• @markr
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    302 years ago

    The actual rural population is less than 20% of the total US population. The GOP cannot possibly win elections by appealing to the needs and concerns of rural america. They are instead following Nixon’s well worn racist strategy of appealing to the white suburban voters, and in particular to economically insecure white suburban voters.

    • partial_accumen
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      132 years ago

      The actual rural population is less than 20% of the total US population. The GOP cannot possibly win elections by appealing to the needs and concerns of rural america.

      Especially appealing to rural voters at the cost of urban and suburban voters which is what the perception would be if the 80% of voters concerns are dismissed to address the 20% of rural voters.

      • HelixDab
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        fedilink
        22 years ago

        Some of the concerns of the rural voters do concern, or should concern, urban voters. Farm subsidies, for instance; they stabilize prices so that you don’t see wild swings in commodities. It also ensures that more farmers are able to stay farmers when prices crash, which in turn means that Americans get to keep eating. Farm subsidies aren’t usually in contention, except when you’ve got someone with a bug up their ass about a ‘strategic cheese stockpile’ or some such.

        • partial_accumen
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          22 years ago

          Farm subsidies aren’t usually in contention, except when you’ve got someone with a bug up their ass about a ‘strategic cheese stockpile’ or some such.

          I don’t disagree with your statements. I, as a suburban vote, also don’t want rural voter’s needs dismissed. The challenge to OP’s statements is exclusively focusing on rural voter’s needs to the exclusion of urban and suburban voters.