why doesn’t the Iowa D Party call for caucuses NOW? This is a prime time to discuss the challenges of the moment, while we watch the federal government being dismantled. Then neighbors could meet and discuss and debate and learn from one another.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Josiah. Per the state party's constitution, off-year precinct-caucuses can be called for by the state party during the first quarter of odd-numbered years. I agree with your point regarding using the off-year caucus for gaining an understanding of this moment in political time, but at a more basic level hosting caucuses right now affords an opportunity for party building as we move toward local elections later this year and the midterms in 2026.
I’ve received several notices about the upcoming “off year caucus” from the Scott County Democrats.
Thanks- Just discovered that Mills Co has one such caucus next week. Those of us who hate FB need to search for notices elsewhere….
I live in Pella and am an Independent, though I lean start toward the Democratic ideology. I agree with your assessment that the Democratic elite have ignored rural constituents way too long. We also need to get some new, younger blood into positions of leadership. There is much to be said for experience, but how can that come about if the old crows won’t start mentoring and supporting new blood? Get over your egos and get out of the way!
I find the Democratic Party leadership mealy mouthed. Stand up! Raise your voice a bit to show you are angry! We do not have to take the “low road” but there comes a time where the “middle road”makes a bigger impact than the “high road”.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Tom. I do agree that Iowa Democrats need to change course and pursue new strategies to rebuild the party. Building real relationships in rural areas will take time, but could yield important benefits. Whether that comes through younger leadership or current Democratic power brokers I don't know, but the change in direction needs to come eventually in order to become competitive again.
This is an excellent piece. I moved to Iowa (for a job at the University of Iowa) in 2019, and was an early volunteer for the Buttigieg campaign. Previously, I campaigned for Tim Walz in Minnesota. What both (successful) campaign have in common is a no-nonsense, principled approach to politics that refuses the divisive narratives of elites v. working class, rural v. urban, etc etc. Having said that, I’ve been massively discouraged by our results in the past two years. I walked over 60 miles campaigning for Bohannan in IA01. I discovered we were canvassing and recanvassing the same houses, which made potential voters feel harassed, not inspired. We need leadership that embraces the philosophies of Walz and Buttigieg and doesn’t waste the time, effort, and talent of volunteers ready to do the grunt work of democracy.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Jane. And thank you for your work on behalf of candidates in various elections! Your comments about local organizing offer more evidence suggesting that local organizing efforts needs to be modified moving forward. I go back to the point I made at the conclusion of the piece. If Bohannon gets 45-50 more votes in each of the 19 counties outside of Johnson County she wins the seat. How many of those potential voters who felt harassed decided in the end to stay home or roll off the IA-1 race? More importantly, how many other potential Bohannon voters were not contacted as a result of the repeated contacts strategy? The margins were so small the slightest of shifts could have made a huge difference.
I agree with your grass roots plans. As secretary of a rural county committee, the biggest challenges we faced with 3 really good candidates, was obtaining good voter info, lack of volunteers, and no monetary help from IDP.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Jan. Hopefully moving forward there will be a larger opportunity for the local party organizations. As I wrote, I think it is vital if the party is going to attempt to be relevant again in rural areas.
Very good essay and interesting and worthwhile comments. Is there any way to compare and contrast what Republicans did when the Democrats had control of both chambers for about 10 years in the 1980s or when they had control of the governors seat for 12 consecutive years or when they had a trifecta for a couple years during governor Culver.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Ralph. Great question about organizing on the Republican side. I haven't collected any qualitative or quantitative data on that question, but it would make for an interesting research project. Maybe others have insight here?
My father and mother were active Democrats in a rural Iowa county, and we often hosted the precinct caucus in our living room. (I remember as a child serving coffee during at least one in the 50’s.) My father loved the way that the caucus allowed the neighbors to talk through issues, come to consensus if not agreement, and send their views to the county convention, where the process continued all the way up to the national convention. Somewhere we lost that way of incorporating the perspectives of the grassroots into the party. When I grew up, I became a group process facilitator as a result of my dad’s passion for grassroots voices. What I tell leaders, based on a lifetime of experience is that “If you ask people for their wisdom, and you really listen, they think YOU are wise. (And they will vote for you.) The real secret, of course, is that if you ask people for their wisdom and really listen, you get more wise! I still vote for people who have demonstrated that they listen and respond to their constituents.
Thanks for reading and commenting. I agree with you that the loss of the presidential caucuses is problematic for organizing. New structures need to be built at the precinct and county level to replace that structure the caucuses provided. I also agree with your point about authentic listening. I had my students read a book last semester which discussed that very point. I believe it is an important element of local organizing and needs to be a focal point moving forward.
Thank you. A point of clarity: in those days they were not presidential caucuses. They were more party platform caucuses in my experience, to create the “planks” of the party “platform”. Literally building the platform from the bottom up.
I canvassed for Hillary Clinton and Pete Buttigieg, as well as Liz Mathis. For the Presidential campaigns, I felt the national organization was very DC oriented, not local. The Pete campaign was awesome with lots of support and materials. For Liz, I still don’t know why she didn’t win other than we had already turned red, because she has done so much for Iowa. My view is that the Democrats have horrible communication relative to what they do for people. The party has been able to help rural communities a lot. What really has the Republican Party done? They support big ag businesses but not the general rural communities. They take credit for monies the Democrats get approved, like all the infrastructure projects recently, as well as COVID money Reynolds has diverted. Their advantage is the massive communication system they have developed with Fox, Newsmax, OANN, X, etc.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Roxanne. You are certainly right that Iowa Republicans have significant advantages when it comes to communications from the party itself but also from conservative media sources. That said, I do think local organizing to identity those persuadable voters and then getting them to the polls is a tested strategy that has worked for a long time. Additionally, I do think there are some voters out there who voted for Republicans but might latch on to some of the Democratic candidates who have run for the legislature (or even Congress) if lines of communication had been opened through local work. The only way to find out is for the party to empower local party organizations and provide them the resources they need to get the work done, and then wait to see if the votes follow.
Great comments here! We need to figure out how to get a Midwestern group together!
I have no special insight and no sage advice to offer but as a lifelong resident and party activist of southeastern iowa, I do have some observations. First is the immediate reaction to always blame “the party.” But who makes up the party? You, me and every other registered Democrat. That said what do Democrats individually offer to winning elections? Do we donate to the state party?
Do we donate to county parties. Damn little. Is it all about money? Maybe not but somebody ought to tell the republicans that. Do we volunteer. Do we ever agree to work in unison, as a team rather than endlessly debate every single decision that is made.
I ramble but my point is this. Good healthy analysis and introspection is good. But I am tired of the Democratic Party eating itself up from the inside out and then rebuilding from scratch every time and not recognizing THAT as a problem of its own. And I am tired of people who don’t experience the culture, the isolation and the poverty of rural Iowa telling us how to fix it. For years no one paid us much if any attention and suddenly, we are the potential salvation of the party. We can change leadership. We can change strategies. But until we begin to act as a unified body, we won’t win.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Mary. I think the endless debate about decisions could be a function of not feeling heard or feeling as if folks outside of rural areas can best solve all problems. Working together as a unified body includes a perception of real listening, which might be the real missing ingredient here.
Come on down, Randy! Our SW Iowa group would love to host a tour. Walk a day in another man's shoes, so to speak.
I hear little about how to address the national media pollution and the impact it is having on otherwise intelligent, loving neighbors who would choose ANY alternative to the devil branded "D".