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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHeidi Heitkamp (ND) has been busy. Good thing
Former Senator Heitkamp is part of a group called 'The One Country Project'. The Project is to bring Democratic policies and ideas to rural voters in states like North Dakota.
The idea is to sell progressive ideas in conservative terms: economic and social
I don't know if it'll work, but I joined in the hope that it will at least make a dent
I had issues with Sen Heitkamp on several issues, but I also donated a lot of money to her campaign in hopes...
I donated the max to Manchin's campaign as well. My guess is he will become a part of this.
Former IN Sen Donnelly has
What I like about this project from what I've read is it doesn't appear to be something that is designed to appease rural voters by attacking Democratic politicians. It appears to be trying to demonstrate to rural voters how our ideas really do benefit them more than republikkan ones do
It's worth a shot
mahina
(17,715 posts)Hortensis
(58,785 posts)Thanks for posting this, RPannier. Thank goodness for people like Senators Heitkamp and Donnelly.
From an Axios article I saw on the website,
Former Democratic Sens. Heidi Heitkamp and Joe Donnelly, who both lost their 2018 re-election races in North Dakota and Indiana, respectively, are launching the One Country Project to help their party win back rural voters ahead of the 2020 cycle.
Why it matters: Their team looked at rural votes by county and state from 2000 to 2018 and found that if Democrats dont break their performance with rural voters, theyre projected to once again win the popular vote but lose the electoral college in 2020.
Culturally, theyre focused on faith and family and country, and Donald Trump tells them all the time that were not, even though we are. ...What theyre saying: What we heard on the ground is that the Democratic Party no longer speaks for the entire country, Heitkamp said. Theyve forgotten the middle of the country and forgot to even show up. Even past Democratic voters didnt recognize the Democratic Party of 2018.
True or not (a lot of rural areas went pink in 2018 when Democrats did show up), most believe it and that's all that matters.
And about the DNC:
Our party is at its best when we are connecting with people from all across the country, from Boston, MA to Bowbells, ND, and the DNC is committed to a 50-state strategy that helps us win up and down the ballot in 2019, 2020, and beyond, Schneider said in a statement to Axios.
Under the leadership of Chair [Tom] Perez, the national party has made extensive investments to make sure we are connecting with folks in rural communities and talking about our shared values.
So our party knows we could once again win the nation but lose control of the government.
Analyses I've read of 50-state strategies that invested in solidly red areas showed very marginal wins over losses in the Great Plains and West, where ideology is somewhat more libertarian. The wins disappeared, spectacularly in 2010, when the heavy investment was withdrawn. So those pinkish areas that were created by investment in 2018 (and presumably reaction to Trumpism) could turn solid red again without. As we move toward 2020, they'll have even more Trumpism as a push and perhaps with some Democratic pull those 2018 wins out west could grow to become game-changing.
Btw, as a Georgia resident, I'm sorry to say that in spite of 50-state efforts the south, with its more religiously based conservatism, had strong and increasing losses as the long trend of the southern conservative wing of the Democratic Party moving to the Republican continued.
rpannier
(24,342 posts)They're making it about the voters in the region, not the nominee for whatever office. So it's issue and voter driven, not personality driven
DeminPennswoods
(15,290 posts)camp. Americans really don't mind gov't at all, but they want effecient and effective government (the liberal component). Americans also don't like being told what they can or cannot do (the libertarian component).
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)eleny
(46,166 posts)The Trump tariffs are hurting all of us. It's a good time to illustrate the differences in the policies. Perhaps persuade some voters to consider a change.
WhiteTara
(29,728 posts)area51
(11,929 posts)rpannier
(24,342 posts)She (and others in the project) are trying to teach people how to engage with rural voters, to explain ideas, that are considered liberal liberal, in a conservative way.
The Project is not about each individual issue by itself, it's about the hows of messaging